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..

Handy Manny

 

Sometimes the best players are so good that they kind of sink into the background. Right now in San Diego, Fernando Tatis Jr. is having an MVP-caliber start, Jackson Merrill's killing it after an injury break, Michael King and Nick Pivetta are unstoppable on the mound and Robert Suarez leads the league in saves, and all the while Manny Machado is just there in the background hitting .300.

Manny Machado, this season, if he keeps up at this pace, will notch his 2000th hit and his 350th home run, and will cross the 60 career WAR threshold. It's not widely talked about, but Manny Machado certainly looks like a Hall of Famer after 14 years in the bigs. The man has given us 7 30+ homer seasons, 4 100+ RBI seasons and 4 6+ WAR seasons. And he will turn 33 in three months, meaning he still has a nice chunk of time to perform at the highest level. His contemporaries, like Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout, had career drop-offs. Machado might be more similar to Adrian Beltre- there'll be a dip here and there but he'll just keep at it. Last season people were worried Machado was done really wowing people? He's not. This is classic pace for Machado right now. 12 doubles, 16 RBIs, 7 steals. Dude's killing it.

When the Padres signed Machado back in 2019 [has it really been that long??], they assumed he'd need to be the centerpiece of the team as it reformed, figuring Tatis would factor in somehow. And now, 6 years later, Machado is still an integral part of the team, but the team does not live and die with him like it does with Bryce Harper or Aaron Judge. This team has enough depth now that Tatis, Merrill, Arraez and, to a lesser extent, Xander Bogaerts can carry this team even if he can't. But he can, and as such the Padres' surge is even more fun to watch. Tatis and Machado have spent the last six years performing together in the lineup, and right now they're both excellent. Even if the end of the Seidler years discouraged Padres fans, the team's still competitive, and they're a game out of first.

That's the thing- the Padres and the Dodgers are close right now, and while the Dodgers have already seen a ton of setbacks and injuries, the Padres have honestly stayed pretty sturdy. There are guys who could be playing better, of course [Cease is just getting his mojo back, and Cronenworth had a wild night last night], but there's not a ton of missed opportunity thus far. Whereas the Dodgers once again have a rotation's worth of injured guys, and may have just lost Teoscar Hernandez for a bit. The Dodgers may have bought the better team, but right now the Padres have better luck, and could pull ahead for a bit. 

It'd be very cool if this Padres team made a run. Even after a very tense Yankees series, I still really like what I'm seeing from them. And if Machado's this good, you don't want to waste that.

Coming Tonight: The first of many rookies said to revolutionize the next decade of Red Sox baseball.

Manny vs. His Thirties

 

Manny Machado, at 29, basically already had enough incredible years to make him a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. He had a cumulative 52 WAR over his first 10 seasons, was about to round the corner of 300 home runs, was now having consecutive 100+ RBI seasons, he had a World Series appearance under his belt,  and he was on a largely competitive Padres team. 

Then, like Albert Pujols, Clayton Kershaw and more legends before him, he turned 30. And his numbers sank. Not completely, not the full Pujols in Anaheim drop, but last year was a more pedestrian year for Manny, with a 2.9 WAR [as opposed to his 6.7 in 2022] and a .258 average. This year, despite pacing for another 100+ RBI year, the plate perks aren't as sharp. Machado's hitting .270 with 70 RBIs, but only 18 homers and a 1.4 WAR. It took a while for Manny to come around this year, with the first few months consisting of some less enthusiastic material.

And while I was convinced that last year was a regular ol' down year [a lot like previous sharp turns downward in 2014 and 2017], now that we have two seasons of very okay baseball from Machado I think the worries might be somewhat warranted. He can still hit, and he's still very much a hero figure in San Diego, especially in Tatis's absence, but this isn't full-power Machado, like this team saw from 2020 to 2022. And they've got him for another 9 or so years, until 2033, so either they're gonna get some peak seasons going forward or we've got another Pujols situation on our hands where the Padres spent all that money on someone who really isn't gonna give back at this point in his career. He got the bag, and since then he's been taking it easy. Xander Bogaerts might have a similar pace right now, as he's also taken a sharp turn downward since last May or so.

The good news is that Machado does have a more competitive Padres team to play for this year, as they've been red-hot since the ASG break, and have been quarreling with the D-Backs for a key wild card spot. The Padres have gotten key production not only from regulars like Ha-Seong Kim, Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar, but newcomers like Matt Waldron, Michael King, Dylan Cease and Jackson Merrill. The depth this team needed last year has shown up, and created a whole new massive core of people just waiting to step up and do well. Not having Yu Darvish and Fernando Tatis has not wounded this team too much, and people like David Peralta and Martin Perez have stepped up and provided excellent cover. The newly-beefed-up bullpen is also a key component of the recent success, as Tanner Scott, Jason Adam and Brian Hoeing have all been pretty unhittable in SD. 

After this series with the Rockies, the Padres have a few consecutive series against competitive teams in a row. If they're still rocketing upward after that, especially as the Dodgers even out, then we can begin talking seriously about this team's postseason appeal. But it's looking really good at the moment. Even if Manny Machado is not 2021-era Manny Machado, he can still hit like Manny Machado, and hopefully that'll be enough.

Coming Tomorrow- I look forward to the discussion towards the end of this decade on whether or not this guy is a Hall of Famer. Cause he's honestly got a really intriguing case.

Manny for All Seasons

 

So here we are. A team with two of the best defenders in baseball, three of the best hitters in baseball, two of the best pitchers in baseball and one of the best closers in baseball...cannot get over .500 no matter how hard they try. In a season where they were projected to win the NL East and waltz through October. It's gotta be the most devastating bait-and-switch for both the players and the fans in San Diego. This was supposed to be their year. And now they have to come out and say that there's not an overwhelming chance that Juan Soto will be traded, which didn't even appear like a thing that needed to be said going into this year.

What makes a lot of this harder for the Padres is that the Dodgers have already stocked up at the deadline, and both the Diamondbacks and Giants have been checking in on trade targets. And because the Padres are 5 games under .500 and not really close to a wild card spot, people are checking in on some of their pieces. They're thinking about trading Josh Hader, which is odd considering that Hader and Soto were some of their most impressive steals of LAST deadline. This is how wild a year can be, that a team like the Padres can go from buyers to potential sellers.

And I hate it for somebody like Manny Machado, who is locked up and playing well, because he deserves to continue to have a strong team to play around. Wil Myers played in San Diego just long enough to see the team compete, and Machado was a big piece of the 2022 team. But while the Padres will still have a ton of great pieces left even if they do sell, there's still the feeling that Machado may have gotten himself back into a post-2016 Orioles situation, where it looks like it's gonna get better but it keeps getting worse. And while Machado did have a slow start, he's now playing just as well as usual, with 59 RBIs, 88 hits and 20 home runs, well on the way to another 25+ homer year. He may not be as flashy as Soto or Tatis, but he has matured into the rock of this team, and I'm so happy he's come as far as he has. He was once the young whiz kid, like Soto and Tatis, and now he's evolving into the sort of central figure, a lot like Miguel Cabrera, that the rest of the club can lean on. I do hope he doesn't have the drop-off that Miggy had.

I love that this Padres team has all of Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado playing well in their primes, and I really hope that even if they don't compete this year that they can keep that big three intact. I know Preller thinks he can get something nice for Soto, but maybe wait it out and see if he wants to stick around for a decent sum. Y'never know.

Coming Tonight: It took this guy a while to figure out Toronto, but I think he's got it down pat now.

Are We Still Underestimating Manny Machado?

 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of a young kid named Manny Machado bursting onto the scene in Baltimore. I saw him his rookie season, already I could see tremendous promise and insane contact ability. I think I've seen him 3 other times since, twice as an Oriole and once as a Padre, and...yeah. There is something to the kind of player that is just tremendously good at baseball for 150 games a season without causing much of a fuss. 

So, let's...analyze this a little. Manny turns 30 this year. To this point, in 11 seasons of play, he has accumulated 255 home runs, 1457 hits, 766 RBIs, a 47.3 career WAR, and an average 5.8 WAR per 162 games. 

....yeah, that's some pretty good stats, man.

I think that, for an initial career run, considering that there's some still some peak years left to go, that's pretty exemplary. Manny Machado is one of the rare players these days to actually come up in their early 20s and actually make the most of every second of their career. Now you have people having a strong early come up, being pathetic for 3 years and hitting a second wind at 25 or something. Manny did not do that. 2015, 22 years old, he's up there with the best of them charming the world. Once the Padres deal happened, he could have buckled under the pressure of a high contract or he could have continued at the same pace, and he pretty much continued. 2020 he was in the top 3 NL MVP voting, last year he was an all-star with a fantastic second half, and now he's hitting .386, leading the league in hits with 32, and already has 15 RBIs. The man has a 2.2 WAR already. It hasn't even been a month of play.

What's even better is the fact that Machado was signed to be a central star figure for the burgeoning Padres market and that's exactly what's happened. The fanbase and the team have rallied around Machado, and he's taken Tatis under his wing [through it all] and built him into the star he's become. Even now without Tatis, Machado has been running the team handily, anchoring the lineup, and helping prospects like C.J. Abrams and Mackenzie Gore come up and come into a great community. The Padres have been succeeding in some odd places, like veteran support [HOSMER'S HITTING] and bullpen, and even if some starters have been shakier than others, there's still a very well-organized core and that couldn't have happened without Machado. 

I don't quite know where the Padres fit in quite yet, with lots of pieces still sort of out of order, but I do think having Machado this on is a definite plus that might get them further than they would have otherwise.

Coming Tonight: In the wake of John Means' injury, the void was filled by a Maryland native. He ain't bad, either.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2012 Orioles

 

I was bitching about the rookie rules the MLBPA has set up a few days ago, I guess i'll start this 2012 Orioles post with a little more- Manny Machado's rookie season was in 2012. It was his first season, it was the season where he had the most breakout success, and according to baseball reference, he exceeded rookie limits during that season because he played 52 games. So really only the cutoff thing was preventing Topps from making a rookie card of him for Update. You know, that and wanting a high profile rookie for the 2013 set. 

And on one hand, I sort of get the mentality of saving him for the next year's set, but one thing that you need to remember is that Topps had the power to make a card of him for 2012. They put SPs of Jim Thome, Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in their new uniforms into Update. Now, would Topps be ballsy enough to release a rookie card as a short print only? YES. THEY WOULD. They did it with Alex Gordon in 2006, and they did it with Jacoby Ellsbury in 2007. Maybe they'd grown up slightly by 2012, but they could have done something like this.

Honestly, Machado was the centerpiece of a 2012 Orioles team that could have been way bigger had it not been for that breakneck Game 5 of the ALDS. He hit .262 with 7 homers, 26 RBIs and a 1.6 WAR. He would later proceed to have 7 WAR seasons at age 22 and 23 before Juan Soto made it cool. 

Topps missing Machado I can understand, but Topps missing Chris Tillman during his breakout season as a starter? A little more suspect. After a few seasons of struggling to stay afloat as a starter, Tillman had 15 games to change the minds of fans, and he pulled it off, with a 9-3 record, a 2.93 ERA and 66 Ks. These numbers would soon make him one of the more important arms for the O's, culminating in an ASG nod the following year.

Steve Pearce had a tumultuous 2012 to say the least. After starting the year trying to make camp with the Yankees, he'd stay in the minors before Baltimore would select him off waivers in June and throw him on the team. In 28 games with the O's, he'd hit .254 with 14 RBIs and 3 homers. After this, the Astros would pick him up for a bit, and eventually he'd be returned to the Yankees. And at the end of the season, Pearce would re-sign with the Orioles, who'd utilize him well for the next few years. I learned while doing this post that Steve Pearce played for all five AL East clubs, which is a pretty awesome stat. 

After spending an entire season in the Cleveland minors system, Nick Johnson was determined to get back to the majors after hitting his peak with New York and Washington. The O's took a chance on him, and tried him at DH as Chris Davis was heating up. Johnson, comparatively, hit .207 with 11 RBIs and 4 homers in 38 games. The numbers wouldn't be enough, and he'd be cut midseason, leading to his retirement. 

Also trying to find stability again was former Brewers bench bat and super-ute Bill Hall, who had come into some trouble after the Red Sox signed him in 2010. He'd split 2011 with the Astros and Giants, and only played 7 games with the 2012 Orioles. His power numbers had diluted, as had his defense, and he only hit .222 with 1 home run. Like Johnson, Hall would call it quits after the season.

Perhaps the most intriguing roster addition for the Orioles prior to the season was Lew Ford, a former prospect with the Twins who flamed out after a strong 2004, tried playing in the Japanese and Mexican leagues and fought his way back. The O's were expecting big things from Ford, and sadly he only hit .183 with 3 homers in his 25 games there. 

As for some waiver deadline pickups, Joe Saunders was having a nice season for the Diamondbacks, diluted by a weak offense, but the O's came for him in late August and he had 7 starts with the club. One of which I was in attendance for, and it was a scorcher against my Yankees where he got the win, thanks to a still-debated out-at-first call in the ninth. Saunders was also lights-out in the postseason, allowing only 2 earned runs in 2 starts, one of which was a win that pulled the team into the ALDS. Though his numbers would dilute after 2012, Saunders' season was one of the main assets that got them as far as they did.

Meanwhile, Nate McLouth was all set for a return to form in Pittsburgh, which Topps did document, only to fail to hit for average and be released by May. What Topps didn't document was his time with the Orioles, which was way better and put his career on the right track again. In 55 games, McLouth hit .268 with 18 RBIs and 7 homers, and hit .318 in the ALDS with 3 RBIs. This season also led to an even better, and fuller, 2013 season as an extra outfielder in Baltimore.

Strangest one last. It's been sort of lost to obscurity, but after impressive years with Philly and LA, Randy Wolf actually had something of a career renaissance with the late-2000s/early-2010s Brewers, becoming a consistent option for them. In 2012, his ERA began to build, and he was becoming a bit less necessary. The Orioles needed more potential pitching options, so they got him on a waiver deal late, and Wolf got 5 games and 2 starts for a competitor. The Orioles used Wolf more in relief, though he did get to start those 2 games, even if those were the ones that got more runs out of the opposing offense, but he still won 2 of his relief appearances. Didn't make the postseason roster though. Wolf would continue to pop up on weird teams for the rest of his career. 

Tomorrow, we stay in 2012 and knock out some Padres. 

Once Upon a Time in the NL West

 

The ante has been upped. The most contentious division in baseball just got even juicier. And with 2 months to go, the fight to the finish is gonna be even bloodier.

Okay, so let's dissect this carefully. The Dodgers get Scherzer and Turner, obviously, but also Danny Duffy. The Giants get Kris Bryant to cover for Longoria for the rest of the year. The Padres got Adam Frazier and Jake Marisnick. Of the three, honestly the Padres' acquisitions weigh less, but you can also say they've needed less. 

Right now the team is dealing with starting injuries, but they have people like Reiss Knerr and Miguel Diaz to cover for Lamet and Paddack for a week or two. The big injury they need to worry about is Fernando Tatis, who, despite his wonderful year this year, has gotten injured a few times, and people are getting worried. But it all sort of fits together, because not only can Frazier pop in at short in addition to 2nd and the outfield, but Ha-Seong Kim is a wonderful defensive shortstop, had a big game last night, and is perfectly capable of covering for Tatis for however long he needs to.

You see, that was my mistake when analyzing this team. I initially was confused as to why they constantly got players that they didn't have immediate uses for, like when they initially got Kim, or when they traded for Adam Frazier or even Jake Marisnick. But the goal, I think, is to make it so that even the replacements and bench players are capable of grade-A work, and to have the best team no matter who's there or not there.

And so right now, the Padres are jacked. They're now based around an excellent Manny Machado performance, where he's got 100 hits and 75 RBIs and playing like Baltimore, and they have guys like Yu Darvish, Trent Grisham, Jake Cronenworth, Joe Musgrove, Mark Melancon and Tommy Pham coming up and impressing. Also, both catchers are healthy now and Nola's beginning to heat up. 

The Padres are 3.5 games behind the Dodgers, 6.5 games behind the Giants. If this has to go up to the Wild Card game, it can. But something tells me the division series in this triptych are about to get really insane, and the standings may flip a few times. As it stands, all 3 teams could make it to the playoffs...but there's no telling who'll be the last one remaining.

Coming Tonight: Finally, a wrapping-up July post with a Blue Jays infielder that caught fire this month

2020 Topps Final Edition: Cards #244-252

With this post, and these 9 cards, we knock out another hero card, we enter another batch of 50 cards, and we keep delivering interesting omissions from Topps' 2020 output. I reckon we have a month or so left of these posts, and I'm gonna make each one count.

Card #244- Tyler Rogers, San Francisco Giants

SIDEARMER TIME! YAAAAY! Tyler Rogers has been a proficient submariner for the past few years, but the fact that he got nary a card from Topps in 2020 after his impressive finish to the 2019 season saddens me. Tyler Rogers is one of the most consistent and intriguing relievers in baseball right now, regardless of his relation to Taylor Rogers, or his arm motion. He led the league in relief appearances last year, with 29, and despite a 4.50 ERA hit 27 Ks. He's also doing really well so far this season, with 5 saves and a 0.70 ERA.

Card #245- Trevor Rosenthal, Kansas City Royals

A few weeks back I presented Trevor Rosenthal as a Padre, finishing his season strong, but that second half never could have happened had Rosenthal not had a strong comeback first half in Kansas City. Platooned with Ian Kennedy and Greg Holland, he managed 7 saves in 14 games, with a 3.29 ERA and 21 Ks, clearly his best numbers since suiting up for the other Missouri team. After a month of Royals play, the Padres bit and he was an elite closer again. Hopefully he'll be back to mowing down batters in Oakland soon enough.

Card #246- Manny Machado ASG, San Diego Padres

It shouldn't be an especially shocking statement that if the 2020 ASG had gone on as scheduled, Manny Machado would have been the starting 3rd baseman for the National League. With his season, his high WAR and contact play, he was definitely among the best in the MLB last season, and fulfilled what the Padres had been looking for when they locked him up in 2019. Hopefully Machado will have another ASG-caliber season soon, but knowing him, he probably will. 

Card #247- Daniel Bard, Colorado Rockies

Ah yes, one of the true feel-good stories of 2020. After 6 seasons of struggling to make Spring Training rosters, former Red Sox reliever Daniel Bard finally made his way back to the majors as a non-roster invite of the Colorado Rockies. Bard made the absolute most of his second chance by quickly nabbing the closing gig for the Rox, and closing 6 games with a 3.23 ERA and 27 Ks. It was a revitalized season that is currently being challenged by a disappointing follow-up, but it still stands as an impressive moment in Bard's career.

Card #248- Billy Hamilton, New York Mets

Again, I've already spoken about Billy Hamilton's tenure with the Cubs, but before that, he was a spring training pickup for the Mets who squeezed onto the roster in the early stages of the 2020 season. Hamilton only had 17 games to thrill the Queens crowds, and despite 3 stolen bases, he only hit .045 with one hit in that time. The Cubs got a better season out of him, as have the White Sox.

Card #249- Genesis Cabrera, St. Louis Cardinals

Acquired in the Tommy Pham trade [no, not that one, the other one], Genesis Cabrera fit right into the burgeoning youth bullpen movement for the Cardinals alongside Giovanny Gallegos and Jordan Hicks. Cabrera had an especially strong 2020, with a 2.42 ERA and 32 Ks in 19 games. Cabrera has continued his strong middle relief work through this season as well.

Card #250- Deivi Garcia, New York Yankees

Called up during a dire moment for the Yankee rotation, Deivi Garcia, a highly-touted prospect and supposed heir apparent, made six starts during the regular season, as an audition for 2021, and made the most of them. Garcia had a 3-2 record with 33 Ks in this period, as well as an ill-fated postseason appearance that may have swayed Aaron Boone's hand. Garcia has only pitched 1 game in the majors for NY so far this year, as we have an entirely healthy rotation and neither Jordan Montgomery nor Domingo German have shown signs of needing replacement yet. So, Garcia will have to wait a bit longer, then. 

Card #251- Enoli Paredes, Houston Astros

In addition to the three-headed monster of young latino pitchers in Houston, the Astros also have Enoli Paredes in relief. Paredes had a 3.05 ERA in 22 games, and fanned 20 in that time, showing hard-throwing skill and control. Paredes has been similarly nice this season so far. 

Card #252- Andrew Velazquez, Baltimore Orioles

After bopping around between the farm systems of Tampa and Cleveland, Andrew Velazquez made camp with the Orioles and got the starting shortstop job. Unfortunately, this was a job that Velazquez was unable to keep due to his inability to hit above replacement level. In 40 games, he hit .159 with 10 hits, despite 4 steals. Once the O's called up Ramon Urias and got Freddy Galvis, Velazquez's days in Baltimore were numbered. He is still in the Yankees' minor league system. 

On Monday, I post the next 9. A few pitchers having great 2021s are in here, plus an intriguing rookie card.

Friar Than the Sun

[I'm not doing music pun streaks this year, but if I'm gonna do a music pun title, it's gonna be something relatively obscure]

So. The two best teams in the NL both come from the NL West. The Padres, who are in second, have a better record than any division leader from the East or Central. Even if the Cubs and Braves make it in as division leaders, they may not be seeded as high as the Padres.

Think about that. The 'buy a ton of contracts and refuse to break .500' Padres have a better record than 14/15ths of not only the NL, but the AL. Of all the horrors of 2020, this is one of the silver linings.

 Right now the Padres have two MVP candidates, Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado, a Cy Young candidate, Dinelson Lamet, and a Rookie of the Year candidate, Jake Cronenworth. And that's just the cherry on top, really. I mean, it's good enough that Machado's back to his old numbers and on a hot streak, but...this team has so much more depth now, and it's genuinely fantastic to see.

For instance, both of the Padres' new catching options, Austin Nola and Jason Castro, are hitting really well. Greg Garcia, Mitch Moreland and Jorge Mateo are doing well off the bench. Though Eric Hosmer has been sent to the IL, Will Myers, now the elder-statesman of this team, is hitting really well, and newer members like Trent Grisham and Jurickson Profar are also contributing frequently.

And this rotation, of Lamet-Richards-Paddack-Davies-Clevinger, has become pretty formidable with the addition of Mike Clevinger. Lamet and Davies are the strongest, but Paddack shouldn't  be counted out. It's also nice to see Drew Pomeranz, Matt Strahm, Pierce Johnson and Trevor Williams in relief.

The fact that this team is so well-built, and is such a playoff threat even if they're not leading a division, first of all says a lot about the 2020 season, but also just says a lot about their rise over the last year. I hope they keep going, they're genuinely fun to watch.

Coming Tomorrow- [loud sigh] Hottest player for the team that's been enjoying kicking the shit out of my Yankees recently. 

The Padres Without Tatis (and with Machado)

Bit of a different losing outcome than the Padres fans must have been thinking a few months ago.

You ask a Padres fan in March, 'your best player's gonna get injured in May', they'd probably go 'NO, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT WITHOUT MACHADO!'

...Welllllllll....there are three problems with that thinking.

1. It confirms the backwards thinking of AJ Preller that one player would be able to revitalize an entire team just by existing in the organization. Manny Machado in San Diego has been great, but it needs to be a team effort rather than one player lifting the whole team along with him.

2. Manny Machado was not the Padres' best player this year. That distinction would go to Fernando Tatis Jr., who was rocking a 1.5 WAR at shortstop and bringing the energy and spirit to San Diego that Padres fans figured that Machado would bring anyway. Tatis, working with Machado, made the Padres into a 2nd place force in the NL West. Then he got injured, and the team has lost several games without him.

3. Moreover, without Tatis, AND WITH MACHADO, the team is 5-7. Proving that Machado wasn't necessarily the force that could lift this team, as he's been doing fine at third, and batting .250 with 8 home runs. Granted, if you take Machado out the team will probably be even worse, but...with him in the lineup, there's not a ton of difference. Sort of like how things were in Baltimore last year.

So, in terms of 2019...Manny Machado is not the central figure in this lineup. Fernando Tatis is. Manny Machado is just another hard-hitting cog in this Padres machine, along with Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers, Franmil Reyes and the rest. It is not the Machado show, similar to how the Phillies are not the Bryce Harper show this year. This team is enough of a collaborative unit that multiple players can shine, even with Machado playing as he is. And while that's all well and good, it's a better unit when Tatis is healthy, and when he's at an elevated place in terms of ability and star power.

This is very nonsensical, but I feel like I had a point here.

Oh, right: the Padres may not be completely ready for success if they are still reliant on a singular force for most of their wins. It doesn't matter if said singular force is Fernando Tatis or Manny Machado or even Chris Paddack. Everyone needs to be up to that level. And looking at the mediocre quality of a lot of these performers, it may be a while until we get there.

Coming Tonight: [sigh] that impressive rookie that's helping drag the Red Sox back up the standings.

Machado About Nothing

You can tell I'm excited to be doing puns again, because I'm gleefully doing up Daily-Show-esque pun titles for posts. Shakespeare would not approve, but I don't care.

So let's talk about the San Diego Padres. Who, for the first time in about a decade, finally have something interesting to talk about.

Yes, I am overlooking the 2015 season, where even when Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, James Shields and Derek Norris were on the roster, there was simply no cohesion between the new contracts and the old veterans. This is different, because the lineup has had a chance to grow and mature a bit over the last few years, which definitely helps. Now we're seeing good stuff from Austin Hedges and Manny Margot, and now Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer have gotten over initial troubles and are playing like their old selves. Instead of dropping four contracts in at once, the Padres planned this gradually, so that neither side would be exhausted, and it seems to be working.

Now the Machado addition can really work. As you can tell, there have been the expected amount of jitters over the last few games for Manny Machado, who is OF COURSE taking some time to adjust to his new team and ballpark. But the good thing is that it's just Machado who's really adjusting (and maybe Ian Kinsler too), rather than four players at once. Once we get to about May, Machado will have figured San Diego out, and will be on the same page as the rest of the team. And then they can add more pieces gradually, and work on this.

The team's 3-1 after 4 games. It's extremely early, but there's some definite signs of life from this lineup that I haven't seen in years. The ENTIRE ROTATION, consisting of Joey Lucchesi, Eric Lauer, and rookies Chris Paddack and Nick Margevicius, has an average ERA of 0.90. Considering how dire the rotation looked last year, this is an incredible step up. Hell, Kirby Yates already has 3 saves and hasn't allowed a run yet. I know it's early, but these are all good signs.

Still, with the Dodgers and Rockies in this division as well, I sincerely hope the Padres can build on this intriguing start. And I hope that once Machado hits his sweet spot, that he doesn't let up.

Coming Tomorrow- In a division featuring the defending World Champions and the Yankees, THIS is the team that opens (heh) the season in first. And THIS is its star player.

On Machado, or How Does This Make Sense??

So...uh...somebody finally signed Machado.

The weird part is, I think that everyone was dead set on Manny Machado landing in either Chicago or Philadelphia. Two cities that were both rebuilding for the immediate future, and had solid cores already that Machado could have tried to fit into. Which may not have gone well.

And yet when I heard that the Padres were entering into the sweepstakes, my first thought was 'ohhh WHAT'S THE POINT OF THAT?' Because I've become a bit annoyed with the Padres consistently roping in contracts when they're not especially close to competing. It didn't work in 2015 with Shields, Upton, Kemp and Kimbrel, and it didn't work last year with Eric Hosmer. So I was thinking that the Padres were making a mistake by going after Machado with the little they were bringing to the table.

...and yet the Padres turn out to be the best fit for Machado. So he signs there for 10 years and 300 million.

So here we go again, I guess.

The more you think about this deal, the more it actually does make sense. Like, yesterday the Padres' primary starting option at third base was rookie Ty France. Who has not played any games in the majors. And he'd be a major risk, along with starting rookie Luis Urias at shortstop and potentially pushing for Francisco Mejia as, at the very least, backup catcher. This is, after all, a team that is trying to make its name with its farm system, and subsequently has a very young core. You have young players like Manny Margot, Hunter Renfroe, Franmil Reyes and Joey Lucchesi, and those subsequent rookies, who haven't made huge impacts in the majors but definitely have the potential to.

With Machado, they have a more trusted third baseman, as well as an infield consisting of Eric Hosmer, Ian Kinsler and Luis Urias (though if I were a betting man, I'd guess that Jose Iglesias might be signed very soon to replace Urias). There's enough mix between youth and contracts that this could definitely work. Plus, Machado is still in his prime, has been consistently healthy throughout his first 6 seasons, is still one of the best defensive and offensive players of his era, and even in 2029 will still be a force to be reckoned with in the MLB (hopefully).

I'm not sure if the Padres will be competing in 2019, but with Machado they will definitely win a division title in the next ten years, probably sooner. I can't believe this deal actually works, but it works super well.

Now...all that remains is for Bryce Harper to land somewhere. I'm gonna keep praying that it's Philly.

The Yankees Don't Need Manny Machado

Last year, around this time, I wrote a lengthy post on here, explaining the various reasons why we didn't need the guy that would end up becoming an integral part of our 2018 squad. The main reason I didn't want the Yankees to just snap up Giancarlo Stanton is because we're at an age where we don't NEED to rely on snapping up big contracts and stars just because we can. We can easily produce winning teams by not spending a ton on free agents (hey, it worked in '96!), and with this youth movement of Judge, Severino, Torres and Andujar, as well as low-cost young players like Didi Gregorius and Luke Voit, we don't necessarily need to spend a lot of money to be great when we're already in pretty nice shape.

And that minimalistic ideology constantly clashes with the Yankees' constant longing to be the best by spending the most. And it's clashing once again right now, as Brian Cashman is working on a mega-contract for the next big free agent, Manny Machado.

Now...from a distance, you can sort of see why the Yankees would need a Manny Machado in 2019. Didi Gregorius will be out next year, getting Tommy John surgery, and there will be a gaping hole at shortstop. The logical, immediate solution would be to use professional infielder Ronald Torreyes as our starter next year, and as he's started games before, it's not the worst idea. But is it...a Yankees idea? Is just getting a guy in-house to play shortstop when we could simply sign a guy to play shortstop for a longer period of time than either a low-priced backup or the current starter who, injury aside, is doing a bang-up job...a really good idea?

Cashman seems to think so. And apparently Machado has nixed several deals for a lot of money from the Yankees thus far, even if we haven't been given the exact details quite yet. So it looks like Cashman is pulling to get this guy...and it doesn't look like Machado especially wants to come here.

And honestly, it's because both sides have better fits elsewhere. Machado would fit much better into an offense like Philadelphia, or potentially a team out of the conversation. Plus, as the Phils' GM just announced he's ready to spend 'stupid money' this offseason, it's a giveaway that he wants Machado. It's also kinda obvious, at least from July, that Machado might want to play here. I'm not saying this just because I'm from Philly, this is all out there. It's a good guess at this point.

Also...for the Yankees, there are a TON better options for shortstop out there, at least on a short-term. First of all, Adeiny Hechavarria was a fantastic fill-in at short last year, and he'd be a cheap enough one year replacement. Everyone would love to have him back. If Cashman wants to spend a little more on a one-year deal, there's the case of Freddy Galvis or Jose Iglesias, both of whom would be a nice defensive fit in NY, as well as providing some cool offensive numbers. Plus, if you save money on shortstop, that frees up money to pursue a starting pitching option (like Patrick Corbin, Lance Lynn or...I dunno, there are a ton out there).

The bottom line is this is a very lowest-common-denominator deal by the Yankees, and it's definitely worth looking at from all aspects before making a serious go at it. Cashman needs to seriously consider the consequences of signing someone like Machado, like the lack of funds for other 2018 offseason purchases, the expendability of Didi, and the general douchiness surrounding Machado's 2018 finish.

Even as a Yankee fan, I'm saying the Yankees have a ton better options than signing Machado. And unlike Giancarlo Stanton, I'd rather not be wrong on this one.

The Dodgers Don't Need a Shortstop...and yet...

[puts R.E.M's 'Everybody Hurts' on in the background]

...So.

The Dodgers...didn't need Manny Machado. At least not as a franchise piece for a time longer than November 2018. They didn't need him for the reason that a lot of the other teams, like my hometown Philadelphia Phillies, needed him, which was as a boost to the next level of competition. The Dodgers didn't really need a boost. They're already one of the best teams in baseball, which has been cemented by the return of half the team from injuries, as well as the come-up of Max Muncy, and the return of Matt Kemp to fame and glory.

The Dodgers didn't need Manny Machado to simply compete. They needed him to win the World Series this year. Right now. This was a 'screw the future' kind of move for the Dodgers. A gamble. Sort of like the move that got them Yu Darvish last year, in exchange for a few players that haven't exactly blossomed for the Rangers. However, the Dodgers couldn't lock up Darvish (which, in hindsight, was a good idea), and they returned to the point they're at now...where they need to try the exact same move again, only this time at shortstop.

You can tell this is a 'right now' kind of move, because the Dodgers already have a shortstop. A rather good one. Corey Seager. But he's injured right now, and will be until next year. They also have a guy who's rather good at playing shortstop covering the position right now. Chris Taylor. But, to the Dodgers' credit, Taylor can play like 5 different positions, and it's better than giving a starting position to Enrique Hernandez.

So, this wasn't a desperate need for the Dodgers. And yet this movie still makes sense, as it's a one-upmanship move, a show of superiority over teams that have been borderline good in their division. It's a move that says they're ready to compete for this fall.

And it's also a move that destroys any chance of underdog classification they had going into the playoffs. So I'll continue to root for the team that actually might wrap Machado up for more than 4 months. Go Phils.

What if Adam Jones Leaves Too?

All of baseball has been playing the game of 'Where's Manny Machado Going?' It's become excessive at this point. Is he heading to Philly, to New York, to Milwaukee? It seems to be the only thing on everyone's minds, which distracts from another troubling fact for Baltimore fans: the buyers could come for Adam Jones as well.

The top conversation has been coming from Cleveland, who is looking for an extra outfield bat to join Michael Brantley. They also might try to target someone from the surprisingly-alright bullpen that Baltimore has accumulated. The talks may not lead to anything, but with Adam Jones having another very solid season, and with the Orioles looking like they may need to rebuild after their contract-heavy mindset has led to this 5th-place dissolution, it may be the best bet for both Jones and the O's.

Adam Jones has been a flagship star for the O's, coming to the team in 2008 in exchange for Erik Bedard, and joining a roster that included Corey Patterson, Aubrey Huff, Luke Scott and Melvin Mora. By 2012, the O's were contenders, thanks to rookies like Manny Machado, and some intriguing fringe players like Delmon Young, Chris Davis, Chris Tillman and Jim Johnson. Jones was never the ultimate source of power, but he was one of the players these teams were built around; eventually that distinction would be placed upon Manny Machado's shoulders, once he started having herculean seasons.

This has, to date, been Adam Jones' team, but it's not at the point where it was in 2011 where it might not survive without him. He's a sharp player with a ton of uses, but the Orioles may not be making a mistake in letting him go. The team's already in fifth, they're already losing Machado (and probably more), and they might need to clean house entirely (Buck too) in order to get back into contention.

So...if these means we've seen the last of Adam Jones' best days in an Orioles uniform, it's a sad truth, but one that may lead to some more pristine career accolades for Jones...and possibly a better future for the O's.

Coming Tonight: One of those 'we'll never get him in a million years' kind of characters. And we got him, and we're bobbing for first.

The Stink Panther (by Trey Mancini)

(Music Pun #10. YES, IT COUNTS.)

THE GOOD NEWS...is that the Baltimore Orioles are no longer the worst team in baseball. The Royals have accumulated one more loss than they have. The BAD NEWS is...the Orioles currently are the most games behind first. So even if the Royals are worse...so are the Indians.

The Orioles are not only really bad this year, but they're really bad in a year where A.) the teams in first and second are among the best in the league, and B.) their star shortstop might only be THEIR star shortstop for another month. Things were bad in 2006 and 2007, but at least their big stars, Nick Markakis and Miguel Tejada, weren't at the point where they could be snatched and all the momentum could be lost. HERE? Uhhh...that may be where we're at.

Matter of fact, let's do this right now. Let's see what kind of Baltimore Orioles team we'll have once Manny Machado leaves:

Their offensive leader would be...Danny Valencia, who leads in average. Adam Jones would ultimately be the source of publicity/'star' bill, and while he's got a .293 average at the moment, he's also pulling some awful fielding numbers, bringing an end to his career as a landmark defensive outfielder. The other sources of power, Jonathan Schoop, Mark Trumbo, Tim Beckham and Chris Davis, are either injured or positively limp. The only member of the recent youth movement who can hit for power is Trey Mancini, and he strikes out way too much.

There's not a ton of bench help, and the starting shortstop in Machado's absence would have to be either Jace Peterson or some dire callup from Norfolk. So, offensively, the Orioles without Machado would be S.O.L.

Even their pitching would only be able to hold them for so long. Yes, the duo of Bundy and Gausman is still pretty good, and there's been a small amount of ripe bullpen arms forming, especially Miguel Castro and Darren O'Day, but...the further back you go, the more disappointed you become.

The Orioles, once they trade or lose Manny Machado, will become even worse than they already are. I don't know if they'll let him go in July, or just in November, but...they need to figure out what kind of team they want to be without him, because...if it goes according to those paragraphs, it's not gonna be pleasant.

Coming Tomorrow- His rookie numbers were so wild that anything that followed would have to be a disappointment. Especially this.

Bird Brains

Whelp. I guess we're back in 2008 again. The Orioles and Royals are tied for worst in the AL.

The sad part is, you can honestly say more about this O's team than the '08 one. This one at least has Manny Machado giving career numbers, future O's HOFer Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo trying to give a damn, and Kevin Gausman pitching on target. That's more than the '08 team had, I think. They had a bunch of struggling players trying to hit for average, a bunch of pitchers with inflated ERAs save for like one that actually knew what he was doing, and approximately two people that figured out how to hit again. One of those two is currently playing for a first place team, and that's something I wish that Manny Machado could eventually achieve.

There's just a lot of dead weight on this team, and like the '08 team, a lot of it is coming from people who are either too old or too inexperienced. You have someone like Pedro Alvarez batting .198, as well as someone new like Anthony Sandander batting under .200. Old and new can disappoint fans together.

To be honest, at this point, I don't know what can be salvaged from this team. I imagine they're gonna start pawning people off, at least the ones that can be pawned off. The Machado question's going to pop up again, and they're going to need to figure out whether they want to trade him this year or let him go next year, because it may need to happen rather soon.

Coming Tonight: After years of injuries, the Doctor is back in, in Washington.

Manny with a Plan

Well...to be honest, this is pretty much what we were expecting from the Orioles right off the bat. Nothing too earth-shattering, nothing too terrible. I feel like this season is gonna consist of the O's trying out different parts and people, to replace older, aging parts that don't work anymore.

It's going to need to start at the back end of the rotation, because once again the Orioles fell for Chris Tillman's 'no, I swear my arm's back to normal this year' gag. It always works. For the umpteenth time, Tillman's ERA has already inflated past 5, and he's not seeming to give up quite yet. And yes, it's nice that Dylan Bundy and Andrew Cashner (!) are pitching really well at the front of the rotation, but none of the young arms the O's thought would populate their pitching staff this year have come through, with Mike Wright and Nestor Cortes giving disappointing performances, and Kevin Gausman once again giving up too many runs.

Yes, the lineup's doing better, solely because there's a strong anchor in Manny Machado, back to his old self this year, and with nice pieces like Trey Mancini, Jonathan Schoop, Adam Jones and Chance Sisco really coming through. The main problem are the old standards of people like Chris Davis, Tim Beckham and Mark Trumbo, all guys kept around to hit home runs that haven't really been doing so as of late. Yes, Trumbo's on the DL, but we're all beginning to wonder if his 2016 season was a convenient fluke or not.

A lot is in disarray, and as much as little things are working, bigger things aren't. Plus, the Red Sox are building a stronghold on the division, the Yankees are trying to follow, and the Blue Jays are once again trying to compete despite better judgment. This may not be the year for Baltimore, but I expect gradual improvement, though.

Coming Tomorrow- First baseman for a surprisingly potent NL East team

It's Only a Down Year

Manny Machado, like the rest of the Orioles, isn't having a great season. Sure, he's still got a high WAR, and he's still doing great little fielding things, but he's not hitting, and he's not playing like Manny Machado. And when the star that your whole team has built itself around suddenly starts having a down year...there's definitely a cause for alarm.

Now, the main idea here is that Manny's value should not really be decreased by this season, and he's still a truly great player regardless of his 2017 season. But it's become the kind of thing where the rest of the team is struggling as Manny is, and you have to wonder if the two are connected. With the exception of new additions to the fold, like Trey Mancini, the core of the team is struggling, and the pitching is getting obliterated, even with Zach Britton in the ninth.

The rumors are going around about whether or not someone is going to deal for Manny Machado now, and while these rumors have gone down with Boston's acquisition of Eduardo Nunez (and the Yankees' acquisition of Todd Frazier) there's still a possibility that somebody could swoop in and grab him, but there's a chance that Manny's case has gone down, and there's a chance that someone would rather wait until the end of the season to deal for him.

The O's are looking like they want to hold onto everybody this week, but if they do it's gonna be a bumpy 2nd half of the season everyone's gonna have to hold on for.

Coming Tonight: A guy who got out of Baltimore at the exact right time, now catching fire in another part of Maryland.

O, Really.

Well...that was unexpected.

The Orioles were expected to go for the 4 or 5 spot this year, as the other four teams in the AL East had managed to keep their rosters together or pick up new bats. The Orioles sort of...stayed put, re-signed some players, got a few smaller bats. And everybody thought 'yeah, okay, good luck with that'.

Eight wins and zero losses later...looks like the Orioles are gonna be awesome in 2016. And I couldn't be happier.

It's not the new guys. It's not the guys they re-upped. Oh, no. The guys they've had for YEARS are the guys playing beautifully this year. Manny Machado, JJ Hardy, Matt Wieters. The guys they weren't especially in danger of losing- those are the guys leading the charge. Sure, every once in a while someone like Chris Davis or Mark Trumbo will throw a homer their way, but they's not exactly the core. Baltimore has, like we all predicted, become the Manny Machado Show...and oh what a show it is.

I want this whole 'O's in power' thing to keep going for as long as possible. Sure, this might end up being at the expense of a team that was gonna be in the lead, but that team might be the Blue Jays, and anything that aims to deflate the Blue Jays' bubble need to continue to exist.

Coming Tomorrow- Fourth place is not as bad as fifth. Fourth place means there's still a tiny chance. And this outfield prospect is a part of that tiny chance.