2 DHs, 1 Bay

 

So, from what I can gather, here's what the Giants are going for with Rafael Devers, at least until Chapman gets back. Either Devers gets DH, and Smith and Schmitt take the corners, or Devers takes first, Flores takes DH and Schmitt takes third, OR Devers takes third, Smith takes 1st and Flores DHs. I think the object is both to ensure Devers feels he's being valued for his flexibility rather than doing what the teams wants, and to ensure that Wilmer Flores doesn't have to play the infield. But I see the point of keeping both Devers and Flores in the lineup. Because Rafael Devers is one of the best hitters in the game so far, and because Wilmer Flores has 51 RBIs and is theoretically on the way to his first-ever 100 RBI season. 

That's been wild, by the way. Earlier this year, Flores was leading the league, for a week or so, in RBIs. He's come back down a little, evened out, but those 51 RBIs still look very good, and are the most of anyone on the team. After years of utility work in Queens, Flores has become a pure production guy, and has been an integral part of the last few Giants teams. I don't think getting Devers means he's not good at his job, it just means when you have an opportunity to get Rafael Devers, you take it and then move things around. Devers, at last, is someone the Giants can build a team around, more than Yaz or Chapman or Adames, and now they're heading after the Dodgers with a great year from a happier Devers, a Cy Young-contending comeback season from Robbie Ray, and the return of Justin Verlander.

I mean this sincerely when I say the things that the Giants have that are a little wonky or imperfect are part of their charm. Having 42-year-old Verlander out there, still yet to get a win [as I write this], but still giving it his all. Relying on guys like Flores and Dominic Smith and Tyler Rogers. The Dodgers may have all that money but it bought them like 9 guys who are hurt. Matt Chapman gets hurt for a couple weeks but that's it. Nobody else is so injured that it's wounded the team, at least not yet. And the sort of cobbled-together, dogeared roster this team has is very fun to watch, especially as an underdog. The Dodgers are expected to win, the Padres were expected to compete, but the Giants have gotten great years out of Heliot Ramos, Logan Webb, Jung Hoo Lee and Camilo Doval, and they don't seem to be done yet.

The one issue is that without Hicks and Harrison, the Giants suddenly need to rethink their rotation strategy. They're now forced to do Webb-Ray-Birdsong-Roupp-Verlander, and...I think this will work? Roupp has had some good starts but his ERA is teetering over 4. Birdsong is becoming a great MLB pitcher but is this the best time to be trying him out? Who's even the next-nearest option? Mason Black? Is that a good idea? They have to see if this works, and it's a very dire time to be testing out a new rotation, because if it doesn't work they slip past the Padres and lose the momentum. 

Having Devers is nice, but they need everybody to be on board and keep pounding away. I think it's possible, but we're gonna see how much they're willing to produce.

Coming Tonight: It's kinda nice he's kept the starting catching job after all these years I guess.

Cornering Wilmer

 There are some alternate histories I think about in accordance with baseball. You know, we've had some good ones recently, like 'what if Dexter Fowler's Orioles deal goes through prior to the 2016 season', 'what if Johnny Cueto approves the Diamondbacks deal and Greinke has to sign elsewhere', 'what if the Yankees sign Strasburg in 2020 and have to eat that contract' or 'what if MadBum never takes up quadding'. But there's an intriguing one I've always thought about, and it involves Wilmer Flores.

In 2015, the New York Mets have a plan on the table to trade for Carlos Gomez, who's having another great season in Milwaukee. Gomez would have been a huge piece at CF for the Mets, and could have been part of the Championship team. Plus, knowing what we know now about how Gomez did in Houston, perhaps the Mets could have been a better fit. But, of course, we'll never know, because the deal never happens, the Mets trade for Yoenis Cespedes instead and go to the World Series.

Crucially, the deal's dissolution was due to concerns the Brewers had with one of the pieces they'd be receiving, namely Zack Wheeler, who was still rehabbing from Tommy John [and as we know contemporarily, giving him 2 years to rehab ensured he could excel upon his return]. But the part that everyone remembers, especially Mets fans, concerns the other piece of the deal that would be heading to the Brewers. It was shortstop/middle infield piece Wilmer Flores, and in the midst of one of the last games before the deadline, Flores, very much aware of the trade, began to shed real tears for his departure for the team that primed him into what he was. He'd had an opportunity to start with the Mets, and was on the verge of helping a team make the playoffs--his palpable sadness was seen the league over.

And then the part everyone remembers; the deal's off, Flores stays a Met, and then immediately hits a walk-off home run for his team to thank them for keeping him around. Even though Flores has played for different teams since, that moment in mid-2015 might be his biggest claim to fame.

Though as it happens, Flores has completely reinvented himself as a member of the Giants. Instead of being a speedy little middle infield guy, Flores is now a corner bat who's been deadly off the bench. The Giants have worked it so that both LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores are prime corner infield options with killer power perks. Flores actually leads the Giants in home runs with 18, which, while it does make sense for a team that's had Pederson, Conforto, Yaz and Haniger all either injured or slumping at different points, is still a cool outcome. I mean, there's three hard-hitting ex-Mets on this team, and I don't think Flores would have been anyone's first choice as to who'd hit better this year, but Flores has 46 RBIs and a .304 average. And he's doing most of this as either a DH or bench guy, as Wade seems to still be the starting guy.

There's been a lot of twists and turns to this Giants team that I've been pleasantly surprised by, Wilmer included. We also have Patrick Bailey coming from out of nowhere to become the catching replacement for Posey the team's been looking for, Alex Cobb having a comeback year when no one expected him to, both Rogers brothers bringing out the best in each other, Thairo Estrada cementing his status as starter, and now Paul deJong going from DFA'd to a 2-homer game against the Phils. 

Even if the hardest series' of the season are ahead, with games against the Braves, Reds, Padres and Cubs on the way, the Giants are still looking very good, and this Kaplerball is definitely paying off, even in a year with a definitive ace, a definitive closer and consistent hitting. This week will be their biggest test, and it'll be interesting to see how they look afterwards.

Coming Tomorrow- Getting traded to the Rays by the Astros is a lot like trading in a Hummer for a Tesla. Try as you might, you're gonna get consequences anyway.

ARGH [or, Jordan is Pissed About the Giants Right Now]

 

ARGHARGHARGHARGHARGHARGH.

The Giants...were hurtling downward. That was what they were doing. They were coming off a 7 game losing streak, had completely eliminated themselves from the playoff race, had injuries to Brandon Belt and Alex Wood, and had erased a great deal of the goodwill the team has in 2021. 

So doing a series against the Phillies, who were doing really well and had a good playoff position...well, it was a no-brainer, right? The Giants would continue their descent downward and the Phillies would actually do what they're fricking supposed to, right?

...I'm so damned tired of this, guys. 

Look, I knew we were gonna have to fight for one of the three, whichever one Carlos Rodon started, but that one was actually looking pretty decent until David Robertson blew a save, which...he wasn't doing that in Chicago, and I genuinely think this bullpen is cursed. But getting ANNIHILATED in that first game, with only 1 run to show for ourselves? Against a team that couldn't even muster wins against the Diamondbacks earlier? 

Now, going more in depth on the Giants, you'll find that most of the big losses the team has taken recently have come at the expense of division rivals. They've dropped some to the D-Backs, yes, but 13 of their losses since the All-Star break have come at the hands of the Dodgers or Padres. The fact of the matter is that the Giants are still the third-best team in the division, and they just can't get past their two rivals for the division. 

But this Phillies series is confirming that the Giants can do alright against most other teams. Rodon and Cobb were their biggest weapons, shutting down the Phils for the most part. Wilmer Flores, who's had a nice season as an offensive piece, struck the fatal blow yesterday in the ninth. Joc Pederson has 21 homers and is going for a 25 season. Evan Longoria is actually healthy and doing well. There are plusses, and this isn't a terrible team. But their inability to get past the Dodgers or Padres have made them unfit for postseason play, and have made them the less favorable team in battles like these, even if they can win them.

As salty as I am about the Giants sweeping the Phils, I fear not. The Giants have to play the Dodgers next. 

Coming Tonight: One of the best defensive players in baseball, on the hunt for a playoff spot.

Division Series: Check, Please

 

With a matchup this damned tight, it was always going to come down to a photo finish.

The Dodgers and Giants, the whole season, were so evenly matched that just calling them a wild card and a division leader did them both a disservice. The Dodgers may have won the wild card, but they still won 100 games. The Giants may have had the best record in the West, but they co-owned that division with LA. It's the kind of tight finish that is probably going to lead to Rob Manfred expanding the playoffs next year, for similar cases that won't be as deserving as this one [it's the equivalent of the Oscars making a Best Animated Feature category to appease fans of Chicken Run, and giving it to Shrek]. 

So, Giants-Dodgers coming down to a battle of pitchers, a battle of 1-run moves, and a single check swing? Yeah. That makes sense.

I was honestly rooting for the Giants, as they had the longer playoff drought and had the better regular season, but the Dodgers always felt like they could win anyway by force of payroll and roster. Their biggest indicator of status this season came when Trevor Bauer was suspended and the Dodgers just shrugged their shoulders and traded for Max Scherzer, like nothing had even happened. They can rebound from things that would wound a normal team, like coming in second, or being in elimination position at the hand of the best team in the NL. The odds are gonna be stacked in their favor, so bringing out Julio Urias and Max Scherzer in later innings is just...something the Dodgers can just do. They're the best, they can do these things.

And regardless of whether or not Flores checked his swing, which...I honestly think the umps did him dirty on, the Giants had lost the momentum, and were about to quietly lose a tense, close game to the Dodgers. Something like the Flores move puts an exclamation point on the game, and the season, sort of like Willie McCovey missing the catch in '62. It's not just a loss, we were robbed! And it's how Giants fans operate. Barry Bonds is a Hall of Famer, can't you see the stats? Willie Mays is the greatest, Hank who? They see the exclamation point and disregard the truth. The truth is that the Dodgers were never going to be stopped, because they're the Dodgers. 

Dodgers-Braves, unless I'm mistaken, is gonna end similarly. The Dodgers have all the cheat codes, the Braves are now missing another outfielder. I want to be wrong, I want the Braves to upset and make it to a World Series for the first time in 22 years...but the Dodgers have so much on their side right now.

In a very boring postseason schematic, Braves-Sox is the only hope of something fairly interesting. I don't know if that's what we're gonna get, but...wouldn't it be cool?

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Giants (Part One)

 

Gabe Kapler came within inches of the postseason in his first season with the Giants, further than he ever got with Philadelphia. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

This was a shifting, very different Giants team that finally learned to prioritize youth, and players beyond the old guard of the World Series teams. Buster Posey was not around this year, and in his place, Mike Yastrzemski stood guard as the MVP candidate. 

At least Evan Longoria stayed mostly healthy in 2020, hitting .254 in 53 games, with 49 hits and 28 RBIs. Longo seems to have moved on from his league-leading abilities, and has mellowed into simply just a strong, consistent everyday player. I do think his Giants stats are gonna hurt his HOF chances, but he's still a great player.

2021 Prediction: Back to his trend of getting injured right when things get good.

Meanwhile, a season after only coming alive for an 8-RBI game last year, Brandon Crawford went right back to being one of the best hitting shortstops in baseball, with 8 home runs and 28 RBIs, and 1.2 WAR. Dude is still one of the better perennial performers of this Giants squad, and they're lucky to still have him.

2021 Prediction: Another ASG nod, more of his power hitting, and some playoff numbers [!!]

It's not a stretch to say that the Giants haven't gotten the most out of their contract with Johnny Cueto. After a scorching 2016, Cueto was hampered by injuries for the following three seasons. Now that we finally had a full, healthy picture of Cueto again...it's clear he's not the same flamethrower he was back in the day. Cueto posted a 5.40 ERA, with 56 strikeouts in 12 games. While he's still a reliable starter, he's...not the guy the Giants signed up for after the 2015 postseason.

2021 Prediction: Cueto will spend the last year of his contract improving to a 4 ERA and restoring some of his goodwill, but thanks to Kevin Gausman, he won't be the ace of the rotation.

Speaking of Gausman, how about his comeback year? After bottoming out with Atlanta last year, Gausman returned to form after the Giants [riskily] handed him a started gig, and had a 3.62 ERA in 10 starts with 49 strikeouts, a more normal year for the former Orioles strikeout artist. Even still, the Giants picked up his qualifying offer and are sticking with him for one more year.

2021 Prediction: 15 wins, Cy Young votes, the whole shebang.

After losing second base to Donovan Solano, Mauricio Dubon instead took some time in the outfield this season and stayed sharp at the plate. Dubon hit .274 with 43 hits and 18 RBIs. Not to the caliber of his 2019 come-up, but a progressive development for the former Brewers prospect.

2021 Prediction: Fuller look at his material, more home runs, more contact work, and more of a sense that he'll be around for a while.

After a nice year as an infield bench piece for Arizona last year, Wilmer Flores played a similar role for the Giants, playing 1st and 2nd but primarily acting as the team's designated hitter. The good plate mojo continued for Flores, leading the team with 12 home runs and also notching 35 RBIs.

2021 Prediction: If the DH stays a thing in 2021, the Giants will definitely know what to do with Flores. If not, expect him to return to a bench role.

And after coming into the 2019 season like a freight train, Alex Dickerson took a small step back while still producing hits this year. Dickerson's .298 season included 10 homers and 27 RBIs, still a great deal by any means.

2021 Prediction: Slightly less of a contact year, but one that will still be helpful to what will probably become a playoff attempt for the Giants.

Tonight, the members of this Giants team that weren't in the Opening Day lineup or rotation.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: Diamondbacks

Interesting year for the Diamondbacks.

They didn't come especially close to playoff contention. They had a few setbacks that shedded them of some of the people that made their 2018 season an exciting one. But...this was still a pretty entertaining team. The new core of Eduardo Escobar and Ketel Marte is pretty awesome, and Robbie Ray is still a tight strikeout artist.

Jarrod Dyson was also pretty sharp this year, with 92 hits in 130 games, and a team-high 30 stolen bases. He was a little weaker than he's been in years past, and his numbers are very much like his backup numbers from the Royals teams, but he's still a solid asset.
Why Him in 2019?: Led the team in stolen bases while everyone else was busy hitting .240
2020 Prediction: Someone will sign him...but not likely as a starter.

 Jake Lamb made his comeback due to injury this year, but...oh man, he's not the same. He hit .193 this year in 78 games, with only 30 RBIs. Not sure what else the team can do with him.
Why Him in 2019?: Made the D-Backs realize how crucial Eduardo Escobar was to the team.
2020 Prediction: Will be released midway through the year.

 A slightly happier story was that of Wilmer Flores, former Mets infielder who fought valiantly for a starting spot in Arizona, eventually splitting 2nd base with Ketel Marte. Flores did pretty well this year, with 84 hits in 89 games, and a .317 average.
Why Him in 2019?: Proved his worth as a utility man in the wake of Marte's rise.
2020 Prediction: More utility work, but on another club. Hell, maybe the Mets re-sign him.

 Probably one of the more impressive non-Greinke feats of the first half was the rise of Luke Weaver, who was coming off a muddied 2018. Weaver only pitched 12 games due to injury, but had a 2.94 ERA with 69 strikeouts, so his stuff is still sharp outside of St. Louis
Why Him in 2019?: His ability gave the team hope, but his injury, and Greinke's departure, doomed them.
2020 Prediction: A more consistent, healthy year, and some numbers that may goad the team into trading Robbie Ray

 Merrill Kelly's season was, in my opinion, a disappointment. After seeing Eric Thames and Miles Mikolas flourish after seasons abroad, I'd hoped that Merrill Kelly would follow suit, and to see him only post okay numbers, like a 4.42 ERA and a 13-14 ratio, was a little disheartening. His 158 strikeouts wasn't bad, though.
Why Him in 2019?: Started the most games for the team.
2020 Prediction: Either his ERA falls and he gets his stuff together, or it rises and the team gives up on him.

 Alex Young's call-up was an impressive way of coping with Greinke's loss, as Young went 7-5 in 17 games, and had a 3.56 ERA. He's a pretty durable middle-of-the-rotation guy, but once Leake and Gallen came in, there wasn't much room left for him.
Why Him in 2019?: Bridged the team between two polar-opposite climates for the rotation.
2020 Prediction: Not an initial member of the rotation, but will make some crucial starts down the stretch, or potentially be included in a trade deal.

 As far as bench players go, Ildemaro Vargas was an amusing one, taking some time in the infield and hitting .269, including some clutch moments.
Why Him in 2019?: Middle infield stability for a team losing its once-famous youth infield core.
2020 Prediction: Will back up Marte, and have some strong moments off the bench before a trade makes him a starter somewhere else.

 Alex Avila was supposed to be the starting catcher in AZ this year, and his early April numbers, with a .333 average and 5 RBIs, seemed to foreshadow a great season. Injuries limited his playing time, and some paltry months at the plate depleted his average.
Why Him in 2019?: Without his injury, Carson Kelly never becomes a trusted starter.
2020 Prediction: Will have some ample playing time in Minneapolis, but will slowly lose some to La Tortuga.

 Jon Duplantier was one of Topps' favorite rookie subjects of 2019, solely because he came up in April and had one or two amusing moments then. After April, though, he's not really a factor in this season. Eventually a move to the bullpen makes him a bit more useful, but overall he's mostly a footnote in this season.
Why Him in 2019?: His April appearances were unhittable. Then May started.
2020 Prediction: Teams up with Yoan Lopez and Junior Guerra to form an impressive bullpen platoon.

 Archie Bradley's years have formed an arc- at the start of every year, the organization swears they won't use him as a closer, sign a free agent, and use Bradley in middle relief where he excels. Then the free agent fails miserably, is released, and Bradley ends the year as closer. It happens every year, and this year was no exception, taking over for Greg Holland and getting 18 saves out of it.
Why Him in 2019?: Better or worse, he's still the D-Backs closer, and he still gets the job done.
2020 Prediction: A complete year at closer, and 30 saves come with it.

After the Greinke deal happened, the D-Backs made two more pitching moves, and got Mike Leake and Zac Gallen. Everyone thought Leake would go right into ace form, and it ended up being Gallen that excelled for them. Leake was a bit more disappointing, posting a 4.35 ERA in 10 games, with only 27 strikeouts.
Why Him in 2019?: He was a high-profile trade that did his best amidst the circumstances.
2020 Prediction: Back to his consistency, and more dominance. He'll probably take the lead once Ray gets traded.

Coming Tomorrow- There's gonna be a lot of customs, so I may split the post, but...the Dodgers team that should have won a World Series...and was stopped by a team that did.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: Mets

So...despite the fact that the Mets are rapidly trying to put the 2018 season behind them by dealing like MAD this offseason, the Mets' '18 season wasn't entirely bad. True, it had a bad ending, but for the most part, the Mets were able to hang in there and pop back into the race when it was most unfortunate (for Philly).

The rise of Amed Rosario was a sharp factor in the Mets' September rise. He's a power hitter who, despite high strikeouts, can hold his own in a lineup of similar hitters. With the loss of several veteran big guns this year, and even with Cano's addition, expect Rosario to make a front-and-center splash for the Mets in 2019.

 Though Michael Conforto's season wasn't near as good as his 2017, thanks in part to a much lower average. He still hit 28 home runs, which was a team high, and will probably be relied upon as a marquee star for the Mets from here on out, but he's far from Mr. Perfect.

 Steven Matz, of the core four young pitchers in Queens (who managed to stick around), may have given the weakest performance, thanks to a 5-11 record, but he can still throw strikes, and though 152 strikeouts is low compared to Thor and deGrom, it's the kind of SO numbers that the Padres would wish for.

 Jay Bruce had his weakest season to date, marred by injuries and some increasingly poor at-bats. After a 2017 year where he powered the Indians through September, this was especially disappointing. Bruce is a fantastic player, and hopefully this isn't the norm for him, but...the Mariners will have to wait and see who they get.

 Wilmer Flores, 3 years after weeping his way out of a trade, finally played his last game in New York, though not before essentially taking over at 1st base, hitting over 100 hits for the first time since 2015, and hitting his lowest amount of strikeouts since becoming a regular member of the team. Hopefully wherever he lands will treat him as well as the Mets have.

 Austin Jackson began the season with the Giants, was traded, along with Cory Gearrin, to the Rangers as part of a deal that would be nullified once both players would end up being traded or DFA'd anyway. Jackson wound up as an emergency outfield fill-in, and he did fairly well for himself, with 49 hits in 57 games, a .250 average, and some uniformly nice defensive outfield.

 This season did mark an end for two Mets legends. Jose Reyes' end is a little less concrete, as he potentially COULD sign somewhere in 2019, but after a 2018 where he batted just .189 in 110 games, only getting 43 hits...any signing would be resting on mythology rather than present talent. If this is the end for Jose, at least he got to end it in Queens, alongside his frequent collaborator...

David Wright. He only needed 2 games to make a final statement in Queens...and he didn't get a hit in either of them. But he mainly wanted to come back to Citifield to say goodbye to the fans that had adored him so much. The guy lost some prime years to injuries, as well as possibly risking his HOF case, but he's more than beloved in New York, and he's a team Hall of Famer for sure. I'm glad he got a fair sendoff, and I hope the Mets can find a captain as worthy, and as well-rounded, as Wright.

Coming Tomorrow- They came very close at the end, but ultimately they couldn't even make it all the way in Bryce Harper's last year on the team.

Vanishing Mets

Granderson, Duda, Walker, Reed and Rene Rivera are gone. Harvey, Thor, Wright, Reyes, Lugo, Wheeler, Matz and TJ Rivera are injured.

...what exactly does that leave for the Mets?

It's funny. Earlier this season, I was worried that there were too many outfielders, and now there's not enough. The Mets' decline has robbed the team of leadership, purpose, and most of the 2015 squad.

So what's left? Michael Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes, Jacob deGrom, Wilmer Flores, and pretty much nobody else that's relevant. I understand that they're trying to build up the youth movement, by throwing Gavin Cecchini, Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith into the mix. It's...sort of working? Like, it's hard to tell, because really nobody's left right now. The Mets don't have a ton to work with, in terms of pitching, the lineup, everything. It's a barren team, and right now they're just pushing people that might not be ready into positions.

I don't think this is gonna end well standings-wise, but at least Cespedes and Conforto are doing well.

Coming Tomorrow- A hard-hitting infielder for a team who...MIGHT have a postseason shot? MIGHT?

Uncustomed Heroes of 2016: Mets

The 2016 Mets were...not exactly the 2015 Mets. The year was a bit more injury-laden, and the pitching staff didn't completely stay afloat, but they still made it to 2nd place in the division and cracked the Wild Card game.

James Loney took over for an injured Lucas Duda as the first baseman, and did a great job, having one of his best seasons since his tenure in Los Angeles. He might not be back next year, but he could get a starting gig somewhere that needs him.

Wilmer Flores had his second straight season of being a pretty nice infield spare part, batting when he could, and covering for Asdrubal Cabrera in his numerous DL visits. He's still a nice option, and might be in use slightly more as Jose Reyes potentially moves to the outfield in 2017.

Lucas Duda has a nice start...got injured, and tried his best to recover after he got back late in the season. I doubt he's done making progress in New York, and will be a lot better with a healthy season. He's a home run hitter by trade, but he's a nice enough first baseman. The Mets are lucky to have him.

Coming Tomorrow- The NL East-winning Nationals...that failed to win anything else (again).

Examining (Rather Prematurely) the Playoff Picture

We've got a couple weeks left until the end of the season, but the playoff situation has been clear for a while now. Divisions have been snapped up, and there's no real way that any of them are gonna be missing out on anything, so this post is mainly gonna be about how the division champs are going to shape the playoffs. Because we don't know anything about the Wild Cards right now, as the picture is changing every day. So let's go over what we do know.

In the AL, the two teams that are definitely going to the playoffs are the Astros and the Royals. The Royals are so far ahead in their division that it's barely even close. The Astros I am going to be a little worried about, as they're only two games ahead of the Rangers, and really need to start winning again if they want to cement a playoff spot.

In the AL East, it's looking like the Blue Jays have it, but the Yankees are a few games out. They're both currently in a series that could determine who takes the lead in the division, and the Yanks, as they do, blew the first game. There's a double-header today, and hopefully good things will happen, however the Jays are strong right now, and are the favorites for the division title. The Yankees, while still good, lost steam at the wrong time, and are now facing a potential wild card spot, which, even if they win, would put them at fourth seed and make them face the Royals in the first round of the playoffs, which absolutely NO ONE wants to do.

So if they go in with the Royals, Jays and Astros, it'll probably end up with the Royals as the first seed, followed by the Jays and the Astros. Which means the Royals will have the most power, and the Blue Jays would have to play the Astros, which I don't see would be a problem for the Jays. Wild Card is probably going to be Yankees vs. Rangers, though the Angels and Twins are very close in the race. Which is very nice, because I'd love to see another Yankees-Twins battle, because we'd totally win.

And then there's the NL. Unlike the AL, everybody in the NL has their shit together, and there aren't any question marks running around. The Mets, Cardinals and Dodgers have taken their divisions, by a landslide, and the Pirates and Cubs locked in those Wild Card spots around July. You know the Pirates and Cubs are amazing right now when they both have more wins than the other two division's current leaders.

The only frustrating thing about this NL picture is that, in a Pirates-Cubs Wild Card matchup, somebody has to win. And somebody has to go home. Which sucks, because both teams are amazing.  I have no idea what would happen there, and I really don't want to think about it until it happens.

In terms of seeding, as it is now, it'd be Cardinals-WC, which is also heartbreaking, and Dodgers-Mets, which is a decent matchup but could be very tough to call. Really depends on who's hot.

Look, these are just preliminary, which means they could change drastically over the next few weeks. But as it stands right now, if the dominoes fall the right way, we're looking at either a Mets-Royals series or a Cardinals-BlueJays series. And you know which one I'd rather have.