Mostly a yawner until the Zach Greinke trade. Nonetheless, here we go.
The Twins did well. Not great, but well. Sergio Romo and Sam Dyson create depth that did not exist. Closer Taylor Rogers and late inning men Ryne Harper and Mike Morin now have plenty of help holding leads from the sixth inning forward. Minnesota will have their hands full during the Dog Days as Cleveland continues their slow chug for first in the A.L. Central. Mr. Romo was swapped for two minor leaguers. One is interesting. Lewin Diaz, 22, lefty first baseman in AA. Mr. Diaz has a cumulative power line of 55/249 accompanied with a recently developed sense of hitting for the sake of batting average and obp. A rare quality choice by Miami scouts and administration. Mr. Dyson was traded for three minor leaguers. A tad excessive given the fact that Mr. Dyson finally became a quality bullpen guy in 2018. Of the three, Jaylin Davis is, sadly, the only one worth a look. Mr. Davis is in year three of development. Currently at AAA he is a right fielder with pop. I grant Mr. Davis a visit to San Francisco prior to season’s end.
L.A. acquiring Tyler White is a solid late inning addition. Mr. White is an above average defensive first baseman. Unfortunately, his bat does not follow his glove. Andre Scrubb is Houston bound. A fine choice less a slight bb problem, but I’m sure Houston’s AAA coaching staff will fix that concern. Mr. Scrubb, either a closer or eighth inning man (you choose), has a lifetime line of 2.37/1.25.
Initially when the Mets traded for Marcus Stroman, I assumed Noah Snydergaard was long gone. Instead the Mets hold steady and strengthen their starting pitching staff. With these two and Jacob deGrom, a late wild card charge by the Mets is not out of the question regardless of management.
Hats off to Tampa. A round of applause coupled with fireworks, please. Eric Sogard makes injury much more manageable. Mr. Sogard plays most anywhere. Jesus Aguilar brings his substantial power and deft glove to first base. Next, Tampa adds Trevor Richards (a perfect fit for a #5 starter) and Nick Anderson in the bullpen. At the time of the trade, Mr. Anderson led the lowly Miami bullpen in ip (43 2/3) while sporting a whip of 1.28. Upon hearing the trade, rumor insists that Ryne Stanek, the Miami bound victim, screamed, “Kansas City! Please send me to K.C.! Hell, I’ll go to Baltimore!”
Speaking of screaming, why did Milwaukee trade for the likes of Jordan Lyles, Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black? Would a decent Broadway show give the Three Stooges starring roles? S.F. receives Mauricio Dubon. A quality shortstop who can hit and steal. Mr. Dubon likely sets up shop in San Francisco immediately. Cody Ponce was the exchangee (new word) for Mr. Lyles. He’s a righty starter with a cumulative line of 3.72/1.25. He is currently in AA. A nice choice by Pittsburgh.
Corey Dickerson moves from one end of Pennsylvania to the other. He definitely helps the Phillies. Mr. Dickerson is a classic under-the-radar player. As for the player to be named later, betcha’ he’s a 19 year old in rookie ball. As for the Phils trading for Jason Vargas . . . why? I loved the Mets demanding Austin Bossart. He is a 24 year old platoon catcher who cannot hit, but, depending upon which of his minor league seasons, throws out 35% to 46% of baserunners. So there.
Atlanta takes Chris Martin (I”m not a fan) and Shane Greene (I’m a fan). Kolby Allard goes to Texas. In three years of minor league ball, Mr. Allard went from rookie ball to AAA. He didn’t play, he visited. Impressive numbers puts him on the hill in Texas this season. Joey Wentz goes to Detroit. Year three finds him in AA. He is progressing well. Given the Tigers need for mound help, he pitches in the bigs in 2020.
Tanner Roark eats innings and doesn’t walk batters. He helps Oakland stay in the A.L. wild card hunt.
Martin Maldonado to Houston was a dumb move by Theo. Do not trade quality defensive catching to upgrade the rest of the defense. Cubs pitchers are not happy. Houston pitchers are quite pleased. Tony Kemp will do his usual 2b/ss/cf rotation in late innings for the Cubs. Joining Tony Kemp in Chicago is Nick Castellanos. Imagine his joy as he leaves one team that was 32.5 games out of first place to join a team 1 game out and in the thick of division and wild card consideration. Life is good.
The Nationals rivaled Milwaukee in “You did what?” land. Daniel Hudson makes sense. Roenis Elias does not. Neither does Hunter Strickland who has thrown 3 1/3 ip the entire season.
Cleveland did well. Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes add significant pop to the middle of the Indians lineup. Well done. Logan Allen pitches in Cleveland no later than next year. He was my #1 rated pitcher in the Padres organization. The Padres receive the much ballyhooed Taylor Trammel who has struggled this year in AA. Why the collective excitement of baseball mavens over Mr. Trammel? Finally, Trevor Bauer can now throw baseballs into the Ohio River while pitching for the Reds.
The Zach Greinke deal almost seals the deal for the Astros to appear in the World Series. I know games must be played, but once the playoffs and three man rotations begin, beating Mr. Greinke, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole is a tall order. The Snakes chose well from Houston. Seth Beer, a first baseman and outfielder, in two years has a line of .307/.401 with 37/128. Josh Rojas is a middle infielder with gap power and base stealing know how (70 bags in 3 years). Of the two pitchers selected, Corbin Martin likely takes the mound in Phoenix this year.
Enjoy the Dog Days. Best baseball ever.
tipmypitch 