Basically the Giants were sellers without giving up on this season somehow. They will make a run at it with the guys they have and probably fall short but they're giving the fans some hope for the seasons final two months by at least playing meaningful baseball games. They also got the Braves to pay Melancons's contract so thats a huge win if nothing else.
-
Comment -
The Astros were my favorite to win the World Series before they added Greinke and now that they added Grienke to be their number 3 starter I think they're definitely the team to beat in the AL for sure and a good bet to win another World Series this season. That rotation of Verlander, Cole and Grienke in a short series is just nasty to think about.
Comment -
Tigers gave the Angels a nice spanking...Comment -
Zac(k) Attack In ’Zona: It wasn’t clear for weeks whether the Diamondbacks would be buyers or sellers at the deadline, but they ended up making the day’s biggest trade, sending ace Zack Greinke to the Astros for four of Houston’s top prospects — right-handers Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas, first baseman Seth Beer and infielder Joshua Rojas. It’s a franchise-altering move that instantly gets $53MM of Greinke’s large contract off the books, and adds even more young talent to a farm system already bolstered by a huge draft class. It remains to be seen if other veterans like Robbie Ray or David Peralta could be shopped in the offseason after not being dealt at the deadline, though GM Mike Hazen has long resisted a full rebuild, and Arizona’s made two other deadline moves that are also indicative of a desire to stay competitive.
The D’Backs dealt shortstop prospect Jazz Chisholm to the Marlins for rookie right-hander Zac Gallen, adding a controllable young arm who has already had some success at the Major League level into the rotation. The Snakes further added to their starting five by acquiring Mike Leake (and just $6MM of Leake’s remaining salary through 2020) from the Mariners for young infielder Jose Caballero.
Cub-Stellanos: The Cubs acquired southpaw Brad Wieck and some international bonus money from the Padres for Carl Edwards Jr., then dealt backup catcher Martin Maldonado to the Astros for second baseman/outfielder Tony Kemp. It was a pair of useful pickups for players who no longer seemed like roster fits, but the Cubs saved their biggest trade for last with the addition of Nick Castellanos. Chicago sent Paul Richan and Alex Lange to the Tigers for Castellanos, whose production has taken a step backwards this season after three very solid years in Motown, though it wouldn’t be surprising if Castellanos hits better now that he is free of the trade rumors that have swirled around him for months.
Not Done Yet: The Padres and Reds each swung their biggest move of deadline season on Tuesday night, in the huge three-team trade with the Indians that saw Trevor Bauer, Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes, and Taylor Trammell all switch uniforms. But San Diego wasn’t quite done trading, as per the aforementioned deal that brought Carl Edwards Jr. from the Cubs. Cincinnati had an even busier day, both in trading Gennett to the Giants and then moving Tanner Roark to the Athletics for outfield prospect Jameson Hannah, a second-rounder from the 2018 draft.
Giant Steps: If you learned a month ago that the Giants were going to make five deadline-day trades, you wouldn’t have at all been surprised — San Francisco had been pegged as deadline sellers for months. But while the Giants did move out some excess pieces, their recent surge up the standings also made them buyers, acquiring Scooter Gennett from the Reds for cash in an attempt to upgrade at second base. Time will tell if the Giants will remain in the wild card hunt, or if their hot streak was ultimately rather ill-timed, and the team cost itself a chance to trade some veterans and add some much-needed young talent into the pipeline.
The Giants did move some pitching, but Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith and Tony Watson remain, while Sam Dyson (who went to the Twins) was the only premium arm dealt. San Francisco also sent Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black to the Brewers for intriguing young infielder Mauricio Dubon, and Mark Melancon to the Braves for Tristan Beck and Dan Winkler. While Melancon was pitching well, the fact that Atlanta is covering all the roughly $18.6MM owed to Melancon through next season is an unexpected boon for San Francisco.
The Braves’ Bullpen Blowout: After getting Chris Martin from Texas on Tuesday, the Braves swung two more deals that brought Tigers closer Shane Greene into the fold, as well as former Giants closer Mark Melancon. Dan Winkler and Tristan Beck went to San Francisco, while left-hander Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte went to Detroit. While none of Atlanta’s top prospects were dealt, the Braves paid a rather unexpected cost of another kind in absorbing Melancon’s hefty salary. Melancon hasn’t been a true difference-maker since his heyday with the Pirates), and all advanced metrics suggest that Greene’s startling 1.18 ERA is due for some big regression. Still, even good production from these two veterans will help Atlanta’s relief core. The Braves were linked to some starters and position players in recent days, though a minor depth deal for Diamondbacks backup catcher John Ryan Murphy marked the club’s only other swap.
The Nationals’ Trifecta: Not to be outdone in the NL East bullpen sweepstakes, the Nationals added three new pitchers to the relief corps. Washington sent three minor league hurlers to the Mariners in a pair of trades that brought Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland to D.C., while Daniel Hudson was acquired from the Blue Jays for right-handed prospect Kyle Johnston. This isn’t the first time even this season that the Nats have overhauled their inconsistent bullpen, and they’re hoping that this final shakeup will at last smooth the late-inning path to closer Sean Doolittle.
Phillies Add Corey Dickerson: The Phils have been hurting in the outfield ever since Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending injury, so the team replaced one former Pirates outfielder with….another Pirates outfielder, grabbing Dickerson from the Bucs for international cash and a player to be named later. Philadelphia also took a flier on Dan Straily in a minor trade with the Orioles, to see if Straily can recapture any of his Marlins form now that he’s back in the NL East.
Dodgers Focus On Depth: Rather than add a Yu Darvish or a Manny Machado like at past deadlines, the Dodgers avoided blockbusters in favor of two small deals. L.A. supplemented its left-handed bullpen depth by acquiring Adam Kolarek from Tampa, and then brought yet another multi-position infielder into the mix in the form of Jedd Gyorko, as part of a trade with the Cardinals that also saw Los Angeles add international funds and cash considerations while Tony Cingrani and Jeffry Abreu went to St. Louis. With a big lead in the NL West, the Dodgers are just tinkering for October at this point, though do they finally have the right mix to claim that elusive World Series?
Marlins Reel In Position Player Prospects: Miami dealt a young asset in Gallen for an even younger and perhaps more questionable asset in Chisholm, a top-100 prospect who has struggled in 2019. But the Marlins also completed another trade involving moving young pitching for a young position player, as they also moved right-handers Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards to Tampa Bay for outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez and right-hander Ryne Stanek. Like Chisholm, Sanchez is also having a subpar year, so the Marlins are hoping they’ve been able to buy low on a couple of potential everyday players for the future.
Pitching Depth In Milwaukee: The Brewers were linked to a number of notable pitchers on the rumor mill, though they ended up adding mostly depth arms between Pomeranz, Black, and Jacob Faria, who was acquired for struggling first baseman Jesus Aguilar in a deal with the Rays. The addition of Jordan Lyles ended up being the Brewers’ biggest move, as the team decided to wait for its injured starters (Brandon Woodruff, Jhoulys Chacin) to return rather than make a splashier rotation fix. It could be a risky tactic for the Brew Crew, given how tight the NL Central race is between Milwaukee, Chicago, and St. Louis.
The Quiet Deadlines: Even with the Pirates in sell mode, Dickerson and Lyles were the only notable pieces moved by Pittsburgh, despite a lot of chatter surrounding Felipe Vazquez. The Mets also had a lot of late rumblings about Zack Wheeler, though in the end, they didn’t make any deals. The Rockies didn’t do anything apart from one minor trade with the Yankees, and the Cardinals also stood pat apart from the Gyorko trade. St. Louis’ lack of action was perhaps the most surprising given the tight NL Central race — the front office was certainly annoyed at the inability to complete any major deals, yet the Cardinals will have to hope their current roster (plus some players returning from injury) are enough to reach the postseason.Comment -
In terms of fantasy takeaways, no real change to Greinkes value, boost in wins but ratios may suffer slightly pitching in Houston in the hitter heavy AL with the DH.
Castellanos gets an obvious boost for both the lineup around him and park factors, though he is somewhat of a defensive liability at Wrigley and they cant DH him so hopefully it doesnt hurt his playing time with Hayward having a nice season.
Roark gets a bump just for heading to Oaklands pitcher haven park, but hes still not much more than a streamer
I really like how this shapes up for Nick Anderson. Guy has elite peripherals and might now be closing for Tampa. I have no idea wtf the Marlins are doing. Gallen is a young cheap arm who has looked pretty good, Anderson a young cheap RP with elite numbers, and Trevor Richards is also a young, cheap pitcher who has been pitching well. Why give all that away for worse returns? (imo) I do think Jesus Sanchez is a nice add but I think they gave up too much pitchingComment -
Astros thinking strong rotation.Comment -
Houston's rotation just got a lot better, the Yankees rotation has been a gong show lately. It will be fun to see the Yankees, Astros, Dodgers battle it out this post season.Comment -
Not happy at all the Reds traded Scooter Gennett!Comment -
Scooter was an all star last year.Comment -
The Cubs attempted to bolster their roster at the trade deadline, acquiring Nicholas Castellanos, David Phelps and Tony Kemp, and now have a major in-house reinforcement on the way. As expected, left-hander Cole Hamels will come off the injured list Saturday, manager Joe Maddon announced to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune and other reporters. He’ll start against the National League Central rival Brewers, who are also vying for a division title.
The 35-year-old Hamels suffered an oblique strain in his most recent start June 28, and his month-plus absence has deprived the Cubs of one of their best starters during a crucial stretch. The club lost the latest game he started, though it still ended the night in first place in the division. The Cubs are now a game back of the front-running Cardinals, who shellacked them, 8-0, Thursday. Chicago does, however, hold a wild-card spot.
Hamels, who’s scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end, has turned in his latest quality season in a long succession of them. Across 99 2/3 innings, the former Phillie and Ranger has posted a terrific 2.98 ERA/3.59 FIP with 8.76 K/9, 3.16 BB/9 and a 51.1 percent groundball rate. Hamels paces the Cubs’ rotation – a group that also includes Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Yu Darvish and Jose Quintana – in ERA, FIP and grounder percentage.Comment -
As with a nice comeback lateComment -
The Dodgers did the right thing by not overpaying for Felipe Vazquez from the Pirates.Comment -
I really liked the Padres trade getting Carl Edwards Jr for Brad weick. Weick is a bum and Edwards has been one of the better relievers in the league the past few years but having a rough year this year.Comment -
Really upset at the Jays management for selling our controllable pitchers for pennies on the dollar. They have become experts on selling low on once-valuable assets (Josh Donaldson).Comment -
^
Most relievers, especially closers are having bad years
Twins yesterday, Braves night before, and they are playoff teams.Comment -
The Jays management are clowns.Comment -
Reds-Pirates brawl results in 40 games of bans
Major League Baseball on Thursday suspended six players and both managers for their roles in the benches-clearing brawl between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
Reds manager David Bell (six games) and pitchers Amir Garrett (eight games) and Jared Hughes (three games) were disciplined. Yasiel Puig, who acknowledged after Tuesday's game that he had been traded to the Cleveland Indians before Wednesday's official announcement, was suspended for three games.
Pirates pitcher Keone Kela got the longest ban at 10 games for "intentionally" throwing a pitch near the head of the Reds' Derek Dietrich and later instigating the brawl. Teammates Jose Osuna (five games) and Kyle Crick (three games) and manager Clint Hurdle (two games) also were disciplined by MLB.
"The incidents between these two clubs remain a source of concern, and it's reflected by the level of discipline we are handing down today," Joe Torre, chief baseball officer for MLB, said in a statement. "Everyone on the field should be aware of the example they are setting for fans, particularly young people.
"I firmly expect these two managers and all others to hold their players accountable for appropriate conduct and to guide them in the right direction."
Those Are Fighting Words
The eight suspensions handed down by MLB, with reasons given, as a result of actions during the Pirates-Reds game Tuesday night.
10 Keone Kela Pirates Intentionally throwing at head, instigating brawl 8 Amir Garrett Reds Inciting brawl, throwing a punch 6 David Bell Reds Returning to field after ejection, escalating incident 5 Jose Osuna Pirates Aggressive, inappropriate actions 3 Jared Hughes Reds Intentionally throwing at Starling Marte 3 Kyle Crick Pirates Inappropriate actions 3 Yasiel Puig Indians* Aggressive actions 2 Clint Hurdle Pirates Club's conduct, intentional pitches at Dietrich * Traded from Reds to Indians after incident Comment -
Braves such a surprise this year, never thought they would run away with that division.Comment -
I'm not that surprised by them as I was impressed with their young talent last season who helped them reach the postseason last season. Those guys are even better this year so it really doesn't shock me that they're this good. The only question with them is will their pitching be able to help them take the next step. They did address it at the deadline but it remains to be seen if they have enough to put them over the top in the playoffs.Comment -
- Nationals ace Max Scherzer is eligible to come off the injured list Monday, though that’s unlikely to happen, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Back troubles have limited Scherzer to one start since July 6, but he is making progress in his recovery. The three-time Cy Young winner began a throwing program Friday, tossing 25 balls at 70 feet on flat ground.
- One of Scherzer’s new Nationals teammates, just-acquired reliever Roenis Elias, suffered a right leg injury running down the first base line Friday, as Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post was among those to cover. “He was told not to swing, about as many times as I could tell him in Spanish and English,” manager David Martinez stated. “But he’s competitive, you know? He said sorry to me.” While Elias suggested it’s not a serious ailment, he’s unsure if he suffered a hamstring pull or just a cramp. The Nationals will re-evaluate him Saturday. In better news, the left-hander did contribute to the Nationals’ victory over the Diamondbacks where he’s supposed to – on the mound – as he retired both batters he faced.
- This has been an injury-ravaged year for Blue Jays left-hander Ryan Borucki, whom elbow issues prevented from making his 2019 debut until July 22. Borucki’s season is only two starts old, but he’s already back on the IL with elbow inflammation. The Blue Jays now plan to consult with famed orthopedist Dr. James Andrews in regards to Borucki, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet writes. Andrews performed Tommy John surgery on Borucki in 2013, and the hurler required another procedure to remove bone spurs from the joint in 2015. The 25-year-old’s latest injury has stopped him from building on a solid 2018 in which he pitched to a 3.87 ERA/3.80 FIP in his 17-start, 97 2/3-inning major league debut.
- The Mets had been considering using shortstop Amed Rosario in center field, but that’s off the table for the time being, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. Rosario will stick at short because his recent performance at the position has encouraged the club, manager Mickey Callaway said Friday. Fielding metrics haven’t liked Rosario dating back to last year, his first full campaign in the majors, as the former top prospect has combined for minus-31 Defensive Runs Saved (minus-15 in 2019) and a minus-11.2 Ultimate Zone Rating (minus-6.0 this season). The 23-year-old Rosario has at least upped his offensive production this season, though, having hit a respectable .276/.316/.438 (99 wRC+) with 11 home runs and 12 steals (18 attempts) in 432 plate appearances.
Comment -
Mets looked like the had their 9th in a row. Then bam 5 run inningComment -
Gingergaard roughed up by Padres in MLB debutComment
