Paperweight Beats Rock

 

The Minnesota Twins really just won a series against the Yankees in the Bronx. And honestly, somehow, they deserved to.

It's been no secret that since mid-June the Yankees have been spiraling out of control. In fact, I may have been in attendance for the last time the Yankees actually felt like a dominant winning team, their excellent shutout of the Reds. Immediately after that they've lost all direction. The team's stopped hitting, management keeps sending down players who are doing well because they've got options left, Gerrit Cole keeps giving up runs, and the absence of Judge is feeling more and more evident. Ben Rice initially looked like he'd fill that void, but since that Reds game where he had a 3-run shot, he's been hitting .135 with 7 hits, 3 home runs and 15 strikeouts. The whole team's gone cold, including him. So us losing another series? Why not at this rate.

But the Twins?? On paper you'd think they were directionless, but somehow they've become one of the sneakiest bad teams in baseball. They're not supposed to compete, but they're skirting through the middle of the AL Central, hanging around .500, winning big against great teams solely because they can. They are without Ryan Jeffers right now, and the fear is that they're about to lose Byron Buxton to a hip issue [because that man couldn't be any more cursed]. But barring that they've had a really surprising lineup, filled with guys like Luke Keaschall, Kody Clemens, Austin Martin, Brooks Lee and Trevor Larnach, who aren't burning the house down but are providing steady work. They've even got Josh Bell bringing his usual brand of cheesy power, with 13 homers and 59 RBIs, meaning there's an outside chance Bell nabs a 100 RBI year. I'm not sure if he'll finish it with the Twins, but considering he only has one to date, it'd be a pretty cool achievement. 

The Twins are not a better baseball team than the Yankees, but right now only one of these teams has any spark or unpredictability, and it's not the friggin Yankees. The Twins have guys that you're gonna underestimate and they make you pay anyway. Keaschall and Lee have been so hot recently that they're both on my fantasy team. Ryan Kreisler has 5 homers and 23 RBIs as a bench bat. Alex Jackson is somehow hitting .300 as a backup. They're getting quality starts from Connor Prielipp, Zebby Matthews and Mike Paredes, who are mostly around to fill in for Pablo Lopez, Mick Abel and Bailey Ober and eat innings. Matthews is looking the most MLB-ready yet, and despite a 4.43 ERA has a 1.164 WHIP. Yoendrys Gomez went from a roster hanger-onner to an MLB closer. There's genuine unpredictability to this team, and it's very much appreciated. The Yankees are what you see. Ryan Weathers and Will Warren are gonna get up there and strike you out but leave homer possibilities on the table, so of course you go for it. Jazz Chisholm's gonna make an error or strike out 3 times. Camilo Doval's gonna shit the bed. I'm not saying we're always gonna be this predictable, but we were this series, and the Twins took advantage.

The Twins have the Guardians and Angels up next before the break, and because of the jester's privilege they've received in the AL, no matter how these series' go it might not even matter. They may sell, but I don't even think they'll need to sell Buxton or Ryan. They may just gestate as a spoiler the whole rest of the year. Meanwhile, the Yankees need to get to a point where they're not being tripped up by someone like the Twins. 

Coming Tonight: A young infielder who seems to finally be getting some ample battery-mates.

Perhaps Overspending Has Its Downsides

 

The Yankees and Dodgers both spent the offseason giving tons of money to free agents from all over in order to load their teams with enough talent to coast to the end again. It got to a point, especially with the Dodgers, that it was verging on excessive. Ryan Brasier, one of the best relievers of the 2024 season for the Dodgers, was cut in order to make room for Kirby Yates, which has to be an awful ego blow. And yes, that is a way to win games, but it also sends the message that buying talent is more valuable than growing talent, which, considering how many Rookie of the Year winners have come from these two teams, is kind of odd.

So it's been refreshing that some of the Yankees and Dodgers' best performers right now are the ones they didn't overpay, at least not yet.

Andy Pages has already gotten some publicity for his leading of the Dodgers charts so far. There were a lot of social media postings consisting of 'imagine paying hundreds of millions for Roki Sasaki only for him to be less valuable than a second year on the standard contract line? Pages's 2024 come-up was a little lackluster, hitting .248 in 116 games with 13 homers, but he did win a World Series as a regular outfielder for the Dodgers. He doesn't just walk backwards into that, he's been an organizational gem for years, and now he's earned playing everyday. This season he's gotten to continue starting, and as such he's been having a wonderful start. In 32 games he's hitting .277 with 31 hits, 14 RBIs and 6 homers. He's also much better defensively, and has been responsible for some great plays out there. 

Until Shohei Ohtani sped ahead this weekend, Pages was the Dodgers' WAR leader. That was kinda insane. Mookie Betts is playing well, Yamamoto's off to a fantastic start, Freeman's hitting, but none of them caught Pages in April. Things have evened out slightly, yes, but even tonight I've heard Pages's name just on the defensive side. This guy might be turning into a crucial member of this team, and that'd honestly help more than just buying a centerfielder. You buy somebody like Michael Conforto, and figure he does his thing until someone homegrown can ensure you don't have to keep starting him. And that's what may happen, especially considering that Tommy Edman could play LF if Kim keeps it up at 2nd. 

Trent Grisham's success, meanwhile, is even more random. Grisham came over with Juan Soto, and while Soto was the big takeaway, Grisham's Padres numbers gave us hope for a really cool extra outfield bat. Last year, Grisham hit .190 with 9 homers in 76 games. It was not a very helpful year. So Soto leaves, Verdugo leaves, and we're expecting a Dominguez-Bellinger-Judge OF....and then, suddenly, Grisham starts to really figure out hitting in New York. So far he has a .298 average, 17 RBIs and 9 homers. To give you an idea, that's as many as he hit in 2024, and it's more than half of his previous full season HR total. Maybe it's the torpedo bats, maybe it's age and maturity, maybe it's something more arbitrary than that, but Trent Grisham may have turned out to be the key piece of the Soto deal for the Yankees. How about that?

The only upsetting part of that is that because Grisham's basically playing every day in center, and because they're paying Bellinger starter money, that doesn't leave much room for Jasson Dominguez. Which means, for the second year running, Aaron Boone is completely wasting Dominguez's development. Last year he kept him in the minors despite cries to bring him up because of the 'the right person to get the innings is getting the innings' bullshit. And now that Dominguez is up and playing well, we can't even play him everyday because the team's hands are tied with Bellinger. And it's not like Bellinger's playing badly per se, but I think Dominguez is playing better. So in this case, despite the guy making the standard contract getting glory in Grisham, another guy making the minimum is getting screwed, and it's a guy you do not want to fumble. All of this about Baltimore ruining Jackson Holliday- dude's heating up and he has room to. Quiet about that. If the Yankees ruin Jasson Dominguez, the surest thing baseball's had since Harper, everyone involved needs to lose their jobs.

Both the Yankees and the Dodgers look to continue dominating, even with their guys making tons of money [Judge and Ohtani especially]. But allowing for the more unsung guys to succeed is why people will ultimately care about these teams' success if they do go all the way. 

Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of people that got swapped around in Juan Soto deals...bet the Padres wish they still had this guy..

Uncustomed Heroes of 2024: Yankees

Well, after years of thinking the current MLB model would never let it happen again, in 2024 the Yankees made a World Series. The path there was smooth enough that it surprised me. We had little to no trouble with the Royals, and though the Guardians fought hard we had their number in the end. This was a team with insane offensive power, a great rotation, a great bullpen and so many little things clicking into place that had always evaded us. The power duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, as well as the insane October abilities of Giancarlo Stanton, made the first two playoff series' insanely fun to watch.

And then we showed up to meet the Dodgers and it really wasn't gonna be close.

No matter how hard we fought, and no matter what we threw at LA, the Freeman-Betts-Ohtani trio was on and hot, and Aaron Judge had cooled down significantly. The Freeman walk-off sealed our fate, but the errors in Game 5 and the eventual comeback just slapped us out the door. Soto joining the Mets was the cruel punchline. We got what we wanted, but it couldn't last.

Will we get back there in 2025? The team certainly seems to want to. We've got Max Fried in between Cole and Rodon, Devin Williams in the ninth, Bellinger in the lineup, and probably some more reinforcements on the way. It could definitely happen, but only if we learn from 2024 and not repeat it more embarrassingly. 

Oswaldo Cabrera began the season as the surprise standout of the Yankees' lineup. The usual suspects were surging, guys like Judge and Soto and Verdugo, but Cabrera was really effective. He did eventually cool down, but Ozzie was a really nice extra piece this year, ending with 8 homers and 36 RBIs despite a .247 average. I think he had less to do once Chisholm came aboard, but he still had a nice postseason double.

2025 Prediction: Even if Cashman keeps working, I reckon there will still be an infield vacancy, and I reckon it's for Ozzie to take. He'll have another strong year, and he'll be even better at the plate. 

Trent Grisham was an extra OF piece included in the Soto deal, and I'm just gonna say it, it's weird that he's lasting longer in the Bronx than Soto did. The thing with Grisham is his defense, and he was a tremendous defensive upgrade for us when utilized. His power bat also gave us 9 homers and 30 RBIs, but with a .190 average, which is the risk you run with Grisham.

2025 Prediction: Will get a bit more starting time, and be a bit more on target at the plate.

Jon Berti was a very late offseason trade, when it became clear we'd be a little wounded in the infield. Berti's known for his solid 3B play as well as his speed on the base paths. Unfortunately Berti only played in 25 regular season games for us, but hit .273 with 18 hits, 6 RBIs, a homer and 5 steals. He also had 2 postseason hits.

2025 Prediction: So much for that. Berti will find a backup role somewhere.

The Yankees' bullpen, from almost the beginning of the season, proved virtually unhittable, and despite some missed time, Ian Hamilton was one of the main reasons behind that. Since coming over, Hamilton has become one of our best bullpen arms, and this year he was equally dominant, with a 3.82 ERA in 35 appearances. He was also great during the postseason, with 3 Ks despite giving up an earned run.

2025 Prediction: Gears back up for a full season of work, impresses. With Holmes gone there'll be room for him to come into his own more.

Additionally, perennial Yankee favorite Tommy Kahnle continued his third stint with the team this year and gave us another strong campaign. In 50 games, Kahnle had a 2.11 ERA, 46 Ks and a 0.8 WAR. In the postseason he had a 2.08 ERA with 7 Ks in 9 appearances. I'm very thankful that Kahnle's always been excellent with us, no matter what incarnation of the team he's a part of.

2025 Prediction: I wanna believe we re-sign him, but something tells me the Phillies or somebody like that will make a move.

The Yankees operated an essential six man rotation this year, made possible by Luis Gil covering for Gerrit Cole and, later, Clarke Schmidt. Yet on one or two occasions the rotation needed a seventh man, either for doubleheaders or for fill-ins for somebody missing a start. That doesn't usually speak to a high quality, and the second half seventh man, Will Warren, got his ass handed to him on a regular basis til Schmidt came back. But during the first half, we turned to former Marlins prospect and frequent IL resident Cody Poteet, who was lighting 'em up in Scranton. Poteet only got 5 appearances this year, thanks to both overflow and more injuries, and he was excellent. He had a 3-0 record, a 2.22 ERA, 16 Ks and a 1.068 WHIP. The true unsung hero of this team, and the reason why we didn't completely crumble under some rotation injuries.

2025 Prediction: The Cubs had to have liked Poteet to trade for him over a prospect. I say he makes the Opening Day rotation [thanks a lot Hayden Wesneski for leaving a spot open] and has a surprise full year as a rotation favorite. 

Jasson Dominguez's Yankee career continues to vex me. He was injured for half the season, then once he got healthy he was absolutely ripping it up in Triple-A, all while Alex Verdugo struggled. In response to cries to activate him, Aaron Boone brought Dominguez up for one game, the Little League Classic, where he was listless in one at-bat, as if to say 'see?', and sent him back down. He got 17 more games at the end of the year, where he hit .179 with 4 RBIs and 2 homers, then was used as a roster option during the postseason but didn't make any plate appearances. Boone is giving this guy what I refer to as 'the Paul Reed treatment', where literally everybody knows he should be getting games in the bigs, but the people who are in position to play are the correct people to be in that position, even if, like Alex Verdugo did in August, they suck shit. If Soto stuck around there was gonna be more of this. But next year there's at least one OF spot open, and Dominguez is being primed for it.

2025 Prediction: You're not ready. None of you are ready. Once this guy gets his mojo, and I doubt it'll take him very long in 2025, we're not gonna be missing Soto for much longer.

So that was 2024. Very wild year. Never would have thought the baseball events of the year would go like this. I didn't collect a great deal this year, and I hope to collect more next year. I have been doing more trades on TCDB, so that's filled a void, but I hope some more permanent employment will allow me to pursue card-collecting like I used to. 

I'll probably post sporadically in January and February, and then around Spring Training we'll start this madness up again. Hopefully it's a little less heartbreaking for the guys in pinstripes. 

Juan Million Reasons

 

You know, every fall the fans say 'fire Cashman', and then every winter he spins something like this. Maybe we shouldn't fire him. Maybe the mad lad actually knows what he's doing.

When I saw that Juan Soto was in the cards for the Yankees, I was very worried of two outcomes. 1- Cashman would offer up some of the Yankees' most prized young pieces, and the Padres would agree. 2- Cashman would offer up some of the Yankees' most prized young pieces, and the Padres would tell him to get lost and trade him somewhere else. I was worried that the Padres would want deep guys, deeper than Drew Thorpe, real meaty future pieces. I was extremely worried they'd want Jasson Dominguez, but apparently Cashman made it clear he was off the table. 

And then as the rumors spread that 'both sides are far apart', and then this afternoon when the talks stalled, I worried. Preller played dirty. Asked for somebody big. Cashman knew he was screwed, had to relent. I was waiting for the incentive, the thing that would make this deal harder to stomach than it was. 

...it didn't happen. Not only did Juan Soto land in the Bronx, but he did so without completely shattering the future. So let's examine the other pieces here:

• Trent Grisham. I was initially confused by this, seeing as the Yankees literally just picked up Alex Verdugo yesterday, and now Grisham is looking like a fourth man. But Grisham is due for a reclamation, and he's still capable of great power numbers and impressive outfield moments. Honestly, Grisham might need a team like the Yankees to turn him around, because as good as he's been as a Padre, he's also been infuriating in points. As a swing-out guy for the Yanks, he could have some nice power moments, and he could definitely find his comfort zones again. And if not, we don't have to start him as much.
• Kyle Higashioka. Two things are apparent with Cashman deciding to deal Higgy. One, he trusts Jose Trevino to get back to his 2022 self. Two, he trusts Austin Wells to come into his own. At worst, we're talking another Austin Romine here, but at best we could be alright for another decade behind the plate. Meanwhile, the way it's looking, the Padres could have its second straight season with a former Yankee behind the plate, and if they reunite with Sanchez it could be a reunion of the late 2010s catching duo. So that's pretty funny.
• Michael King. The best part about Michael King is that he's versatile, and he can play multiple roles for you over the course of the year. The worst part about him is that because he's so good at playing roles, he'd never be relied upon as a starter completely, unlike Clarke Schmidt, who barely made it out of this deal. King is a really damn good relief piece, and probably the hardest guy to part with here, but if anyone will utilize this guy properly, it'll be the Padres. They might make him a full time starter, something he'd never become in NY, and let him come into his own. And you know what? Good for him.
• Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez. The good news is the starting picture isn't overstuffed anymore. Cole-Cortes-Rodon-Schmidt-fifth man. So now we can swing a free agent and hold that til somebody's ready. It's sad that Brito and Vasquez are gone, but I think both needed a place to blossom that wasn't Yankee Stadium. Vasquez might be the bigger loss, cause he was looking really good in the thick of things this year.
• Drew Thorpe. From what I saw of his minor league stats, this kid looks GOOOOD. The Padres may have done the most damage insisting on Thorpe, and he has the biggest chance of turning the Padres into something further down the line, with no disrespect to Brito or Vasquez, who still could. Thorpe is an excellent pitching prospect, and for a team that dealt away a lot of young arms, that's a good sign. 

So...if that's all we're giving up, and if that's all from the other figures here...that's not bad. We're not bleeding too hard. Thorpe is a big piece, but everyone else can be replaced in some way. 

Oh yeah, and, uh...and now we have Soto as well.

The prospect of a Soto-Judge-Verdugo outfield next year is pretty damn awesome. The prospect of a Soto-Judge-Dominguez outfield in 2025, if they can pin down Soto, is incredible. If that's out everyday outfield, and if all three continue on the path that seems apparent for them, that is going to be so hard for other teams to get past. Like, I understand Volpe also exists, I understand Gerrit Cole is still amazing, I understand Spencer Jones is a year or so away too, but this outfield? Soto in Yankee Stadium? Judge teaching Soto, and them both teaching Jasson? Forget it. That is just too good.

I really hope this is as good as I think it will be. Because this has the makings of something legendary for the Yankees, and for Soto.

The Casualties of a Redistricted Schedule

 

A year into Rob Manfred's newly-implemented spread-out scheduling, which aims to have all 30 teams play each other each year by diluting divisional matchups. It has gone...relatively well. There's only a few truly tight divisional matchups, mostly O's-Rays and Astros-Ms-Rangers. At the same time, it's made a lot of records honest- the worst teams in the AL East are still over .500, while the 2nd place team in the AL Central is well under .500. Because teams don't have to play the majority of their games against division rivals, the majority of the season involves how well they match up to the rest of the league. Some teams are just miles better than the rest of the league, like the Braves. Some, like the Padres, are not.

The San Diego Padres were a playoff team last year, finished in 2nd though within earshot of LA, battled their way back and nearly made a World Series. Their 2023 offering doesn't have too many indicators of a drop-off; yes, a few weaker performances from Jake Cronenworth and Austin Nola, a few contracts wasted on people who weren't capable of anything this year, a few too many injured pitchers and Machado having his first okay year since arriving in SD, but a lot of this team has the same approach as last year. They've had a full year of Juan Soto at his peak and Josh Hader in his prime closing years, great seasons from Xander Bogaerts, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Gary Sanchez, the long awaited return of Fernando Tatis Jr., a Cy Young-caliber year from Blake Snell, and Ha-Seong Kim surprising everybody in every facet of the game. If anything, the Padres have more OMG assets than they did last year, and should be able to build on that.

But I credit their season to the schedule redistricting. Because they don't have to play the Giants and Diamondbacks as often, they can't enact their superiority over them. Their biggest losses have come at the hands of the Astros, Brewers, Orioles, Phillies, Mariners, Cubs and Braves. Of late they've had productive series' against the Giants and Dodgers, even if the D-Backs seem to be their achilles heel this year. If they had more divisional matchups, they'd be a lot closer to .500, possibly over. But because it's less about divisional superiority and more about playing a wide range of teams, the Padres aren't playing well when compared to some of the titans of other divisions. And it sucks that this is the way we find out. 

It's similar with the Cardinals as well. In addition to just a bad run of things leading up to the season, they also just couldn't match up to other divisional titans. I wonder how well they would have done if they had to play the Reds and Pirates more often.

We'll never know if the Padres would have struggled this much in a normal year, but I do connect a lot of their struggles, despite a lot of great performances, to this new schedule. This is a great Padres team that deserved better on a number of levels, even though there are obvious flaws that may have contributed as well. And I'm not even sure if next year will lead to an improvement, as the schedules will be split similarly to this year. The Padres need to work on getting around it. And with the potential for a departure in the coming years, they need to figure things out fast, or else they'll lose this opportunity they've come into.

Coming Tonight: He's unhittable. Absolutely unhittable. And my team had to play 4 games this week hoping to avoid him.

Division Series Update: Immense Joy and Creeping Terror

 

I think I've talked at length on here about how ridiculous it is sometimes being a Philadelphia sports fan. It's different from being the usual kind of long suffering sports fan, because sometimes you do win, and when you do win you expect to keep winning, and then...you never do. It's like the world's weirdest psychological conditioning. Like, consistently getting punished for believing good things were going to happen, and then keeping expectations so low that when good things do happen, you're in disbelief.

I did not think the Phillies would beat the Cardinals. And I certainly did not think the Phillies would beat the Braves. And here we are. Phils are going to the NLCS. In 2011, they had the team that SHOULD have gone to the NLCS, they didn't, and now THIS TEAM, with Bryce Harper not at 100%, Nick Castellanos hitting essentially when he feels like it, and only a slight improvement on the whole bullpen issue, is within 4 games of a World Series. 

I'm overjoyed. I'm so glad people like Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm, Jose Alvarado and, yes, Bryce Harper, can be postseason performers for this Phillies team. It just was never a possibility because the narrative of this season was driven by teams like the Braves and Cardinals, and Dodgers honestly. And now the Phillies are going to an NLCS. 

...and the Dodgers aren't.

I...I think that in expanding the playoffs years ago, the MLB made it possible for underdog teams to have more of a stake in the playoffs. You know, for years it was just 'well the two best teams in each league play each other and the winner goes to a World Series', and then when other divisions came up and it became possible for multiple teams to be really good in divisions, it became 'well we can't leave these guys out', forgetting that October momentum is like any other month's momentum, and a 100-win team could go cold going into a seventh month. So this is why so many upsets happen, because now that the postseason is so expanded, those fluke teams have as much of a chance as the titans.

Which is why the Padres took down the Dodgers, something they had trouble doing all season. 

I said it after they took down the Mets, all the Padres needed were great starts from Musgrove, Darvish and Snell, and production from their lineup. Trent Grisham has been hot all postseason, Austin Nola had a great night last night, Machado and Soto have been holding things down, and there seems like so many opportunities for this team to succeed. And them coming to life late last night, blowing up Tommy Kahnle and completing the arc they'd been working on for 2 years...perfect.

A Padres-Phillies NLCS is gonna be a lot of fun. The Nola Brothers are gonna do battle. Harper and Soto are gonna square off. Machado is gonna play the team he could have gone to on two separate occasions. It's gonna be INSANE. And...again...I don't think the Phillies are gonna win. Mostly because I think that's my strategy here. 

Now...yesterday wasn't all roses, y'all...

Because the Astros are going to yet another ALCS, and have the potential to ruin all the fun vibes the NLCS is planning on setting up. I am 100% sick of the Astros just being amazing every year, holding momentum through the whole season and beating all the fun and worthy teams. It's like the Patriots all over again except I actually like Dusty Baker. The Astros waited 18 innings to score a run, and then did it IN SEATTLE, to punish the Mariners for actually having hope, which was CRUEL. That was MEAN AS HELL and they did it anyway because they're the Astros. Pathetic.

Anyway they're going onto the ALCS, and...if the Yankees make it, they'll have to do that schtick again, and if the Guardians make it they have a pretty good chance too. I just...so badly want someone else to win an ALCS. This is worse than the Cardinals in the mid-2010s, cause at least the Cardinals didn't cheat in 2011. I just want, ONE TIME, a consequence to befall this team. That's it. And then maybe someone else can make a World Series. 

Look, at this point I kinda want the Guardians to win anyway, because at least they will provide some variety from the usual 'Astros beat the Yankees in the ALCS' thing we always do. Plus, the Guardians are scrappy as hell and a can kill a team with contact ball. The Yankees had their long-balls last night, and the Guardians won it with contact hitting. It was infuriating to watch, but from a baseball standpoint it was great. Oscar Gonzalez, Steven Kwan and Will Brennan taking down AARON JUDGE, GIANCARLO STANTON AND ANTHONY RIZZO would be...huge. And at this point, I'm honest enough about this Yankee season that I can be alright with it. 

Still, we should mourn the fallen:

The Braves proved that 2021 was not a fluke, and came back better and stronger than they were last year, ensuring they'll be competing for a long time. They may have lost this year, but they'll definitely be back next year, and with a lot of the same characters.

The Mariners were the feel-good story of the year, finally breaking a 21-year playoff drought and letting young stars like Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby fuel the narrative. I just wished that they would have had anything to get past Houston, but they could definitely be back next year.

And the Dodgers, ironically like the 2001 Mariners, were an unstoppable regular season force that looked unsinkable, and thereby sunk. I think the Dodgers did a lot right this year, and that their lineup was still impressive as hell [Trayce Thompson came back POWERFUL]. But the injuries, and some bullpen issues, sunk this team, and hopefully they'll learn from it.

Yanks-Guardians is today, and the Guardians could clinch. I'd prefer they didn't.

2020 Topps Final Edition: Cards #235-243

 The next 9 cards in the set actually have some that would have really meant something foreshadowing the 2021 season. I planned this set to just be a picture of the rest of the 2020 season, to catch everything left before it all scattered again. So for a few of these to be forerunners for exemplary 2021 seasons is slightly gratifying, I think. On with them,

Card #235- Luis Garcia, Washington Nationals

As September brought the numbers of Andrew Stevenson to a depleted, non-competitive Nationals team, it also brought the infield bat of Luis Garcia, soon to not having to hide behind as many aging contract players. Garcia had 16 RBIs and 2 homers in 40 games, and had 37 hits in this period. While he wasn't very high above replacement level, he made a name for himself as a young, homegrown talent that would succeed several departing contracts. Garcia is currently in the minors, stuck behind Josh Harrison and Trea Turner. 

Card #236- Nick Pivetta, Boston Red Sox

In hindsight, this move by Matt Klentak may have been one of his dumbest yet. After a few rocky, disappointing seasons from former Phillies standout Nick Pivetta, Klentak decided that Pivetta would be a nice trade piece to include in exchange for relievers Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman. The result? Hembree and Workman added to the Phils' relief woes, and are now both having improved seasons in healthier environments [Cincinnati and back in Boston]. Meanwhile, Pivetta would impress over both of his starts in Beantown, with a 1.80 ERA, 13 Ks and 2 wins. As reward, Pivetta would get a spot in the 2021 rotation over fellow last-quarter favorite Tanner Houck, and would impress mightily, with 5 wins and a 3.16 ERA in 8 starts so far. I hate to say it, but being traded out of Philly may have been the best thing to happen to Nick Pivetta.

Card #237- Trent Grisham ASG, San Diego Padres

Which is similar to what I'd say for Trent Grisham. Before the 2020 season, Grisham was backing up Christian Yelich in Milwaukee, and then he gets traded for Eric Lauer and becomes a fan favorite quickly in San Diego, as the Brewers quickly run out of outfielders. Grisham's 2020 season would have made him the starting centerfielder for the NL All Star team, against all odds. Considering that Grisham is still one of the top Padres performers even in 2021, it wouldn't be too far off to see him as an All-Star in the supposed 2020 ASG.

Card #238- Tommy Milone, Atlanta Braves

We seem to have happened upon a theme of disappointing trades here. Tommy Milone got off to a decent start in Baltimore, and was being relied upon consistently as a starter for the first time since 2015. The Braves saw a rotation need in Milone, and traded two minor leaguers for him. Milone made three starts in Atlanta and his Baltimore luck did not hold, with a 14.90 ERA and 16 earned runs. Here, Milone wound up on the IL, and was not of use for the remainder of the season. Enter, of course, Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson. Milone, for the record, is healthy again, and pitching for Toronto...in a mostly-relief role.

Card #239- Guillermo Heredia, Pittsburgh Pirates

Considering what a turnaround Guillermo Heredia is having right now in Atlanta, I feel as though he may want most people to forget about his 2020 season, despite the fact that I have given him two different cards in this set, commemorating both teams he played for. You've seen the Mets one, now here's the Pirates one, the team that signed him to start the season. In 8 games in Pittsburgh, Heredia hit .188 with only 3 hits and 2 RBIs, and was injured soon after. Once he recovered, there was no room in the outfield for him, and he was promptly sent to the Mets. So yeah...thankfully he's gotten better.

Card #240- Cristian Javier, Houston Astros

I've already talked about Framber Valdez, out of the trio of homegrown young arms shaping up the Houston rotation. Now let's move onto the newer member, Cristian Javier, who burst onto the scene last year after making a few relief appearances and shifted into the rotation. In 10 starts, Javier posted a 3.68 ERA, a 5-2 record and 48 Ks, which certainly put him on everyone else's radar. He also notched 13 postseason strikeouts, and was dominant until the Rays got to him.

Card #241- Tanner Rainey, Washington Nationals

Tanner Rainey has become one of the few consistent relief options for these current Nationals teams. After having a strong year with them in 2019, World Series ring and all, Rainey took it a step higher and had a 2.66 ERA in 20 games with 32 Ks, keeping the opposing offenses at bay for a less-than-stellar Nats team. Unfortunately, Rainey has struggled so far this season comparatively.

Card #242- Brad Boxberger, Miami Marlins

Brad Boxberger did lead the league in saves in 2015, but he hasn't let that define him in recent years, and has just been focusing on being the best relief asset he can be in whatever situation he's thrust upon [Steve Cishek has a similar approach]. Last year he returned to the state where he came to glory, only for the NL-based Marlins, and performed decently in middle-relief. In 20 games he had a 3.00 ERA, and was hitless over 3.1 postseason innings. He's currently bringing similarly consistent numbers to Milwaukee and their mega-pitching staff.

Card #243- Jorge Bonifacio, Detroit Tigers

After several seasons of diminishing returns following his power-heavy 2017 debut, Jorge Bonifacio was finally cut by the Royals following the 2019 season. Luckily, he was soon picked up by the division rival Detroit Tigers in an attempt to ingratiate him into the pool of fellow youngsters. It did not work. Bonifacio hit .221 in 30 games, with 17 RBIs and his weakest WAR yet. To date, he is still a free agent. 

Next 9 on Friday. We get a hero card number, a few fun relievers, and two comeback stories that would have been great if they appeared in 2020 Topps Update.

Grish You Were Here

 

So...can the Padres win games without Eric Hosmer, Fernando Tatis, Jurickson Profar, Wil Myers, Drew Pomeranz, Keone Kela, Taylor Williams, Dan Altavilla or Adrian Morejon? I...guess we're gonna have to find out now.

The Padres have had to combat a very surprising development this year, that being the Dodgers being booted from first, and have had to adjust. Instead of fighting to squeeze into first, they're fighting to hold onto second now that the Dodgers are coming back. And with most of their core injured, it's very difficult. 

So let's at least examine who's still healthy AND consistent. And there's still a good amount of this Padres team. First of all, Trent Grisham is still very good, he's got the highest WAR on the team and can still hit for power admirably. Manny Machado, though not completely dominating the leagues as he was in April, is still hitting relatively well and leads the team in RBIs with 26. Jake Cronenworth, Victor Caratini and Austin Nola are all producing right now, and Nola had a really productive night recently. And the rotation of Darvish-Musgrove-Snell-Paddack-Lamet/Weathers is still pretty strong, though I still worry about Paddack's control and Lamet's health. 

But what worries me about the lineup is that now they're bringing in a lot of clear replacements. We have guys like Brian O'Grady, Patrick Kivlehan, Tucuptia Marcano, Ha-Seong Kim and Ivan Castillo popping into the lineup and doing their best, and considering how ironclad and complete the 2020 lineup felt, it's slightly disheartening to see this lineup so diluted by injuries, and seeing this many no-names stepping up and trying to fit in there. That's not where I thought this team would be this year, and I really hope the injuries don't last very long and don't take away too much production from what could still be a playoff team.

I didn't want the 2020 Padres playoff run to be a mistaken harbinger. I hope it isn't one.

Coming Tomorrow- Landmark power hitter for a team finally returning to glory.

Runaway Jury

[Like with  Bieber, the easy joke applies here as well]

So, the early run  wasn't exactly misleading. This isn't a bad Padres team at all. They just...happen to continue to play in  the NL  West, so it's difficult for them at times, I think.

Good news is the core hadn't disappointed. Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado, Wil Myers and post-poo-poo-break Eric Hosmer are all doing well, but it's the  supplements  to this  that are surprising me. Trent Grisham, who spent last September covering for Christian Yelich, is not not only doing better than him, but is also doing better  than Eric Lauer, who he was traded for. He's not perfect, and he strikes out a little too much, but he's got good hits and RBI numbers so far, and is fitting  right into this  lineup like he honestly couldn't in Milwaukee.

You also have Jake Cronenworth as a variable. Cronenworth started some games in place of Hosmer, and got off to an exceptional start, hitting .325 with  2 homers in  14 games, which  isn't bad. He's also one of two Padres with a OPS of over 1, the other being Tatis. It's nice to have young  players that are compatible  with the  crux of the lineup. You can't get that everywhere.

The rotation is...shakier, but still good. Lucchesi got sent down, and Chris Paddack isn't as sharp as last season, but  Garrett Richards, Dinelson Lamet and Zach Davies have all been great. Lamet particularly is having his strongest  season yet, proving that last year's decent stuff in August was just a prelude. And though it's sad that Kirby Yates doesn't have his  A material this year, having Matt Strahm, Pierce Johnson and Drew Pomeranz excelling in  relief certainly helps matters.

A few elements need fixing, like  the bullpen and some lineup parts, but this is a better Padres team than any recent one, and I'm glad they're all gelling well.

Coming Tomorrow- Catcher for a team currently getting  shut down by Gerrit Cole.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: Brewers

Aside from Christian Yelich, this is quite an okay showing from a team that seemed so powerful in 2018. Good news is that by the end of the year, you could see the 2020 team beginning to form, with Keston Hiura and Adrian Houser getting more playing time, and Travis Shaw beginning to be phased out.

Shaw's fall was sad, after he'd seemed so in control of the team in the past few years, but after Yelich usurped that position, there was nothing left for Shaw to do but hit .157 and get demoted.
Why Him in 2019?: His demotion paved the way for the great Keston Hiura.
2020 Prediction: Will get signed...but as a backup.

 After the loss of Jhoulys Chacin, Adrian Houser proved to be a smart rotation asset, as he posted a 3.72 ERA, with 118 strikeouts, 84 of which came from starting.
Why Him in 2019?: Proof that the pitching well that gave Freddy Peralta and Corbin Burnes could also bring up someone competent as a starter
2020 Prediction: A maximized starting role, and a lot more peak innings in the wake of Davies' departure.

 After leaving the Brewers for the Bronx, only for that to not pan out, Gio Gonzalez came back to Milwaukee and returned to his old self, with a 3.50 ERA in 17 starts, and 78 strikeouts.
Why Him in 2019?: He was a veteran rotation presence that Jhoulys Chacin couldn't supply.
2020 Prediction: He'll be a solid 5th-starter somewhere. Perhaps Minnesota?

 2019 was a rocky season for Hernan Perez, who was DFA'd at one point only to stay with the team. After Hiura's injury, Perez got some appearances in the infield, and still pulled 18 RBIs.
Why Him in 2019?: Proved he could still be of use in a changing Brewers infield.
2020 Prediction: Will be a bench presence somewhere, potentially a postseason threat.

 Perhaps the biggest bench surprise on this team came from Ben Gamel, an outfield bat who'd come over from Seattle in a trade. Gamel hit .248 off the bench, with 7 homers and 33 RBIs.
Why Him in 2019?: Positive bench energy from a team with Travis Shaw, Cory Spangenberg and Hernan Perez all struggling in bench roles.
2020 Prediction: With Ryan Braun promising to play more at 1st, Gamel will get more outfield starts, and will have a more consistent, contact-friendly year.

 After Yelich got injured, the Brewers turned to Trent Grisham to fill his shoes. It was tricky, and Grisham had a very well-reported blunder in the outfield, but he still notched 24 RBIs in 51 games.
Why Him in 2019?: His time replacing Yelich may have been the factor that prevented the Brewers from going further into the playoffs.
2020 Prediction: Well, he just lost a lot of playing time to Tommy Pham, so he'll do what he can in a bench role in San Diego.

Perhaps the most impressive trade deadline move in retrospect was the Brewers' move to reunite with Jordan Lyles. As a reliever he gave them momentum in 2018, but as a starter? He gave them some rare rotation stability. In 11 starts, he had 7 wins and a 2.45 ERA, and 56 strikeouts. He also had the lowest WHIP of all the Milwaukee starters, with a 1.108.
Why Him in 2019?: Lyles outdid even his Pittsburgh numbers and proved he was for real as a starter.
2020 Prediction: Lyles might be a smart under-the-radar signing for anyone who needs pitching help. If Chicago or Anaheim lose the sweepstakes for Cole or Stras, they should nab him.

Coming Tomorrow- [loud sigh] The Cardinals team that edged out the Braves in the playoffs, only to get trounced upon by Washington.

On the Intriguing Brewers-Padres Multi-Man Trade

Funny, I was just talking about the Brewers and Padres' new uniforms, and now they're doing business together.

The interesting part of this deal is that it comes on the heels of an initial move between these teams- Drew Pomeranz, who finished the season in relief for Milwaukee, signs with San Diego. And then this swap happens, and it just looks like Pomeranz was just involved in the trade. It was just cleanly executed.

The actual deal is, on paper, kind of a simple one- mid-tier starters traded for each other, Zach Davies for Eric Lauer. And rookie-level position players that don't have a spot in the 2020 picture traded for each other, Trent Grisham for Luis Urias. Both teams are kinda even at the end of the day, and no team feels like they're fleecing the other.

Honestly, the biggest piece of this deal, at least to me, is Zach Davies. Dude's been a solid starter for Milwaukee since before the come-up, and had a pretty good season in 2019, with a 3.55 ERA and 10 wins. I definitely foresee Davies becoming a big SD pitching asset, right there with Chris Paddack. Lauer will probably be a lower-key rotation guy for Milwaukee, and I'm guessing they're gonna make a major free agent move in that department.

The intriguing stuff is in the other two guys. Luis Urias is a high-caliber defensive performer, and can definitely be an upgrade from Orlando Arcia, who...might be finding his way to a bench spot. Urias does concern me in that he hasn't been hitting extremely well of late, but his fielding numbers are a lot better, and he had a 1.0 WAR in 71 games, which is...something.

And then there's Lewis Grisham, who was a great replacement for Yelich towards the end of the season, despite a defensive blooper costing the Brewers a crucial game. Grisham could factor into the Padres' outfield, despite a chance for Taylor Trammell to get in on the chase. It's looking like Wil Myers, Manny Margot and Hunter Renfroe are the main players for that outfield, but seeing as none hit over .250 last year, a shuffle may be in the mix. So having Grisham as a steady young option could definitely help.

I'm kinda surprised as to how well all of this fit together, and am very impressed at both GMs who pulled this off. Padres might have gotten the best pitcher, but Brewers got the best lineup piece.