How Did This Get Cade?

 

Well, the Nats got what they wanted. This is a team where C.J. Abrams, James Wood, Keibert Ruiz, Luis Garcia, Cade Cavalli, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young are all playing crucial roles. There's still no certainty that it'll last longer than next week, but it's happening.

Wood and Abrams are genuinely two of the best hitters in baseball, and I couldn't be more here for it. Wood has a .949 OPS, which leads the league, plus 30 home runs and 72 RBIs. No more 'good for the Nats', this is good for the whole league. Same with Abrams, who's only continued his spectacular Washington run, hitting .289 with a league-leading 84 RBIs [well it WAS league-leading before Sal Stewart went on a tear], plus 28 home runs and 19 steals. The Nats might trade Abrams, and they'd do so during his best season to date, where he's at his peak [at least to date] and has the most value. If the Nats feel like they will continue to have value with him, they might hold back, but considering that Foster Griffin is on the table, Abrams might still be leaving. 

And then look at Cade Cavalli. Missed a ton of time with injuries, returned valiantly last year with a comeback performance, and here he's doing what he should have been doing all along, with a 3.50 ERA, an 8-4 record and 130 Ks. Standard staff ace performance through 23 starts, meaning if Griffin gets dealt, which is still possible, they won't lose much of their footing as they probably aren't dealing Cavalli. Though I really wish some of the rotation depth that was teased years ago [whatever happened to D.J. Herz??] comes true going forward, because it is still DIRE. Carson Palmquist and Miles Mikolas are getting starts, it's not pretty at all. 

What kept the Nats going this year, and what will potentially save them from dealing too much of their core, is their offense, which will only get stronger as Crews and House develop, and with the eventual promotion [maybe next year] of Eli Willits. Even at a noncompetitive form, the Nats have three solid home run hitters, not to mention triples machine Daylen Lile and power-hitter-in-training Dylan Crews. I think that this can still develop with or without Abrams, and the existence of Eli Willits leads me to believe that Abrams is gonna walk at some point anyhow. 

Whatever happens, the Nats are still relatively close to where they should be. They have an identity, they have a future, and they have James Wood. They'll be alright.

Coming Tomorrow- An infielder who was supposed to be a part of something big a few years ago and is now...in last, supposedly on the other end of it. 

The Canada to Philly Pipeline??

 

Here is a shortlist of players that the Philadelphia Phillies have discussed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho, Jeff Hoffman, Shane Bieber, George Springer. Any of those guys would definitely be the jolt that Philly needs to finish the season. I'm not sure how many will end up being dealt, and how many of our guys will be affected [is this where Painter goes? Is this where Rincones goes?], but it's certainly promising.

Let's be clear, the Jays are responsible for one of the most important pickups in Philadelphia Phillies history, the Roy Halladay trade of 2010, where two inconsequential Phils prospects [and also Travis d'Arnaud] were sent to Toronto and the Phils got a legend who looked good in red. Other than that, the Phils and Jays have never really been on opposing sides of the aisle around this point. And yet here, the Phillies need help, the Jays aren't competing, so here we are.

So let's talk about why Daulton Varsho would be a great fit for the Phillies. Let's start with the obvious. Daulton Varsho, if he lands in Philly, would conclude a very special MLB story. Gary Varsho played for the Phillies in 1995, alongside Darren Daulton, stopped playing after the season, then nine months later his son was born, and he would be given the name Daulton after Gary's former teammate. And now there's a possibility that Daulton Varsho could be playing in Philadelphia, where his story essentially began thirty years ago. 

Plus, Varsho's just a handy guy to have around. Terrific center fielder, great power bat, great clutch hitter, very multi-faceted, thrives in October. Last year in the playoffs he was very helpful, and had 3 homers and 10 RBIs in 18 games. I think he'd do well in Philly. I also think Gausman or Springer or Bieber would probably also do well in Philly but Varsho especially. Jeff Hoffman in Philly though....hmm, I don't even know what that would look like...

If the Jays drop the hammer, they still have enough left to work with going forward. Brandon Valenzuela might be a stronger bet than Alejandro Kirk behind the plate, Trey Yesavage and Dylan Cease can certainly line a great rotation, Okamoto will still be around for a bit, and the team's still centered around Vlad for the foreseeable future. They are still fundamentally a good team, and have enough to still compete for a bit. The lightning that made them a threat last year could not strike twice, and the team could not hold up for long enough to really go for it. So here we are. 

If the Jays deal people to Philly, I hope they continue their strong work and deliver something great. I'd even be alright with Springer in Phils colors. It'd be weird rooting FOR Springer for once, after all this time rooting against him, but I'm open to the idea. 

Coming Tonight: How weird is it that after he got mad at Willson Contreras his season only improved?

Devers After

 

Well, Rafael Devers got what he wanted. He's on the way for another 30-homer season, potentially 100 RBI season, playing where he wants, being an integral part of the team, and it's not even gonna matter even remotely in the grand scheme of this season. As his old team is putting together a potential playoff roster.

I mean, look...a year later, Devers is still justified in wanting out of Boston. The organization that made him a star was sidelining him for a 1-year rental and telling him where to play, then actively shopping him to make room only to pawn virtually everyone they got for him for parts. I wouldn't want to play for the Sox either if I was him. But while he's arguably treated better in San Francisco, this Giants team isn't going anywhere, even with people like Luis Arraez, Willy Adames, Heliot Ramos and Jung-Hoo Lee. The answers ate there, the development is there, and it's not moving. Even Devers himself took far too long to get going and only now, that the season is lost, is doing everything that he can to get back on course. He now leads the team in homers, which is easy to do when Daniel Susac, Luis Arraez and Grant McCray take up crucial roster spaces. The power game isn't there, the contact game is barely there despite TWO .300 hitters, and every great season seems to stop right when it's getting going. Ramos, Susac, Chapman, Lee and now Schmitt have all gotten hurt right when they were hitting their peak. It feels cursed.

Trevor McDonald going down the same week as Casey Schmitt feels like the real death nell. Yes, it means Carson Whisenhunt can start games, and he's been doing pretty alright for himself, but it's now down to Tyler Mahle, healthy but still a 5 ERA guy, Landon Roupp and his unabashed homophobia, Christian Koss erasing the good vibes of last season, and a very underwhelming bullpen to pick up the slack. It's great that Heliot Ramos is back and hitting, he's got 9 home runs and 34 RBIs in 70 games, but that injury took the wind out of this team's sails. Same with Jung-Hoo Lee, who's had excellent stretches but about as many mediocre ones. Even if they let Arraez or Ray go at the deadline, can this team build something so that 2027 doesn't look like this? Can Drew Gilbert finally take off? Is Devers gonna keep being this power backbone?

I think ultimately I just expected more from this team, just from how surprisingly streaky they could be, and how open the middle of the division was. But they just don't have depth right now, and Logan Webb giving more peak starts still isn't enough on its own. And so here we are, another Giants season, another purely inconsequential venture into Buster Posey's business flaws. Least he's getting a plaque next year.

Coming Tomorrow- A fun outfield bat who was just linked in trade rumors to one of my teams.

A Minus

 

[Unrelated opening note: I keep mentally referring to Tyler Soderstrom as 'Tyler Sodeepop' every time I hear about him. That can't be good for his legitimacy.]

The way the Athletics have run out of steam this season has been frankly insulting. On June 19th they were a .500 team, mostly in second place, powering through some rough stretches but staying on target and keeping in the race. Then they go on a truly appalling losing stretch, they lose Nick Kurtz, get him back but not his power bat, and now they're so far under .500 that they're not even a competitor anymore. It's looking like some people might be dealt, and if it wasn't for the injury, Shea Langeliers would definitely be one of them. Just very, very sad, as if they'd kept their stuff together they might have had a shot.

Once again, Tyler Soderstrom, who's somehow only 24, has cemented himself as a very crucial lineup piece, with an .821 OPS, 17 homers and 50 RBIs. Not quite the power season he was having last year around this time, as his hot start got him to his first 25 homer year, but potentially evenly-displaced enough to get past that mark by October. Aside from Kurtz, Soderstrom might be the most accurate pure hitter on the A's this year, and with both Rooker and Langeliers out for a while, and Gelof and Kuroda-Grauer down for a little while [JKG had one of the single most unfortunate MLB injuries I've seen in a while, and in the midst of a stretch where he was hitting .400 no less], a lot more is riding on him. He might be one of the few people left on this team who hasn't gotten hurt or gone cold for a substantial percentage of the season. And it's weird that we're down to him. Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler were supposed to mean so much more to this team, but they're both having down years, with Wilson being much less accurate than his rookie campaign, and Butler only hitting .199 with 5 homers. We've seen him take off in the second half before, so I'm not terribly worried, but this still isn't great, especially for a very big piece of this team. 

I guess on the bright side I feel better about the long term development of this team's pitching than before. The Springs and Severino gambits did not work. Not inevitable but...yeah, I figured there was a chance. J.T. Ginn getting more starts was a very good thing, he could be the ace next year, he had a 3.50 ERA and 100 Ks in 22 appearances. Gage Jump is also very much MLB-ready, and has a 4 ERA and 68 Ks in 12 starts. Given a fuller season he should be on his way. Beyond that, I'm not sure though. Lopez and Morales just aren't getting it done this year. Logically Joey Estes should get another shot but who knows if he'll be any better. It's still two young, controllable arms more than I would have credited them for going into the season.

Not much else for the A's to do at this point but just ride it out and prep for 2027. Two more months of grueling play and missed opportunities, hopefully they're at least a slight upgrade from the last two.

Coming Tonight: One of the most effective power hitters in baseball. In case you were worried he'd have nothing to say this year. 

Worth the Gamble?

 

I would say more than most other seasons, this particular deadline week is inundated with teams who could either be a buyer or a seller. Because the middle of the pack this year seems to dominate the conversation, only a few teams really are in position to feasibly buy or sell, and even so, the top and bottom teams might not even be the most crucial players. I don't think the Dodgers are going to do much this deadline season. People keep linking them to Skubal, but that might just be in free agency. Similarly, I don't think the Rockies will be as picked at as people seem to think. I think the middle teams have the most to gain...but too many of them are still noncommittal on whether or not it's worth it to make a run this year.

Genuinely, like half the league is in this conundrum right now. The Pirates, Orioles, Marlins, Blue Jays, Nationals, Astros, Padres, D-Backs, Twins, Tigers and Cardinals are all unsure of the direction of the next two months. That's 11 teams. That's...a lot. All still undecided, all still up in the air. 

The Cardinals have been one of the most fascinating teams of this season, because on a number of levels they have cracked what's baffled them to this point. J.J. Wetherholt and Jordan Walker have lived up to expectations and are leading this team into their next era. Alec Burleson's having an extremely effective year as an all-around hitter. The rotation, despite being mostly anonymous, is holding things together, with Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante all working on nice seasons. Defensively this team has its stuff together on a number of levels. However...there isn't terribly much to this team, still. Blaze Jordan was brought in to be the surefire hit at third that Nolan Gorman wasn't, and he's sort of doing a lot of the same things. There's still not much bench depth, there's barely contact infrastructure [the team's hitting .239, and the bullpen is mostly perfunctory really, barring a star turn from Riley O'Brien. This is a very okay team with a bunch of very good pieces.

Since the All-Star break, the Cardinals have come back to earth a great deal, with a 3-9 record, bringing them below .500 and to fourth place again. With the Cubs in town, who have a ton more momentum currently, the Cardinals aren't looking like they'd be wise in buying at this rate. But that's never stopped them before. On many occasions the Cardinals have taken on smaller pieces and have opted to be a spoiler in case a wild card spot surfaces, and that mentality got them Jordan Montgomery at the deadline a few years ago. They're also one of those teams that never thinks they're out of it until it's impossible to think otherwise. They may still buy, as a way of using the additions as a springboard to make an okay team great, which is...not how I think trade deadline acquisitions should work, they should supplant great teams, not make teams competitors singlehandedly. 

Who knows, the Cardinals could go for Skubal or Volpe or somebody huge. Or, they could decide to unload some small stuff and focus on 2027, as they should do. But we've established that the Cardinals aren't very good at doing what I want them to.

Coming Tomorrow- One of the few people still trying on a team that's basically given up.

Rodent to Nowhere

 

Here's how the Tigers' season is going: last night, all the action was upstaged by a bunch of field hands chasing after a squirrel. After that, the Tigers lost the game to the Orioles. I'm not sure who actually did anything during the game but the squirrel may have done more. 

Rough go of things for the Tigers yet again. The all-for-one contact energy that made the teams great in 2024 and 2025 has dissolved to reveal a bunch of starting roles for people that won't hit. Kerry Carpenter, Spencer Torkelson, Matt Vierling, Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry have all been very disappointing this year. We've seen them band together and do something great, and they're just not doing that. And what happened to Parker Meadows? Wasn't he supposed to be something? Or is the Meadows family just cursed? Yes, Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres, Kevin McGonigle and Dillon Dingler make a very nice core for this team, but the depth was what got them to the playoffs. Now there's none of that. Hao-Yu Lee is...decent? He's hitting .274 with 6 homers and 23 RBIs, I suppose that's alright. I dunno who else is around to fill out this lineup? Is Max Clark gonna happen this year or not? 

The pitching is a little surer of itself but Mize and Skubal have both had excellent seasons plagued by injury. Skubal missed some time, came back and is still very good [and likely on the way to a surer market], while Mize will have an excellent stretch then leave a start early and come back a week later like nothing's different. Mize is just giving people ulcers every so often, and while I'm glad he's pitching well again, that's not the way. Jack Flaherty's season isn't great either, he's got a 4 ERA again and is missing time. And Framber Valdez, in between occasional flashes of Astros brilliance, has a 4.50 ERA and too many starts where teams get the best of him. This man was the king of quality starts before, and now he just can't keep runs down. It's kind of upsetting.

It makes the rise of Troy Melton even more satisfying, because this guy was not supposed to start this year. When JV got signed, the Tigers' rotation seemed very figured out. Skubal-Mize-Valdez-Flaherty-JV. All but Valdez has gotten injured. Keider Montero, the sixth man, became a very crucial pillar for this rotation. Openers were high in demand. And Melton, who was at best a long reliever, was given starts. He's been extremely good in this role though, with a 1.95 ERA, a 5-1 record and 55 Ks in that time. Skubal has been good, but he's got a 2.70 ERA. Even Skubal's had missteps. Melton's just been really solid and not very showy at all. So even if Skubal leaves, Melton could be a nice rotation backbone guy if things keep going wrong, similar to Montero. 

The Tigers probably aren't competing, will probably sell at the deadline, and will probably rethink what a competitive team will look like going forward. I thought this rebuild would yield success, it sort of did, but it didn't have the legs they wanted. And they may need to pare down and think small for a bit. Unless they've got any more rodent-related plays in mind.

Coming Tonight: An actual decent starting pitcher from the Cardinals. Who'd have thought?

Here We O Again...

 

The Orioles are 4 games under .500, in fourth place in the AL East, blocked by three heftier competitors...and it looks like once again, even with the proper development and roster-building, it's just gonna happen. Last year they at least had an excuse. Everyone got injured, Elias only signed minimal guys, the plan failed. This year they had a new manager, new contracts, an even beefier lineup, Pete Alonso in the driver's seat and so much more going for them. And they still can't get anywhere. 

But...it's still early enough that the O's could technically still factor into the wild card race. They're only 2.5 games back from a spot right now, meaning they're not fully out of the running yet, and a late drive could always happen. It's just a matter of whether or not the organization believes in this team enough to leg out the season with th-what d'you mean they're already shopping Taylor Ward?

The wise part about this team is that they've got a ton of these guys contracted for a while. Shane Baz, Kyle Bradish, Samuel Basallo, Pete Alonso. That does keep Rutschman, Henderson, Ward and Rogers in the 'short term' category technically, and if anything does need to be done at the deadline, it probably won't break the team. Holliday, Jackson, Cowser, Alexander and possibly Beavers are all in it for the long run, they're not going anywhere. It's mostly gonna be smaller pieces for the moment, and if it's that then I won't be too worried about the future impact.

The present impact is a little shaky though. Right now both catchers are hurt, so Chadwick Tromp and Maverick Handley, two career third-string backstops, are taking most of the reps. Blaze Alexander, who WAS the answer at third, got hurt and will be out for a bit, so Christian Encarnacion-Strand is now the upgrade from Coby Mayo. Jackson Holliday's defense is causing the fans to turn on him more than they already were. Rico Garcia's strong first half has evened out to reveal a very human second half, and current ninth inning choice Andrew Kittredge is not as strong as he was last year. There's holes in this team, and they're keeping them from greatness.

Which is why it's been nice that Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish and Brandon Young have all been very strong as starting options. Usually by this point the Orioles' rotation is a matter of 'who's around', that's not the case this year. Bradish is healthy and thriving, with a 3.49 ERA and 110 Ks in 20 starts. Brandon Young is 8-2 and has a 3.13 ERA, a far cry from his occasionally brilliant but mostly spotty 2025. Baz and Rogers have both come around after tough runs. Dean Kremer's bringing up the rear but even he's getting better every start. It's usually a stumbling point for this team but it's lifting them now. And on the other hand...Pete Alonso's the best player on the team, has appeared in every game and has 22 home runs and 67 RBIs, which is exactly what they signed the guy for. Truth in advertising.

The Orioles aren't pretty, but they're not dead yet. Their deadline mentality is gonna be interesting however they go about it, cause they could still be something but I don't know if they want to risk it. 

Coming Tomorrow- Going into the season, he probably figured he'd get work as a long relief option. Then 3 starters got injured. And now he's been one of the team's biggest surprises. 

Unstoppable Force, Movable Object

 

To finish off June, the San Diego Padres lost 8 consecutive games. And for a team with next to no pitching and an alarming lack of depth, that was considered par for the course I suppose. Around this time the Miami Marlins were taking off, with a 20-6 record in June. Two teams going two very separate directions. So how do you explain the results of this Padres-Marlins series, where the Padres took all three, meaning the Marlins have now lost 12 straight, despite winning six straight beforehand? What the hell went wrong? The Marlins haven't lost anybody. The Padres haven't gained anybody. Now the Padres might be more of a wild card threat than the Marlins, despite them both having the same record.

Manny Machado is the guy who most represents the strangeness of this Padres season. They're not good, but they were given the belief to be at least decent. Hasn't gone 100% according to plan. Much like Manny Machado's season. This has been the first real down season the man has had since his early days in Baltimore, like his 2014 season where he, at 21, only hit .278 with 12 homers and 32 RBIs in a shortened season. Or his 2017, where, in between star-making campaigns, he hit .259 with 33 homers and 95 RBIs, most accomplished in a second half struggling to make up for a down first. Machado, in the midst of a Hall of Fame career that will no doubt cross the 400 home run mark this year and possibly the 500 mark eventually, is hitting .210 with 23 homers and 36 RBIs, with a 0.8 WAR owing to a high strikeout percentage, poor defense and a lack of real pull in the direction of the team. But he was still able to hit a crucial home run off of Lake Bachar last night, in addition to Jackson Merrill, who's also suddenly hitting despite a subpar overall campaign.

The Padres will likely sell at the deadline...or will they? We thought the Marlins would be buying, but now that they're back under .500, who knows? The Padres have Michael King, Ty France and Mason Miller to deal, and probably still will even if they're better than they were. But now there's been this swell, they're chasing the Diamondbacks who are ducking again, and now they're playing two much worse NL West teams, and...they could buy after all? Is there a way they could even out while still dealing Miller and France? Who knows. The Tigers still chased glory a couple years ago after dealing Jack Flaherty. 

The Marlins...I just don't understand it. Nothing's changed. They still have the same offensive onslaught since before the losing streak began. Still Stowers, Hicks, Hernandez...they've just all gone cold. Stowers is still hitting, but only .234, despite the 13 homers and 45 RBIs. Hicks is cold after a terrific start, now down to .277. Marsee's stopped hitting, Joe Mack's cooled down, it's the whole team basically. It's not that the team's suddenly bad, it's that they all picked the same time to go cold. The Yankees do this all the time, they just did this a month ago. Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara are still viable answers in the rotation, with 3.5 to 4 ERAs and high strikeout totals. The bullpen's hit a bit of a snag, but since John King is back that could be coming to an end. Otto Lopez still leads the league in batting average with .328, and he might be the only guy in this lineup who hasn't really slowed down. But alas, even against the Padres, they just couldn't find the will.

They honestly should still buy. The core still is successful, this month has just sucked for them. I think one more rotation arm would do it, possibly another contact bat or an actual 1st baseman [France?], and getting Max Meyer back eventually would possibly be helpful as well. I also think that potentially Deyvison De Los Santos could be a very helpful midyear callup, but I've been saying that for like 3 years at this point so what do I know? 

This should be a turning point for both teams. The Marlins should respond to this Padres series with the intensity to ensure it'll never happen again. The Padres should respond to this Marlins series with the mentality that'll either confirm that they're a seller or add fuel to the fire that a wild card run is still in the cards. We'll see what actually comes from it though.

Coming Tonight: The Orioles just gave him a lot of money to stick around, so that...knocks out ONE potential deadline target I guess..

Love Him or Hader

 

Remember when Josh Hader to Houston was supposed to be the kingmaker move? The kind of move that would ensure the Astros would stay in the hunt perpetually going forward despite the aging core and the loss of more and more key players? And instead, Hader might actually be one of the few things that have stayed consistent about the Astros since Joe Espada took over? 

The Astros are in second last now. I know people don't like when I do this, but it's very much by default. The A's have completely fallen apart, the Mariners refused to win more than one game in a crucial division series, the Rangers are in first by a thread but just lost Josh Jung. The Astros are under .500, still not entirely a threat, just lost Spencer Arrighetti and expect Peter Lambert and a rehabbing Hunter Brown to do all the work. This is a meritless second place. They won 5 straight and then Munetaka Murakami absolutely embarrassed them, and when the White Sox earn a win more than you, you're fooling a lot of people, including yourself. 

It's not like this is a completely bad team, because Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena represent the absolute best this lineup has to offer. This lineup was a lot better when you actually had George Springer, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Yuli Gurriel draped around them, but Alvarez is headed for MVP votes and Pena had a 2-homer day today, representing 2 of the 3 runs the Astros were able to score. Pena's total is now 11 homers and 30 RBIs in 58 games, very much doing a lot in a small amount of time. Same with Josh Hader, who was activated midyear, he's got 12 saves and a 1.35 ERA in 22 appearances, this is vintage Hader with no real troubles. Definitely a huge addition to a really rough bullpen with a broken Bryan Abreu and a lot of mostly okay performances.

'Broken' is a good word for a lot of these guys. Lance McCullers just got DFA'd by the Brewers because he didn't really have anything left. Cristian Javier has a 9.37 ERA and is struggling mightily. Ronel Blanco's gotten absolutely annihilated in both his starts back. Tatsuya Imai still hasn't fully figured out MLB pitching. Even Mike Burrows somehow couldn't handle pitching for a better team. Even if they keep worming their way up the standings, the lack of sturdy pitching will do the Astros in. Everyone is so tired. So exhausted. EVEN FRAMBER VALDEZ IS FATIGUED OVER IN DETROIT.

The Astros could still persist in the top of the AL West standings, and they may even make a run...but again, it's the case of an Astros team that refuses to realize that they are not capable of meeting the moment. This is not the team, and this is not the year. 

Coming Tomorrow- A future Hall of Famer having a very human season for the first time since his early 20s. 

Practical Magic

 The Pirates currently lead the league in inspired nicknames. They already have Jhostynxon "The Password" Garcia, and the beloved Brandon "Bamm-Bamm" Lowe. Now here comes a new power hitter named Esmerlyn Valdez, and he goes by the too-perfect nickname of 'The Magician'. Esmerlyn, the Magician. These things write themselves.

Anyway, Valdez has been the spark of this latest Pirates upswing, as his power hitting has been a welcome new addition to a lineup that, one might argue, didn't need the power boost considering Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, Bryan Reynolds and Spencer Horwitz are here. But Valdez is young, confident, and already has 13 homers and 34 RBIs in 35 games, plus a crazy 1.063 OPS. This kid is already something, and has turned the Pirates into a potential wild card threat again. They're ahead of the Cardinals in the standings? Remember when we all thought the Cardinals were gonna be something, then we remembered they had no starting pitching? The Pirates have starting pitching, a working power core, AND rookies like Konnor Griffin and Esmerlyn Valdez making things even better.

The rotation is also pretty impressive all the way through, for the first time in a while. It's not just Skenes! Skenes is extremely helpful, but Braxton Ashcraft's 9-4 with a 3.95 ERA, Jared Jones is looking like his old self after 10 games with a 3.72 ERA, and both Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler are at least eating innings and having some good starts in the midst of mostly 4ish ERA seasons. Whatever, Carmen Mlodzinski is there if things go haywire, even if he's still not wild about being a long man. Still a great situation. 5 strong choices, a sixth if things go wrong, and Connor Wietgrefe if things go really wrong. Better than the usual strategy of Paul Skenes and a bunch of guys who will be traded. 

The Pirates are on the verge of something, but this Cubs series is testing them. The bullpen still isn't great, and sending Dennis Santana out on a rail is only so much help. I really hope the Pirates can shop around for relief pieces at the deadline. They'd be a sneaky landing place for some of the more efficient relief pieces on the board, and it could help them stay in the race rather than die off immediately. I know they made some deals a couple years ago at the deadline and it didn't do them any good, but it's better than not trying, and the Pirates have gotten a lot out of not trying. It's given them a nice playoff drought that they're trying to end. And hopefully this is the team that can do it.

Coming Tonight: Still one of the best closers in baseball, in case anybody cares. 

Destination Very Much Known

 

Ryan Jeffers has a pretty sturdy week ahead of him. After this series against the A's he plays a few games against the Royals, and then he and the rest of the Twins head to Seattle, and then at some point during that series he'll be heading to New York to join the Yankees because he's going to be traded to the Yankees. Everyone knows Ryan Jeffers is about to be traded to the Yankees. The fact that they're waiting for the formality of the trade deadline is honestly just proof that the deadline season is kind of a farce at this point. If you want to make a move, make a move, don't wait til the wire.

So Ryan Jeffers having to be a Minnesota Twin this week when everyone knows that A.) the Yankees want him and B.) they have more to offer the Twins than anyone else looking for a primary catcher, which...who even is right now anyway [the Sox??]. But they're waiting til they can get the TV coverage for making the deal so they have to pad this out. We all know they're gonna offer the Twins some prospect cornucopia, probably some double-A pitchers, and the Twins are gonna ask for Spencer Jones, the Yankees are gonna say no, and the Twins are gonna go through with the deal anyway. Everyone knows how this goes. But we've gotta have Jeffers ride out the half, I guess.

Jeffers has been pretty good this year, and would likely be an upgrade over Austin Wells if dealt to the Yankees. He's hitting .283 with a .922 OPS, has 9 homers and 35 RBIs in 41 games, and has been one of the highlights of a better-than-expected Twins lineup. I don't think taking Jeffers out of this lineup will wound the team too much, Victor Caratini can start and Alex Jackson can be backup. Perhaps THE answer is on the way. And plus, as long as Josh Bell, Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee stay in the lineup, they should be fine. I don't know if all of them will. The Twins could be shopping anything from just Jeffers to the whole team, including Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton. But we won't know just how much they're willing to deal til far too late. They really shouldn't trade Buxton, but y'know...they don't know what they're doing. 

So, this week the farce will just continue. Jeffers will be somewhat helpful as the Twins do okay work skirting the middle of the division while the Royals and Tigers tank for prospects knowing full well they'll be competitive again next year. And then they'll deal him, and probably other people, and then settle around fourth and not be heard from again til I get to Fort Myers next March, where everyone will be about how the rebuild starts now and it's part of the plan.

I'm not a Twins fan, but if I was I'd be making sure I had something in my life that provided joy as well. 

Coming Tomorrow- Right when you thought the Pirates still weren't for real, like magic a new power hitter appeared to jam them back into the playoff race. 

Worth the Toll Fare?

 
Yanks-Phils. The series where once a year I can go 'whoever wins, I can be happy'. The Yanks had a rough June but seem to be good again. The Phils are fully in Donnie Baseball era and are still riding the midyear momentum despite a slight slowdown. Now they can just beat each other up in peace and hopefully continue to rise upward.

Last night's game was a win for the boys in navy, and they did it on one single Paul Goldschmidt home run, off Jesus Luzardo. I'm not sure if it's concerning that the only guy in the lineup that scored any runs was Paul Goldschmidt, who is 38, or comforting that the Yanks' starter not only held the Phils down but worked a shutout. Obviously these guys are trying to jumpstart their lineup and get it to where there aren't as many so-called automatic outs, and the deadline deals will likely help, but they need their lineup to feel like a deep well of possibilities. It's helping that Jazz Chisholm seems to be on the way up again, he's got 16 homers and 43 RBIs, with 27 steals. It's still a possibility that he repeats as a 30-30 guy, though...the initial prediction of 50/50 might be a-ways off. Still love what he brings to the team, even if he's a little full of himself. Dominguez and Volpe are on their way, and Dominguez already has 5 homers and 12 RBIs. But the issue is that Judge and Stanton are both out, McMahon and Wells have been embarrassingly limited, and the lineup still feels inconsistent. Will an Arraez or a Jeffers help this? Who knows.

But their strengths are still the same. Cody Bellinger is an excellent contact hitter and made a game-saving catch last night in left. Cam Schlittler is still a Cy Young candidate with so many strengths, and now Cole and Fried are back and healthy, ensuring the pitching is as strong as it was meant to be [and don't count Warren or Weathers out entirely either]. Brent Headrick has been untouchable as a setup man, and David Bednar finally feels like The Renegade again. They're still a formidable team with a halfway decent chance of lapping the Rays very soon, and they could go on a nice run even if the 'run it back' strategy has deterred many pundits from thinking there'll be palpable success.

The Phillies, meanwhile, are resting on the fundamentals. The top 3 guys in the rotation, Kyle Schwarber, and the CBP atmosphere. And they're hoping that's enough. Right now it is. For a lot of this season it has been that simple. Maybe I'm underselling it- Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Jhoan Duran and occasionally Alec Bohm have been very helpful. But it really comes down to Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo being on top of their games. Luzardo, despite giving up the fatal homer last night, has been lights-out the last two months, and has a 3.30 ERA in 20 starts. Sanchez has been a little shakier this month but still has a 2.71 ERA, a league-leading 12 wins and 151 Ks. Wheeler, despite the missed month, is otherworldly right now, 10-2 with a 2.16 ERA and 117 Ks in 16 appearances. If the sportswriters didn't have a bias against him for some reason, I think that should result in Cy Young votes, but...y'know, I don't think he'll be the shiniest object for some reason. 

There's still a deep pit in the lineup that's trying to be exhumed. Turner, Stott and Crawford just aren't cutting it right now. Realmuto is better but not peak J.T. The Derek Hill addition has helped more than anyone has thought, he's hitting .290 with 4 homers and 9 RBIs, and I'm of the opinion that, even if the Phils bring on some new guys, Hill should keep starting. Dude deserves it. There's also the usual problems of a lack of rotation depth and a mess in the bullpen. We will no doubt try to pull bullpen upgrades but I still think it's just cursed. Duran is the outlier. We've brought in so many sure bets and they've all keeled over. This McFarlane kid better be something different. The idea is the Phils will try and pull in a big ticket rotation guy, and that could mean anything from Skubal to Wacha to Peralta to 'well, here's Tomoyuki Sugano, have fun'. 

I want both of these teams to go deep. They both technically could, but still have some issues to deal with. We'll see how it pans out ultimately, but at the very least we're in an era where both my favorite teams are competitive and fun, and that's always better for me.

Coming Tonight: Ironically a guy who might be headed to New York if you believe the rumors. 

Its Barest Essentials

 

The 3D chess it took for the Diamondbacks to trade Merrill Kelly, then bring him back alongside the two pitching prospects they got for him, buy Nolan Arenado for a low price to ensure that St. Louis was the problem, sign Eduardo Rodriguez knowing he won't be great immediately but he will be great eventually, and pick up Jonathan Loiasiga at the exact time he figures out how to stay healthy. After years of just being too late, or too early, or not enough...have the Arizona Diamondbacks somehow figured out how to make the playoffs again?

I mean, nobody said it couldn't be done, but after the 2024 and 2025 playoff attempts fell short, it was looking like the 2023 run was extremely flukey. Not that the pieces from that team didn't remain, and weren't still active, but the atrophy was clear. Moreno struggled to stay healthy, Gallen and Kelly's full seasons eventually took their toll, the bullpen got old, Brandon Pfaadt didn't develop laterally, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. didn't fully showcase the 2023 numbers after the fact. But this season, there's been enough spark to convince people there's something here. Carroll, Perdomo and Marte never really worried anyone, but Gabriel Moreno's having another terrific season, hitting .309 with 7 homers and 36 RBIs in 79 games. I think we all blinked and he was hitting .300, thanks to some great work the last couple months. Carroll has 15 homers and 49 RBIs, and still has the speed to leg out all those triples. Ryan Waldschmidt seems to be sinking in as an everyday OF option, and Jorge Barrosa seems to be the answer in center for now. It's clear they're still a few pieces away from truly chasing the competition, but the formula's working. Before the break they swept the Dodgers, something the Padres can never do when given the opportunity. Maybe there's something here.

If so, this month may not even be fully indicative of the team's output, as the rotation's pretty banged up at the moment. In a week or so they'll get Mike Soroka back, and sometime later Gallen and Burnes will return. But even now, Rodriguez is driving the ghost shift, and both Kohl Drake and Mitch Bratt have been effective filling in for the usual guys. Maybe they'll be cannon fodder if the D-Backs want a more permanent answer for the stretch run, but it's nice they're keeping things moving. But even with a depleted rotation, the team's hitting, the bullpen's strong, there's more youth mobility than there was before, and there's even room for the ill-fated Max Kepler Redemption Campaign.

It's way too soon to tell if the D-Backs' current holding of the wild card spot will stand for the rest of the season. The Cardinals also want it, the Padres also want it, the Marlins want it a little and I believe the Padres might also have wanted it at some point. It's never a simple wild card race for the D-Backs, and they'll need to outlast their previous incarnations and power through despite oncoming intimidation. If this team can keep a surge lasting this long, it can happen. I just still can't tell if they're that team anymore.

Coming Tomorrow- The single flashiest player in baseball, and in the perfect city for him.

It's Yours. Go Take It.

 

I think the best word to describe the Mariners this year would be 'reluctant'. So far this year, the AL West has been led by the Athletics, who then punted and fell apart last month, then the Rangers, who are likely going to relinquish it again soon, all while the Mariners flirt with greatness while being the only great team in the division. Like you kinda want to let them in on it, right? Like, these other guys are gonna keep doing this, you have to try and stay ahead of them or this whole thing is gonna be for nothing. 

The Mariners, just like in 2024, have a rotation full of people genuinely good at what they're doing, and not in danger of going anywhere. Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Emerson Hancock and Bryan Woo are all working on terrific seasons, and not in a worrying way. Longevity is the name of the game with all these guys, especially Gilbert, Kirby and Woo. Gilbert's been here since 2021, he's still extremely good and makes all his starts, and this season he's got a 3.38 ERA and 129 Ks in 20 starts. Bryce Miller's only made 10 starts so far and he has a 2.27 ERA, with 71 Ks and a 2.0 WAR. Miller was doing this sort of lights-out work in last year's playoffs, and is gearing up for a similar run if the Mariners have it in them this year.

And...do they?? No one on this team has more than 15 homers. No one on this team has more than 48 RBIs. No one on this team is hitting over .281. Josh Naylor and Cal Raleigh were supposed to carry this team and are doing very okay, and Cole Young and Randy Arozarena are essentially doing all the work. Julio Rodriguez has 15 homers and 43 RBIs, and we've all seen him do better. He just picks the weirdest times to heat up honestly. Same with Luke Raley, who was wonderful in mid-May and has completely evaporated any sense of forward momentum. It's not that this team isn't hitting; many of them are. The issue is that the unified intimidation factor from last year, where any of Rodriguez or Arozarena or Naylor or Raley or Canzone can beat your ass, seems to be gone. Maybe Cole Young will drive in a run and get 3 hits but nobody's an everyday hero this year. They just pick their moments. Also Cole Emerson is still ramping up to the numbers the prospectors assumed he'd be at by now. We can't have another Jarred Kelenic on our hands.

The Mariners have a habit of lining everything up in August, and that'll need to happen this time. Last time they were a little better than they are now, and more of a position to buy. Right now they're a hare under .500 and need to win over the Rangers to retake the division. They had two low-level teams this week and went 3-3. If this series goes similarly they may need the help even more than they initially did. Hopefully whatever happens makes them into a better competitor, because if it's this current incarnation, I don't think the run's lasting as long as last year's.

Coming Tonight: Former World Series catcher having, at last, a strong and healthy year once again. 

Seiya So

 

Usually around this time of year, the Chicago Cubs are either cartwheeling out of a playoff spot or cartwheeling out of first. This year's no different. The Brewers have a padded lead of the NL Central, and 7 games back are the Cubs, at 57-45, well over .500 after their stumble in late May. They've been rock-solid ever since, are still a proven competitor, and are looking at a playoff spot, even if it's not the safest one. I know this sounds an awful lot like last season's Cubs team, but they swear it's different.

Although, last season's Cubs team had a healthy Cade Horton, better seasons from Imanaga, Boyd and Taillon, and the Kyle Tucker factor. Now we have a mediocre Alex Bregman season, a snakebitten rotation, a very scattered bullpen [Palencia keeps getting hurt], and an alarming lack of upward momentum. Matt Shaw, Kevin Alcantara and Moises Ballesteros are all stalling at the gate after big callups last year, and there haven't been any real younger Cubs coming to save the rotation either. Is this team moving forward? Can it move forward at all?

If this team does anything long-term this season, it'll be because the lineup has packed so much run production in there that other teams can't handle it. Seiya Suzuki has 17 homers, 53 RBIs and an .831 OPS, and this is a walk in the park year for him. He routinely gets the OPS over .800, routinely produces tons of runs. Just a steady RBI guy, the exact kind of guy the team needed without being too big or two one-dimensional. Michael Busch has been like that too, just gets in there, produces runs, doesn't need to do much else. He's only got 13 home runs and 54 RBIs but the season's still sort of young. Ian Happ has 18 homers and 45 RBIs, and has continued to be this consistent source of power for a good half-decade or so.  Dansby Swanson's very hot-and-cold, but when he's hot he's unstoppable. And then you have Pete Crow-Armstrong once again working on an MVP campaign, not only hitting .282 with a .900 OPS, 22 homers, 55 RBIs and 25 steals, but some of the best outfield catches in the game. He's nailing every facet of this game and doing exactly what the Cubs knew he could. 

Beyond that, there's still work to be done. David Peterson and Jameson Taillon are getting crucial big game situations and can't really contend with them right now. Imanaga and Boyd are okay but have been better. There's no slam dunk guy in this rotation because Steele and Horton are out, and while Steele should be back soonish, a lot will be on his shoulders when he does get back. Basically, this team isn't a playoff WINNING team if they don't have starters that know what they're doing. The Cubs will be going up against teams like the Brewers, Dodgers, Braves and Phillies, and they all have excellent rotations for a playoff schematic. What do the Cubs have right now? And if they want Skubal, do they have the prospects to make it work? Will they GO for Kevin Alcantara or Matt Shaw? 

The Cubs have a team that could surprise some people this year, it's just not complete, and I don't know if it will be.

Coming Tomorrow- Something I've noticed in the last couple seasons is that he may not be prompt, he may not begin the season on the active roster, but when he gets there, he makes it count. 

G Unit

 

I had issues a few years ago with the Guardians calling up a supplementary younger rotation while its preexisting rotation [Bieber, Civale, Plesac, Quantrill, Carrasco] was still hanging around. And for a bit it was this weird mix of old and new arms, and there was this dissonance that didn't entirely work. Then last year something finally clicked, and we settled on a formula of Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi and....Logan Allen.

And then Parker Messick swung in for Allen and we all went 'yeah, that does work a lot better.'

It hasn't always been pretty. Cecconi is still mostly an innings eater. Bibee will have some rough starts. Williams can still be wild. But this unit has gotten more done than most other incarnations, and that's because they all do exactly what's asked. Joey Cantillo is 8-5, has 112 strikeouts, and though he has a higher WHIP because of the walks he gives up, he's still a solid MLB starter with, funnily enough, the same record as Parker Messick who has a much lower ERA and is much more fundamentally strong pitcher. I always thought Gavin Williams was the best overall pitcher here, as the strikeout artist, but he's got a 4 ERA and 10 wins.

And then Tanner Bibee, who goes back and forth between steady and infuriating, is on a pretty steady run. He's got his ERA down to 3.86, has a 1.151 WHIP, and despite the Guardians continuously not winning his starts [he's got 9 losses], he's still a smart choice and a good guy to pack innings on. I'm glad he's settled in, and I'm glad he's got Messick and Williams to sort of fall in behind. It's like how Aaron Nola needed Zack Wheeler. Bibee seems to have the hang of things, and could get even stronger as we go.

The Guardians were already good, and now some of the things that weren't working before have been clicking into place. Steven Kwan is finally hitting again, and is hitting .400 this month with 18 hits and 5 RBIs, back to what's expected for the fan favorite. Austin Hedges is somehow hitting .280, and Patrick Bailey has somehow been hitting pretty nice as a backup catcher. Jose Ramirez just came off the IL and immediately hit a home run. DeLauter's heating up again, Gaddis is looking like his 2025 peak again, and Rhys Hoskins is somehow still leading the team in home runs. It's still not entirely pretty but the formula works, and there's enough to keep charging at Chicago.

As I'm writing this it's not looking like they're gonna top the White Sox quite yet, but they're still threatening to, and it could happen very soon if the Sox aren't careful. Look, with all the rough records in the first half, the Guardians are gonna be over .500 and competitive very soon, and it'll make the first half all worth it.

Coming Tonight: Cubs RBI machine, third or fourth year running. 

Find Grant

[First of all, to the MLB intern who did a Game Changer tribute post on twitter, including a 'Count the Ben Rice' and 'Find Grant Holmes', may you be rewarded for your niche interests. Game Changer, for those of you who aren't aware...oh god that's all of you, and it's a lot to explain. Consult your nearest weird nephew I guess. But it's a good thing. I swear.]

Grant Holmes becoming a household-ish name is not something I'd have predicted. I pulled a card of him out of 2015 Pro Debut, this schtarker of a Dodgers minor leaguer with a massive afro looking larger than anyone else on the field. And I'm going 'this is what counts for a Dodgers prospect these days? Ookay.' And of all the prospects from that set that didn't make the majors, he was at least one of the more notable ones. You don't forget a Grant Holmes. I genuinely thought he was Australian. Nah, just large. But he stuck around the minors for a decade, becoming a fixture of the A's double-A and triple-A teams, then right as he was getting the hang of things the pandemic happened, as did some strain concerns. He was cut in mid-2022, picked up by the Braves and kept as a minor league piece, eventually making the majors, at last, in 2024 at age 28. And from there it only got better, as Holmes' availability became his saving grace, as his low-velocity, leverage-friendly stuff kept him from missing much time, and gave him a fair amount of playing time compared to the other, more injury-prone Braves starters.

Holmes is now 30, and he's having his fullest season to date, with a 3.70 ERA, 78 Ks and a 6-4 record in 18 starts. It's not flashy [the Braves have Chris Sale for that] but it is efficient. He's gotten into some trouble fairly recently, especially the later he goes in games, but he's enough of a rock that the Braves don't have to worry too greatly. It's very odd that guys like Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Martin Perez have provided more stability to this rotation than Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider and Huston Waldrep. That's how good the Braves are this year, they did well with a rotation of Chris Sale and some scrubs essentially. And now things are kind of turning around and it's possible that they're gonna need a fuller, younger rotation to keep the Phillies and Marlins away.

Thankfully this team still has Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris playing beautifully, and Ronald Acuna should be back fairly soon. The team also seems to have found their everyday shortstop, as Jim Jarvis, the guy they got from the Tigers last year for Rafael Montero, is batting .292 in 15 games and already is becoming a fan favorite. Austin Riley finally seems to be heating up, Mike Yastrzemski is providing great insurance as a depth outfielder, and the bullpen currently holds three of the most dangerous relievers in the game right now. It's a well-rounded team that's gotten over its June swoon and is still staying ahead of the Phils [who, luckily for the Braves, had to play the defending champions this week]. 

It's a team that can utilize Grant Holmes prominently and it's still a good team. I kinda love that.

Coming Tomorrow- He was supposed to be the ace of his current rotation. That hasn't really happened, but he's still a pretty strong arm on there.

Bake-Off

 

Once again, you have to hand it to the Rays. They took talent that was lying dormant in another market, nabbed him for a bargain, made him a star and will now likely profit. Bryan Baker, you may have struggled to find stability with the O's, but now you're an all-star closer for a competitor. Somehow.

Baker I always liked with the Orioles because he was one of those constants that the fans loved. Made most of his appearances, did his job efficiently, balanced out the rough moments. I saw him pitch for the O's last year before he was traded and he seemed to have his stuff. The Rays must have known. They dealt for him, worked on some things, and gave him the ninth. So far he's got 25 saves with a 1.69 ERA, and has been the bright spot of a Rays bullpen that is doing its best without the homegrown depth it usually has. Ian Seymour, Cole Sulser and Garrett Cleavinger are usually viable options but they're not having great seasons. Casey Legumina still isn't the answer. They picked up Chris Roycroft and he hasn't been much better. Even late career Craig Kimbrel is flailing given the opportunity. I guess they can't have a young collective of ace relievers again for another couple years. 

It goes to show that the Tampa Bay Rays, most years but especially this one, specialize in having guys that can do one thing extremely well and most other things not well at all. They corner the market on niche specialists with no range. Where else can you find Nick Fortes, a catcher that doesn't hit and doesn't need to, Chandler Simpson, an ace-base stealer who hits triples but can't hit home runs, Ryan Vilade, who's built like an armed bodyguard but can't play left field, Richie Palacios, who...we're still not sure what he does well but the Rays sure need him, and Taylor Walls, the best infield defender in baseball with literally no offensive ability. The idea is these people don't need to be good at everything, they need to be good at the thing that they're best at, and pooling their resources together, they make a great team.

Now, granted, this only works because of the presence of a choice few multifaceted pieces, such as Junior Caminero, Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan, Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda, but the Rays-ball mentality of putting in the guy that works the best vs. the most well known and expensive version just works. It's been nearly a decade of this, you can never count these teams out, they're never bottom feeders and they're always one strong month away from competing. Right now they're competitive. Does this have to do with the fact that the Yankees are in a downswing? I'm supposed to say no. But in all honesty, the Rays are very good this year, have had a very nice month, and despite losing three straight to the Red Sox, still have a nice hold on the AL East. It's an imperfect hold, and the Yanks are shooting back up again, but they're not exactly gonna lay down and die either. 

Coming Tonight: A minor league lifer, doesn't throw too hard, relies on trickery and pitch selection. Happens to come into a rotation spot with one of the best organizations in the bigs. Is now suddenly a decent name. 

Wake Up, Edman

 

So, Yankees-Dodgers was this weekend, which means it was high time for the Yankee fans to complain that they can't win anything and are still spiraling despite the fact that they had to play a very good team, with a very good lineup, and are missing Aaron Judge. Calm down, we're gonna flash forward two months and the worrying will have been for nothing.

The Dodgers continue to be annoyingly perfect. Obviously still flawed, but not flawed enough for anything to go wrong. Like, okay, Will Smith's out for another month and the everyday catcher is Dalton Rushing, a power hitter with a foul mood whose inability to get on the same page as Shohei Ohtani on the mound might lead to Ohtani just not pitching til Smith comes back. On any other team that could be a 'trouble in paradise' headline, a 'maybe they're not as good as we thought' moment. Nope, they're still winning games. Kyle Tucker, the big offseason acquisition, is hitting .244 with only 7 home runs. No big deal, he's still in the lineup virtually everyday and Alex Call can go in for him. Edwin Diaz, the other big offseason acquisition, is hurt for probably the rest of the year, leaving them without a working closer. Well, of course this is the part where Tanner Scott actually figures his shit out, brings his ERA back to 2.50 and notches 14 saves. The whole bullpen is ridiculous actually. It's 5 guys that just get up there, only allow a run or so and make their next appearance. And then maybe occasionally Eric Lauer is needed for long work. Even something that was supposed to work differently snaps into something that's efficient anyway.

Tommy Edman was hurt for a bit, as he tends to be, and now he's back and immediately one of the best hitters on the team again. In 23 games he's hitting .343, with 2 home runs and 12 RBIs, including that needed home run last night in the Bronx [that, of course, was their only run in that game]. This wasn't even a needed burst of offensive help, they have Teoscar Hernandez and Andy Pages, but Edman is that extra piece guy that makes a team like this better. Usually it's Kiké Hernandez, he's been hurt. To this point it was Alex Call, he pales in comparison. Edman's versatile defensively, he's contact-friendly and he can just go on a tear when you need him to. I have no idea how the Cardinals convinced themselves they'd be better off without him and with Erick Fedde. J.J. Wetherholt is nice and all but you need an x-factor guy like Edman to come in and do everything. It's why guys like David Freese and Jedd Gyorko were so important to these teams last decade.

The Dodgers are the frontrunner yet again, and the most efficient and successful team in the bigs, again. Their challenge will be to carry this all the way into October again and pull off the all-too-rare threepeat. Remember, the Chiefs couldn't do it. They went into New Orleans thinking the threepeat was on the horizon and then the Eagles kicked their asses. And they were never the same. The Dodgers, if they're not careful, could end up like that. It's not the most likely outcome, it's also likely they could once again waltz to the end without anyone stopping them and set up a lockout. But we'll have to see what develops. Because we don't know how long Ohtani will be missing starts for, and we don't know how long it'll take Tucker and Betts to heat up, and we don't know if somebody else can get hotter, like in 2019 and 2022. For now, I'll just expect the Dodgers' story to remain the same and brace myself for the idea of a hard right turn.

Coming Tonight: The Orioles tried to make this guy their relief ace. It didn't work. So of course the Rays have more success. 

Latz Entertainment

 

Jacob Latz is not only the perfect summation of what closing pitching has turned into in the MLB, he's also the perfect summation of the Texas Rangers. 30 years old, oft-injured, never an opening day starter, given the chance to just pitch the ninth and becomes an all-star...and also the best player on the team. A team that is currently first in the AL West and one game above .500, with multiple stars hurt and/or underperforming. Jacob Latz is successful because they gave him a chance...but he's also, even as the closer, the most successful player on the Rangers.

Like, I bet they're all really happy that Latz is working out in the ninth. It's been a while since they've had a good long-term solution there. Mostly they'll just have one-year experiment, an Ian Kennedy or a Kirby Yates or a David Robertson. Latz is a younger, controllable option who's still in excellent shape and is only getting stronger. Right now he's got a 1.57 ERA, 19 saves, 47 Ks, a 0.652 WHIP, and a 2.3 WAR, which is higher than that of, say, Jacob deGrom or Corey Seager or Wyatt Langford. It just proves how valuable great relief pitching is to this team, and Tyler Alexander and Jake Junis are similarly valuable. When a lot of the games are close and a lot of the lineup is underperforming...the bullpen can be the MVP.

The ideals have changed. This is a cheesier power team now, with Jake Burger and Joc Pederson among the most valuable hitters, and some of the usual contact guys [Evan Carter, Josh Smith, Alejandro Osuna] not really doing the job. It is somewhat promising that some of the formative pieces are hitting better, and Wyatt Langford and Josh Jung have OPSs over .800. Langford still hasn't put together the 162-game campaign he's been waiting for, but he's hot right now, and has 9 homers and 23 RBIs in 46 games. Brandon Nimmo is still good, if not April good, and Ezequiel Duran is still good, if not June good. But what worries me is that Corey Seager is still hurt, and wasn't playing at peak levels before the injury. I don't know if Langford is at the point where he can really carry the team on his shoulders yet. I know Evan Carter isn't. 

Obviously this team is doing right, despite a lot of mediocre seasons [MacKenzie Gore, Kumar Rocker, Kyle Higashioka], because they're in first. It takes a lot of turnarounds after rough starts, especially from Pederson and Nate Eovaldi. Eovaldi had a rough first month or so and now he's 9-7 with a 4.04 ERA and 120 Ks, which is much closer to his usual self. Pederson took forever to start hitting and now he's got 15 homers and 35 RBIs, meaning FINALLY the Rangers can enjoy Pedey as much as literally every other team he's played for has. This team has a healthy Jacob deGrom on it, so of course it's at least kind of good. But going forward, as the Mariners re-ascend the ranks, the Rangers will need to decide whether they're a momentum team or they're actually good this year. If they can build something and sneak in, it could be a factor nobody's expecting. 

Coming Tomorrow- A guy who hit a game-tying home run against my Yankees tonight.

Everything Lines Up

 

There's a plot point in the second Thor movie, which isn't very good, where like 9 different realms or universes are going to line up at the same time, like a solar eclipse but more cosmic, and it only happens once every hundreds of thousands of years and of course it's happening during the events of this film. Like when else would everything come together like that? This Milwaukee Brewers team is acting similarly to that alignment, because this team is consisting of so much random shit that may not ever align this way again. Could this be the best season of Jacob Misiorowski's career? Is this the peak of Jake Bauers's improbable comeback? Will we ever see Garrett Mitchell this healthy again? Will we ever see Logan Henderson healthy at all again? It's funny how it's all working out.

And let's be clear, there's already a lot of Brewers that have missed this window. Quinn Priester will not be appearing this season. Brandon Woodruff might have overworked himself into another shortened season. And this moment might not even require Jeferson Quero, Jett Williams or Jesus Made. Maybe it will, maybe they'll be late callups. But everything this Brewers team has done has been without those guys, and with this ever-shifting mass of very intriguing people.

To give you an idea. The only constant this season in the Milwaukee outfield has been Garrett Mitchell. AKA the guy that usually gets hurt a week into the season. Everyone else has missed time. Chourio obviously had his first month out, Perkins has been in and out, Frelick just went on the IL, Lara just came up, Lockridge is hurt. Mitchell's been the constant, and he's hit .277 with an .826 OPS, 8 homers and 45 RBIs. Far and away Mitchell's fullest season to date, and 5 years into his career. He's currently got Chourio and Lara flanking him, so that's a little more consistent, and Lara is beginning to pick things up. Also, Chourio is having the kind of year where, if he hadn't missed a month, he'd be getting MVP votes. 

I also think it's wild that Shane Drohan and Logan Henderson have swung in to replace Brandon Woodruff and Kyle Harrison, and they've done a bang-up job. Drohan had another strong start yesterday, he's got a 3.20 ERA, 76 Ks and a 5-3 record, he might be something for these guys. Henderson's fantastic too but he needs to stay healthy. Brandon Sproat is slowly getting his ERA down with some better starts, and Robert Gasser's doing his best, obviously waiting for Harrison to come back. I also think Craig Yoho has swung into the bullpen at the right time, and might be a keeper. 

I still think they're the secret team to beat in the NL this year, and they might go about as far this year as they did last year. The Dodgers and Braves have had off weeks, the Brewers have been pretty steady throughout. I think something can be done here, and though a lot of this team's window may close very soon, there's enough bubbling that they could stay this good for a while.

Coming Tonight: From a swing-in starter to a lights-out closer, a guy who's finally found the right niche with the Rangers.

Infrequent Shopper

 

The Chicago White Sox have won 3 of their last 5 games by scoring 9 or more runs, just got Munetaka Murakami back after the Home Run Derby, saw one of their guys hit the only home run at the All-Star Game, and now they might be BUYING at the deadline? They're still in first, they're over .500...they're a major player in the AL. They might be scouting for trades. YES, THESE GUYS. Just last year they were sellers and now they can actually afford to make some deals. How insane is that?

The really impressive part is that there's not a hell of a lot on this team that truly needs to be upgraded. The catching position's a little slow, but Kyle Teel was hurt for half the season so it's understandable. Maybe one more OF bat would help? Braden Montgomery's heating up, Tristan Peters is THE guy and Sam Antonacci's having a strong season, but is there a power guy that's a little more varied than Andrew Benintendi out there? Or was that just Murakami? It may need to be rotation depth honestly. Anthony Kay, Noah Schultz and Erick Fedde have done fine, but the drop-off is real. There needs to be somebody else that can supplant Martin and Burke. Maybe this is where one of the Royals guys goes? Maybe Michael King goes here? Who knows. 

At the moment, the White Sox are coming off some very impressive offensive work, and though they got shut out by the Jays today, they scored 12 runs off of them yesterday, including production by both Montgomerys, Sam Antonacci, Tristan Peters, Kyle Teel...and Chase Meidroth, who's quietly having another nice season. Meidroth last year was a forerunner for a lot of the youth movement, he came in before Quero, Teel or Colson Montgomery got here and was strong when nearly no one else is. A better full-squad showing this year has allowed Meidroth to fade into the background a little more, but he's still hitting .271 with 7 homers and 32 RBIs. He's a nice, steady mid-lineup bat with defensive perks. The White Sox are piling up lots of guys like that and have finally given way to actual tentpoles [Murakami, Vargas, Colson Montgomery]. Which is why the team works now, an actual order and dichotomy has emerged, and it's not just 'young guy hits single x9'. Vargas has become the guy, Murakami has cornered the market on power, Antonacci and Meidroth have a niche as contact guys, and Colson Montgomery's the oddball clutch homer guy. It works a lot better.

The idea here is to keep ahead of Cleveland and ensure that the predictable outcome [of Cleveland or Detroit winning anyway] doesn't snap on. The White Sox do have the power numbers, and the pitching stability, to do it but the inexperience of this team still worries me, and still could keep them from going all the way. It's really good come down to how the White Sox manage the deadline, and if enough of this momentum holds. 

Coming Tomorrow- An outfielder who always seems to get injured right before the door opens for him to start. Which has made this season, a solid and healthy one for him, a relief. 

Sonny Came Home

 

So. After starting the season with a disastrous run, losing Alex Cora and putting the future of the youth core in jeopardy, the Boston Red Sox have won 12 straight. Including 2 against the Rays. While, on one hand, cutting down the Rays a bit is good for the Yankees...the Red Sox may have transformed into a good team right before our eyes. They're in 3rd place now, at .500, might not even be selling anymore...and could be a serious problem.

I think the most indicative player on this team is Sonny Gray. They traded for him to get some kind of veteran presence on the team, it cost them Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts, fine whatever. Gray's April wasn't very good. And so people worried he was washed, as they did last year, and that the Sox made a rash decision. Then he evened out. And as it stands, Gray is currently 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA, a 1.098 WHIP and 85 Ks. One of the most under the radar great seasons in baseball, and it's been the backbone of this Sox team as they've inched their way back up. Gray is looking better than he has since Minnesota, and he's the ideal guy to lead them into the heat of this season.

A lot of 'ooh, I don't know about that' guys have been the center of the Sox comeback. Willson Contreras obviously, he was a supposed dead end financially, yet now he's the power 1st baseman they've needed since Devers' numbers, and mood, dipped. Contreras has a .921 OPS, 20 homers and 61 RBIs. Caleb Durbin was the Brewers' collateral to make room for Jett Williams [who still hasn't come up, by the way], and he's become a fairly decent corner bat, with improved 3rd base defense and some production. Jake Bennett was a 'well, if you insist' call-up and now he's got a 2.64 ERA in 8 starts. Even Patrick Sandoval seems to be back to his old tricks and helping this team.

That doesn't mean I'm not still concerned about the organizational depth. Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell have all been non-factors for this team. Jarren Duran is a .200 hitter who's barely above replacement level, despite his best efforts. Anthony Siegler and Tsung-Che Cheng have been decent filling in for infielders that are hurt, but are they the answers or just temporary solutions? I know it's not an issue if the team keeps winning games, but is this sustainable? Or is it just a passing summer fling that no one will remember in a year.

The Sox are hot, have leverage, and don't even need all their best pieces to win games. That's a dangerous skill. Doesn't automatically make them a playoff team, but it's more intriguing than most of what I saw from them in the first half.

Coming Tonight: A young second baseman whose team kicked the crap out of Toronto last night, putting THEM in last in the AL East. 

A Different Kind of Air Quality Concern

 

D'you think they're sitting in the Coors Field clubhouse, prepping for a game which is likely gonna have multiple longballs and unstable pitching, going 'gather round, the Pirates have called the game due to an air quality concern. Can...can teams do that?' The Rockies have had an air quality concern for 33 years now. They somehow got to a World Series in 2007, even with said air quality concern. I mean the smoke in the Northeast is bad, maybe it'll screw up the Pittsburgh humidor yet again, but...the Rockies are hearing this going 'thicker air?? what a concept'. Kyle Freeland's gonna find something to burn down so he can pitch decently again. 

Anyway, the Rockies are still last in the NL West and expected to stay there, but it's not without some fun performances from the hitters. Any way you look at it, this team has gotten great production from T.J. Rumfield, Hunter Goodman, Jake McCarthy, Cole Carrigg, Troy Johnston, Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros. That's...more than a few. The issue with the 2025 team was not just the atrocious pitching, it was the anonymity of the lineup, the lack of power in a power park, all of the above. When you get guys who can mesh well with the park, and when they're all working, even if it's a bad team you're still going in the right direction. Cole Carrigg's been in the league for 31 games, and he has an .871 OPS, 22 RBIs and 4 homers. McCarthy is a .300 hitter after the D-Backs let him come over here, he's got 10 homers and a team-leading 53 RBIs. I did not expect Jake McCarthy to have more RBIs than Hunter Goodman, but here we are. Happy for him honestly, he was really struggling in Phoenix. Rumfield is getting some Rookie of the Year buzz, he's been skillfully on target without being solely a power bat; same thing with Troy Johnston. And then Goodman's 5 homers away from his 2025 total, so he's probably gonna be chasing 35+, maybe even 40. 

That's half the battle right there, this team can put their heads together and score runs, and it's not a full on cop-out every game. The pitching still leaves a lot to be desired, and the early lead the bullpen had has been basically shattered, with Victor Vodnik, Juan Mejia and Zach Agnos all having very rough seasons. Somehow Jordan Romano hasn't shat the bed too greatly yet, but it's early. Tomoyuki Sugano's hurt, so now it's down to Ryan Feltner and Gabriel Hughes to be the only people in the rotation to seem to be able to keep runs down this year. Michael Lorenzen is 3-9 with a 6.22 ERA. YEESH. Even if the team's hitting, this pitching staff still isn't it, and bringing in young, efficient options hasn't helped because it's impossible to pitch competently if half your season's played in Denver. It's purely impractical at this point. At least the Vegas stadium is gonna be domed. 

There's still fun to be had with this team. Maybe a trade or two, maybe some more breakouts, maybe some genuine promise from Carrigg, maybe even a Zac Veen appearance. But whatever happens will mostly be a side-plot to this already convoluted year, sad to say. Maybe some of this will carry over to next year, provided there's actually baseball next year.

Coming Tomorrow- Somehow one of the most consistent veteran pitchers left in the game if Verlander and Scherzer both retire. 

Off the Walbert

 

The Anaheim Angels. Do people still go to games? Actually yeah, they still draw. Is Mike Trout sticking around? Probably, out of necessity at this point. Is there anything else really going on with this team this year? Not really.

The Angels are currently tied for the worst record in baseball with the Royals, with the Rockies a half game ahead. I'm kinda relieved this season isn't gonna have a mega-loser getting the bottom spot. Maybe some teams will lose 100 games, and it wouldn't shock me if the Angels lose 41 more games, but it's not like a 'worst ever' thing is happening this season. Then again, 'best ever' isn't exactly a competition either, as a lot of teams are more middle-of-the-road than anything. So what does that make the Angels? Just a regular bad team, I guess. Not painfully bad, not franchise-endingly bad. Just bad. And that's alright.

The Angels are led by three halfway decent rotation pieces, one of which is probably getting traded, one of which could potentially be traded, and the other is far too young and controllable to be traded but nothing's counted out. Reid Detmers is probably on the way out, he's pitching too well for his 3-6 record. Soriano maybe as well, he had a Cy Young case going but has evened out. But look at Walbert Ureña underneath them. 22 years old, brand new to the league, given a starting spot a month in, now he's got a 2.88 ERA, 78 Ks and a 1.6 WAR. His WHIP's a little high at 1.316, mostly from all the walks he gives up, but he's a pretty smooth, trustworthy young kid that could be a foundational piece for this Angels team. Then again I thought David Fletcher was gonna be a foundational piece for these teams and look how well that turned out.

The current incarnation of this lineup is actually a working model, and everybody who's stayed in this roster has a reason to be there. Denzer Guzman's getting starts at third, he's not terrific yet but the production's beginning to pop a bit. Wade Meckler's a decent depth outfield piece, and he's a .307 hitter with some random, Tristan Peters-esque everyman quality. Schanuel and Neto are the pillars, they're doing pretty well. Soler's past his prime but still hits the odd home run. Adell's good for cheap thrills. And Mike Trout still has a .863 OPS, 18 homers and 39 RBIs. It's not quite 2012 numbers but he's still more active than he's been in a while, and that's worth a lot to this team.

There really won't be much for this team to accomplish for the rest of the season sadly, other than some stuff for Trout's highlight reel and perhaps some previews for, hopefully, a fuller youth-decked version of this team next year. Grayson Rodriguez is gonna get more starts, but will they be closer to his Baltimore prime? Caden Dana will get another shot, but will this time be any different? Christian Moore will be back, but will he hit well against teams that aren't the 2025 Yankees? It'll all get figured out, and even if it doesn't, Angels fans will still flock to games.

Coming Tonight: He made it out of Arizona, and now in Denver he's somehow even more integral.