Division Series' Day 5: Keeping Me On My Toes

 

I really thought the Mariners were gonna go with a bullpen game and opening for Kirby or something like that, but they had faith in Bryce Miller. Not 2023 Bryce Miller.....current Bryce Miller. So if you wanted to know why their series is 2-2, that's why.

Look, the Tigers are just a good team. You can't keep them down. Just when you think they've quieted down they blow back up again, and like the Jays anybody can be the hero at any time. Torres, Dingler, Jahmai Jones, Greene, McKinstry, most notably Javier Baez, who was responsible for FOUR runs. You forgot how good this guy can be in October because it's been so long. This was both on the Tigers' offense and on the Mariners' bullpen, who turned sour after a relatively strong series. 

Now, Game 5 in Seattle is gonna be tight as hell. Both teams want it. I wanna say Seattle has the leverage but the Tigers might go with Skubal again. It's gonna be wild no matter what happens.

The Brewers are clearly the better team in their matchup. They proved it during the regular season. The trick now is making sure their mistakes don't come back to haunt them. And somehow earlier today, Quinn Priester was the mistake. He's had such a great season, and has been such an integral piece of this team's success this year...but his first October start was not great. The 4 runs the Cubs won on came against Priester. And even if the Brewers end up winning this series, the fact that Priester was the low point here is gonna be a major takeaway going forward.

Still, it was nice for the Cubs to get a win. Happ scored a playoff run, and I'm mostly happy he got to see a team hit October again. Michael Busch is definitely a top-tier postseason performer and I hope he gets more opportunities to share it. PCA was right about the refs. Palencia closing over a full season would be great. I'm not sure how much hope I have that they'll win Game 4, but they've at least proved they can upset this team without getting completely owned.

And speaking of getting completely owned...

I had a feeling this series might go this way, but not that it would be so embarrassing. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. owned the Yankees. The splitters owned the Yankees. The rotation, and even the bullpen in this game, owned the Yankees. And as good as Judge and somehow Ryan McMahon could be, the Blue Jays can get production from EVERYBODY. Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger, Myles Straw. Pretty much anybody can be the hero in Toronto, and the Yankees have multiple people who simply couldn't in this game. And thus...the Jays, with a very good team, advance, and the Yanks don't. Can't make it any clearer than that. The Jays were the better team, and they had the momentum.

The Yankees only get further next year if they stop fooling themselves. Deluding themselves into thinking that things that have not worked before will eventually work is not the way to go. Sometimes you have to let somebody go rather than let them let you down again. That could go for Volpe, for Boone, for lots of people. The fanatical approach will get the team nowhere, especially with the AL East looking to be even more competitive next year. 

The Jays have a serious shot at a World Series. If the Tigers win, it's a 75% chance. If the M's win...little closer to 50/50.

This one I actually saw coming. I knew the Phils weren't gonna let THAT be the end of it. They'd come this far, they'd gotten the okay to wear the baby blue throwbacks on the road. They were gonna make it count.

I don't care if those are Kyle Schwarber's last two homers in Philly colors, he made 'em count. He's one of the best power hitters of his era, and he's done so much for us, including this. It happened after a lot of hemming and hawing from fans, but it still happened. Also props to Ranger Suarez [AND AARON NOLA] for holding down the best offense in the NL, and Brandon Marsh, J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm for providing strong run support. This was the effort we'd been waiting all series for, and even if another game like it doesn't happen, we still won this one and earned it.

Tomorrow I think a series ends, and one goes to Game 5. I have my guess of which that is. I'd rather not be proven wrong, but I'd be fine with happy Cubs fans even if my Phils go down as well.

My Top 10 Trade Deadline Deals of 2025

 It's odd talking about this specific trade deadline, because it doesn't SEEM like a lot of huge pieces came off the board, but they really did. This was a year without many BIG stars changing hands, maybe one or two [in deals that, to be frank, did not make my list], but a lot of the big deals concerned relief pitchers and utility guys. This was a year where Jose Caballero and Willi Castro getting dealt were both big deals, and it was warranted rather than 'this is all we have to talk about'. It honestly speaks to the quality of the relief pitching in this deadline, as it wasn't like 'who's gonna get this 29 year old having a fluke year?' or anything, like there were a lot of big relievers and closers getting dealt, and it all pretty much made sense.

And yes, we got through the deadline without Luis Robert, Joe Ryan, Sandy Alcantara, Jacob deGrom, Dylan Cease or even Paul Skenes getting traded. Yet it all seemed satisfying and not anticlimactic. I guess I'd call it a win, and not because of how both my teams did.

So, as is custom, I'm gonna rank my top 10 trade deadlines of this year. There'll be another post for the honorable mentions I still wanted to talk about, and another still about the ones where the GM's actions frankly puzzled me.

But let's get into it with a deal that honestly, by the end of the year, might be too lowly-ranked.

#10: Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Reds, Taylor Rogers to the Pirates [and eventually the Cubs], fellow CIN prospect to the Pirates.

The Reds filled a lot of smaller holes this deadline, but their biggest hole was at third base. They have tried Noelvi Marte, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jeimer Candelario, Santiago Espinal and Garrett Hampson at third this season. None of them worked. So why not bring in a guy who can definitely play third base. Sneakily, Ke'Bryan Hayes has been having a nice year at the corner, and he continues to be one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Now, granted, he's not *hitting*, but you never know when he'll go on a tear. I just think that Hayes was the corner stability the Reds needed, and even if he doesn't hit, he'll be a pretty nice piece of this Reds team as they head towards a potential playoff run. 

#9: Merrill Kelly to the Rangers, 3 prospects to the Diamondbacks

I've ranked this one so lowly because I honestly don't think the Rangers needed rotation help, especially considering that before they went on the streak they were gonna deal deGrom anyway. But...this still gives one of the best starters in the league to a rotation that already has deGrom, Eovaldi and Jack Leiter in it. That's honestly pretty scary to me. This will depend on whether or not the Rangers are as good as their July has been. Because they have the pieces in place, and only now are they starting to act like they're supposed to. I think there's a chance they keep rolling, but I also know how inconsistent the Rangers have been this year. Either way Kelly will help, and it's kind of wild to see the Rangers bring on a guy who squared off against them in the 2023 World Series.

#8: Ryan McMahon to the Yankees, 2 prospects to the Rockies

As far as a Cashman pull goes, it may not seem like much. Because of the Yankees' reluctance to trade some of its most prized prospects [Spencer Jones, George Lombard, Jasson Dominguez honestly], a lot of the bigger deadline weapons we were after didn't end up happening. Initially when the McMahon deal happened it felt like a poor consolation for Eugenio Suarez. But honestly, just from what I've seen from McMahon so far, I think we made the right decision. We needed a sure thing at third base, and McMahon is not only that everyday corner guy, but his contact hitting has revitalized the team. Already he's hitting .350 as a Yankee with 8 hits and 4 RBIs. He doesn't need to be the star, but he's steady, consistent and really impressive. Like Chisholm last year, McMahon just seems like just the kind of guy we need right now.

#7: Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano to the Padres, 5 prospects to the Orioles

Very smart move by A.J. Preller. There's another move I'll talk about tomorrow that was even sneakier in filling a need, but the Padres needed an outfield upgrade and one more thumper for the lineup, and they got two perfect pieces. Ryan O'Hearn in a lineup that already has Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis, Gavin Sheets and Jackson Merrill is dangerous. He will fit right in there. And Laureano going to this outfield is a blessing because he doesn't have to start every day. His defense makes him an upgrade over a lot of their other OF options, and he's a good bench bat when needed. I think Gavin Sheets should be getting more starts out there, but Laureano gives them flexibility. The trouble I had with him in Baltimore is that he was playing a starring role when he really should have been a backup, but that's more the fault of the team this year. 

Speaking of Orioles outfielders..

#6: Cedric Mullins to the Mets, 3 prospects to the Orioles

Going into this season, even before we knew the O's would have a drop-off, it was clear that Cedric Mullins was likely on the way out. He'd been there for eight seasons, came into his own right when the team needed him and was a marquee star as they built their youth movement. He'd done enough. The Mets now have an outfield of Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo and Cedric Mullins. That's pretty excellent in my opinion. Mullins is still versatile, still quick, and still powerful. He now gets to help a team get to October. I see no real drawbacks here, though because Mullins is having a comparative down year I'm not sure if that'll carry over.

#5: Josh Naylor to the Mariners, 2 prospects to the D-Backs

The Mariners, even in the midst of a division battle that's getting much more competitive, made some really nice moves to boost the lethality of their lineup. Naylor at the corner in T-Mobile Park is definitely a step up. Even in a year that's not quite to the quality of his Cleveland run, Naylor is still an excellent contact hitter, hitting .292 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs. In Seattle he vastly improves the 1st base situation and adds another surefire bat to a lineup that, even before this weekend, ranked as one of the most troublesome ones in the AL. If October is on the Mariners' mind this year, which it is, they've also procured an excellent postseason performer. 

#4: Jhoan Duran to the Phillies, Mick Abel and another prospect to the Twins

Finally, the Phillies get a legit answer in the ninth after every other closing option fell apart. And yes, I am aware of how often we use the trade deadline to get a surefire closer that then struggles to save games once he gets here. It happened with Ian Kennedy, it happened with David Robertson, it happened with Carlos Estevez. However, Jhoan Duran is under 30. He's also still in his prime, in the midst of a great season, and is scarily dominant. He is the missing link for a bullpen that's honestly coming into its own. Though, to be fair, if our bullpen IS, in fact, cursed, then you'll file this away with the others. I just have hope that he'll be the one, though. 

#3: David Bednar to the Yankees, 3 prospects to the Pirates

Like the Phillies, the Yankees also went through some aggravation to find a ninth inning man this year. Both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver have been spottier in save situations this year, and it's clear that both should be in setup roles. All that remained was a better, more reliable closer. And since June I'd say, David Bednar has been one of the most reliable closers in baseball. I only attribute his struggles to moments leading up to and following an injury- everything else has been fantastic. Pittsburgh fans loved him, and hopefully he'll appeal to Yankee fans as well. I just think he's a pretty reliable bet in the ninth, though I do worry he'll go back to his April luck in a bigger stadium. 

#2: Mason Miller and J.P. Sears to the Padres, Leo de Vries and three other prospects to the Athletics

This one is so high because I did not think the A's were going to deal Mason Miller, as he's a young, controllable phenom that I thought they'd keep until Vegas. But evidently the GM got an offer from A.J. Preller that he couldn't refuse, and I think Leo de Vries was part of that, despite the fact that Jacob Wilson also exists. Mason Miller is a terrific closer and unbelievable hard-throwing pitcher, but putting him in a minor league stadium did not do him justice. He gives the Padres an even safer bet in the ninth than Robert Suarez, and he could be closing there for years. And in a deadline season where the Padres still dealt some excess arms [Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek got dealt, more on that tomorrow], J.P. Sears is a very smart late-rotation addition that not only adds yet another ex-Yankee to this rotation [alongside Vazquez and King], but puts a consistent, reliable starter alongside Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease. I'd put that against the Dodgers' circus of arm strains anyday.

But of course, as wild as it was to see a trade that actually got Mason Miller out of Sacramento, it could not take the top spot. The top spot had to go to a fit so perfect that I could have sworn I'd seen it before...

#1: Eugenio Suarez to the Mariners, Tyler Locklear and 2 prospects to the Diamondbacks

Look, some things are just clear. We know Geno in Seattle works, it worked a couple years ago. We know Geno's having an excellent season, and right at the trade he became the D-Backs' WAR leader this season. We know he can hit home runs and for contact. We know he's still in his prime. And we know he and Josh Naylor were on the same wavelength. Putting him back into this lineup makes it clear that the Mariners have the best lineup in the division now. They have more assets than Houston, more clear power hitters than Texas, and better pitching security than either. And yes, the Astros had a similar reunion today, and you're probably wondering why it's not at this spot. Without getting fully into a rant I'll have later on...Eugenio Suarez has a space meant for him. He doesn't have to squeeze into someone else's for a month or so. 

For now, the Mariners just bulked up their lineup with someone they know works in Seattle, and they just made a major stake towards the East title. It's gonna make the rest of the season very interesting, that's for sure.

Tomorrow I'll talk about some of the trades that didn't make this list, and why.

McMahon Overboard

 

What's very funny is that, in the argument that people like Mike Elias and Bob Nutting are in, where there's hesitance to extend players even if it means ensuring the team goes nowhere, they do have a valid point in their own favor, which is that sometimes, even if you do lock down a bunch of players to multi-year deals, it doesn't do anything because either the player themselves doesn't hold up their end off the bargain or those players alone aren't enough to lift the team.

Basically what they're saying is 'if we extend Oneil Cruz, Paul Skenes and Bryan Reynolds, they could become Charlie Blackmon, Ryan McMahon and Kyle Freeland.' And...I don't know if the threat of becoming the Rockies is an accurate fear, considering that the Pirates or the Orioles don't play in a park designed solely to torture pitchers.

It's really wild that no Denver-area scientists have tried to figure out a way of leveling the air quality at Coors Field. Would a domed stadium do something? Would there need to be a depressurization? There's got to be some way, short of moving this team from Denver, which actually has a nice market for them, of evening things up, because if not we're just gonna keep being here, in this basement hell, with this team of people trying their absolute best. It genuinely feels Sisyphean at this point. Anytime someone starts doing well for the Rockies, usually a pitcher, it's only a matter of time before the Coors Field starts catch up to them. It happened with Zach Agnos, the rookie reliever, who had a terrific start and now has a 4.43 ERA because he's had to play half his games in Denver. Even some of the decent rookies, like Carson Palmquist, Chase Dollander and Tanner Gordon, have high ERAs because they just can't keep runs down at home. And any attempt to solve the problem with better rookies and better players is going to keep the team here. Remember, bringing Kris Bryant to Colorado didn't work, and hasn't. 

And so what they have at the moment is Ryan McMahon, who's still contracted for another few years and I'm not certain it would make sense to trade at this juncture. McMahon, as he's prone to, is producing. He has 8 homers and 19 RBIs, which is Judge numbers for the Rockies, and continues to be an excellent defender at third. Between McMahon, Jordan Beck and Hunter Goodman, this team has some nice power pieces, and a good amount can be built on. I'm not sure what Goodman's strong start behind the plate means for Drew Romo, nor do I know what the set-in-stone OF of Beck, Doyle and Moniak means for Zac Veen, but at the very least a lot of the people starting for this team feel like they deserve to, even with Adael Amador, Nick Martini and Michael Toglia not doing much at all. 

The Rockies are likely going to keep grasping along at this pace, and might even chase last year's White Sox for the record. The problem is evident, and there doesn't seem to be any way to solve it, so they've figured that the better idea is to keep getting the shit kicked out of them. Maybe it's because I'm not an owner but that doesn't make any sense to me.

Coming Tomorrow- I still think the Mariners were really silly to give this guy up, and with all the bases he's stealing it's kind of confirming that. 

McMahon of the House

 

When Ryan McMahon began the 2018 season as the Rockies' starting 1st baseman, we were all figuring it would be the next step in the team's dominance. Famously, the Rockies started Trevor Story at short out of camp in 2016, he got off to an incredible start and became a mainstay for the team. By 2018, the Rockies had Arenado, Blackmon, Story, LeMahieu and that young, trusty rotation, and were gearing up for a strong year that would eventually bring former World Series hero Matt Holliday to join them for a playoff run. McMahon was considered one of the last pieces the team needed to prove their worth.

It didn't happen. McMahon had a dismal start, only hitting .232 in 91 games that season, and mostly being relegated to a bit player. The Rockies' 2018 playoff run flamed out somewhat quickly. And after a while, nearly everybody left.

And as the Rockies attempt to jumpstart a new young team, Ryan McMahon is still there, as one of the last bastions of what once was. And thankfully he's still awesome. So far he's the standout of the lineup, hitting .308 with 48 hits, 22 RBIs and 6 homers. He's a varied enough player to be known for his defensive play as well as being a consistent plate producer for this team, and since 2021 he's been one of their most crucial players. The Rockies thankfully have McMahon signed until 2027, and though many symbols of the early 2020s teams, such as Charlie Blackmon, Elias Diaz and Daniel Bard, might be done in Denver after this season, McMahon's gonna stick around and continue to be the foundation of the team.

To this team's credit, there has been some progress other than McMahon's start. Brendan Rodgers has taken longer to come back than the team has liked, but he's finally getting his average back up. Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar are looking like they have staying power, and Tovar especially is doing a lot of things right at the moment. Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill and surprisingly Ty Blach have been consistent starting options. Gomber especially is having a great year, although I think about Daniel Bard in 2022 and sometimes the other shoe needs to drop. The Diaz/Stallings battery is still working really well and making the Marlins catching battery look even worse [considering that Stallings left there at the right time]. And as I write this, the Rockies have won 6 straight, including a sweep of the defending champion Texas Rangers, and a shutout rout of the San Diego Padres just yesterday.

So even for a last place team, there's a lot about the Rockies that can work, and that can provide wins. I don't expect them to suddenly become competitive, but there have been worse Rockies teams, and they're at least improving from last year, which is all you need to do.

Coming Tomorrow- The latest rookie from a team whose farm system is really having a moment.

McMeh

 To best sum up the 2023 Colorado Rockies at their current state, I will submit this stat: By WAR, the Rockies' fourth best player right now is the 35-year-old former Diamondbacks and Brewers starter Chase Anderson, who was plugged in to help as several starters got injured. Anderson, through 4 starts, has pitched 21.2 innings, has a 2.08 ERA, has struck out 10 people and has given up 5 earned runs. That is the kind of dominance-by-inertia that not just any pitcher can pull off.

By doing essentially the bare minimum as a pitcher for 4 starts and Mr. Magooing your way through an appearance without getting a game decision, you get a better WAR than Ezequiel Tovar, Charlie Blackmon, and the entirety of the impressive bullpen guys I've talked about in Denver this year [Bird, Lawrence, Bard, Johnson, Suter, Hand]. That's where we're at. Chase Anderson is indispensable to this team solely because he hasn't let them down yet, like Trevor Story in April 2016 or Kyle Freeland in 2017. Seeing that he is Chase Anderson, and he is 35, the other shoe will drop eventually. But until then, he's up there with Elias Diaz, Kyle Freeland and Ryan McMahon as people who are crucial to this team's success.

Speaking of McMahon, he wasn't always near the top, and it definitely took til mid-May for him to take off and remind people of how versatile he can be. Right now McMahon is only hitting .258 with 9 homers and 34 RBIs, but his defense is the difference-maker, and keeping him at third base has made him even more important to this team. I think the lack of Brendan Rodgers at the helm of this team is palpable, and while someone like McMahon can still provide the same sense of multi-faceted leadership, I still think Rodgers is a better player than McMahon, even if McMahon has had more success. 

It is somewhat heartening, though, to see the homegrown guys like McMahon, Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar and, when he comes back, Rodgers, are carrying the lineup even as the signed pieces like Kris Bryant, C.J. Cron, Jurickson Profar and Mike Moustakas continue to disappoint. The farm system is producing good people, and with pieces like Zac Veen, Coco Montes and Drew Romo still waiting in the minors, it will likely stay that way. Just...perhaps Noah Davis and Karl Kauffmann could use some more time in the minors apparently.

The Rockies are a flawed team with a lot out of sorts, but I don't think they're as bad as they could be, and there's still a lot of promise that could bring them to prominence in the future. Someone like McMahon helps, but I don't know how long they'll need him for.

Coming Tonight: Still one of the best young players in the league 5 or so years after his debut.

Falling Rockies

 

And so here we are. A Rockies team that began the season vying for first, now stuck in last behind the Diamondbacks. Fitting, I suppose.

I don't think anyone's acting like this is a truly bad team, though. C.J. Cron, a professional home run hitter, has unsurprisingly found himself at home in Denver, and has 14 home runs as I write this. Ryan McMahon, while not hitting as many homers as he was last year, has 26 RBIs. Connor Joe is, in fact, for real, and has made for a pretty smooth DH. Brendan Rodgers, Yonathan Daza and Randal Grichuk have become excellent everyday players. Jose Iglesias can actually hit .325 again. Chad Kuhl and Kyle Freeland are great at keeping opposing offenses away.

But like...everything else is too mediocre to really make this a 'good' team, also.

Like, I never thought we'd ever see German Marquez this human. Ever since coming up with everyone, Marquez has had control, velocity and low ERAs. Now he's 1-5 with a 6.71 ERA. People have figured out how to hit him, and he's still not sure how to get over it. Not much better for Antonio Senzatela either, who's back to a 5 ERA, nor for Austin Gomber, whose 6ish ERA is proving that the Cardinals won the Arenado trade. And even Freeland still isn't the guy he was in 2018. So even if this is a stable rotation, and with Ryan Feltner slowly learning how to pitch in the majors it's gaining some stability, it's not...the GREATEST one to go against NL West teams with.

At the same time, you're beginning to see new pieces begin to emerge. Feltner is one of them, he's evened to a 3.71 ERA after improving since his awful start at Citizens Bank Park. Another one is rookie catcher Brian Serven, hitting .276 with some decent defensive perks. And I assume they're trying to go forward with Alan Trejo after he gets off the IL, as he's a fun little piece. 

Building all this versatility and depth is a good thing for the Rockies, even at last in the NL West. Like the Diamondbacks, they're not bad in relation to the MLB, they're just bad in relation to the NL West, which is a start. They just need to retool their approach as the ends of this initial competitive team [Blackmon, Marquez, Freeland] begin to come loose. 

Coming Tonight: Nearly perfect, but he's been having his best season to date this year.

McMahon Up

 

2018 was supposed to be the year of Ryan McMahon. After a quiet call-up in 2017, the Rockies would be starting McMahon in the 1st base position after the departure of Mark Reynolds. They had tried something similar with an Opening Day start for Trevor Story, and it'd worked very well for him, so all eyes were on McMahon to make a similar big splash out of the gate.

It didn't happen. McMahon hit .232 with 19 RBIs in 91 games in 2018. Ian Desmond was given the position, followed by Daniel Murphy. McMahon would be used as a backup infielder and eventual 2nd base piece. 

It's now 2021, McMahon has been given the 2nd base gig in Colorado, and NOW is the part where he starts hitting like hell. McMahon hits 8 home runs in April, at one point being tied for the leaders in the NL. He also has 21 RBIs, more than he banked in that entire blasted 2018 season, and he's hitting .272, his highest average to date. Meanwhile, while Trevor Story is hitting .304, he only has 4 homers. The power has shifted.

In fact, power hitting is coming from some new and different sources so far in Colorado. Dom Nunez, the new starting catcher, currently has 5 homers, as does C.J. Cron, who seems to have acclimated to this haven for power hitters quite well. Chris Owings managed 3 triples in 7 games before succumbing to an injury that's gonna keep him out for a bit, and even supposed contact wizard Raimel Tapia is hitting homers. Maybe it's the Denver-ness, but a lot of this team is really beginning to pop.

It's obviously not a perfect team, and there's still the matter of German Marquez, Austin Gomber and Chi Chi Gonzalez struggling to keep runs down [all while Jon Gray excels once again]. And while the core of the bullpen is strong, the further out you go, the more inflated ERAs you run into. So I can see why the other 4 teams have easily lapped this one. 

But there's still a nice amount of intrigue going on here, and with McMahon having a strong April, it's good to know that pretty much anybody can snap into greatness in Denver this year.

Coming Tonight: Yes, John Means is the Big Oriole of yesterday [a Season Highlight card is forthcoming], but the best Oriole right now is some outfielder guy.

Crappy Team Roundup: Rockies & Marlins

Two more last-place teams! The Rockies go first, because they're slightly better.

I think it's very sad that the Rox went from a Wild Card-winning runaway playoff team last year to a last-place finisher. That's usually the Twins' thing.

It's not like the core has let this team down- Arenado, Blackmon, Story and Murphy is a strong core, Ryan McMahon has finally come into his own, and Jon Gray and German Marquez are proven aces. Only thing is...the rest of the team exists. The rest of the lineup is very middling, with guys like Raimel Tapia, Ian Desmond and Sam Hilliard barely coming above replacement levels.

The pitching's even more dire- Gray and Marquez are injured, leaving Antonio Senzatela to lead a rotation of two rookies (Tim Melville and Peter Lambert), two guys who've had MUCH better numbers (Kyle Freeland and Jeff Hoffman), and...Senzatela himself, who's not great. Even Wade Davis is having his worst year since becoming a perennial closer.

It's a team that'll hopefully be better when everyone gets healthy next year, but...2019 was pretty damn dire.

Meanwhile, the Marlins have stopped being fun-bad, as they were mid-year, and are back to just being unbearably bad.

Not even Starlin Castro is doing well, and he usually does. I mean, it is nice that they're developing a youth movement, and they can rely on Miguel Rojas and Brian Anderson to lead the team, but what happens when Anderson is out for the season? You try other guys like Jon Berti, Harold Ramirez and Isan Diaz, and hope one of them sticks.

Good news is that Magneuris Sierra is finally doing well in the majors, Garrett Cooper and Jorge Alfaro have had great seasons, and Caleb Smith and Sandy Alcantara have been strong rotation options. Hell, another trade piece, Steven Duggar, is now starting games and doing an alright job, and Brian Moran, Colin's brother, is finally up in the majors relieving games.

This is still a and team, but there's an ounce of hope that maybe, potentially, theoretically...enough young talent could pool together to get them out of last. It may not happen in 2020, but it should happen...someday.

...right?

Coming Tomorrow- THE FIRST TEAM TO 100 LOSSES. And one of their starters.