The Opener: Draft Pick Signings, Robertson, Twins
On the heels of an exciting All-Star game, here are three things to keep an eye on around the baseball world while the league is on break:
1. Draft pick signings:
This year’s iteration of the MLB draft wrapped up earlier this week, and that means it’s time for clubs around the league to work on signing their picks. The Mariners have reportedly already reached an agreement with third-overall pick Kade Anderson, and several reports of lower-level pick signings have begun to emerge as well. Teams figure to spend the next few weeks hard at work to sign their drafted players, as the deadline to strike a deal with members of this year’s class is on July 28. Teams aren’t just negotiating with players they drafted, however. Undrafted free agents have also begun signing, with 22 of the league’s 30 teams having already signed at least one such player according to Baseball America.
2. Will Robertson sign somewhere?
It’s not often that big league-caliber free agents of note remain unsigned into July, but that’s exactly the situation closer David Robertson has found himself in. After not signing during an offseason where he held firm on his asking price, Robertson has begun throwing for teams and is getting recent interest from multiple clubs. Robertson could be an attractive addition to a contending club looking for bullpen help given that he would cost nothing but money, though missing the first half of the season could come with consequences in terms of his performance. Still, bringing in a player with a career 2.91 ERA and 177 saves across 16 years in the majors without having to surrender prospect capital in trade could be a very attractive option for some clubs in contention that either have weak farm systems or are hesitant about prices on the relief market this summer.
3. Could the Twins’ impending sale impact their deadline decisions?
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters about a variety of topics yesterday, and included in those comments was a belief on Manfred’s part that the Pohlad family would be successful in their efforts to sell the Twins in due time. With the league’s commissioner expressing confidence in public that a sale will go through just two weeks before MLB’s trade deadline, it’s not hard to wonder if the Twins’ deadline approach could be impacted by the looming specter of a sale on at least some level. That could manifest in multiple ways. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey has said he’s not focused on selling, and the Twins are just two games under .500 and four games back in the Wild Card hunt. A potential sale could impact the team’s willingness to take on additional money, however, and it could well have some influence on how far back Minnesota needs to be in the standings before selling off some veteran pieces.
Trade Deadline Outlook: Milwaukee Brewers
MLBTR’s team-by-team look at the upcoming deadline continues with the Brewers. Milwaukee is firmly in a playoff spot and should be looking to buy. However, their financial restraints and apparent surplus of starting pitching could allow them to do some selling or some classic "baseball trades."
Record: 56-40 (82.9% playoff probability, per FanGraphs)
For other entrants in this series, see this post.
Buy Mode
Potential needs: Infield
As of a few months ago, starting pitching would have topped the list of potential needs, but that's no longer the case. The Brewers had a number of injuries early in the year, which spurred them to make a late-spring signing of Jose Quintana and an early-season trade for Quinn Priester. Since then, some of the injured pitchers have returned healthy while several young arms have stepped up to post encouraging results. Now the Brewers seemingly have a rotation surplus they could theoretically deal from. More on that later.
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Trade Deadline Outlook: St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals reached the All-Star break in a tricky position. With about 40% of their season remaining, they're only 1.5 games back in the Wild Card and have a real shot at the playoffs. That's the case despite an offseason in which they did not attempt to improve the club, in what longtime president of baseball operations John Mozeliak termed a "reset." And Mozeliak will be navigating the July 31st deadline as a lame duck, given the club's stated plan to give his job to Chaim Bloom for the 2026 season.
Mozeliak put it this way nine days ago (Katie Woo of The Athletic reporting): "I do feel like where we are in the week leading up, or the 72 hours leading up to the trading deadline, may affect how we make our decisions." He further explained, "When we talk about all-in, I do think based on where the franchise is, based on payroll down and thinking more of the long view, we’re still trying to balance today’s success with ultimately having long-term success."
Record: 51-46 (28.5% playoff probability, per FanGraphs)
Buy Mode
Potential needs: Right-handed bat, pitching depth
Regarding the transition to Bloom, Mozeliak said, "When we get closer to the deadline, if there’s something that could impact how the future looks, clearly we’ll take a look at in a more collaborative sense."
With relative stability on the pitching staff, Mozeliak's deadline focus on the buy side may be on an offense that ranks fifth in the National League with 4.58 runs scored per game. Within that respectable showing, however, is a team that ranks 10th in the NL with an 88 wRC+ against left-handed pitching.
Mozeliak acknowledged the deficiency but also said, "I do feel like where they’re going to be in a week or two is not a glaring hole in terms of trading deadline thoughts," given Ivan Herrera's July 13th activation and minor injuries affecting other righty bats like Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras.
Brendan Donovan has been an everyday player, generally at second base, despite consistent struggles against southpaws over the last three seasons. Alec Burleson, currently deployed in the corner outfield, has been similar. Center fielder Victor Scott II has sat against some lefties in the last month in favor of Garrett Hampson. Lars Nootbaar, on the IL for a left costochondral sprain, had been sitting here or there against lefties but often with Donovan or Burleson in his spot and Thomas Saggese getting the start at second base.
Given that Mozeliak said "I don’t think we’re ever going to take away from the guys we’re trying to see play," it may be difficult to find the ideal addition. An improvement over Hampson as Scott's platoon partner could be one answer. Perhaps a call to the White Sox regarding Austin Slater or Michael A. Taylor of the White Sox would make sense. A homecoming for Randal Grichuk could work, though he hasn't played much center in recent years. Maybe the Astros will find Chas McCormick expendable once he completes his rehab assignment for an oblique strain.
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Trade Deadline Outlook: Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are three games over .500 but 7.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. Their best path to the postseason is a Wild Card berth. They're 2.5 games back at the moment as they look for their first playoff bid since 2020 (just their second since 2013) and their first playoff win since back in 2012.
Record: 50-47 (Playoff odds 11.1%, per FanGraphs)
Other series entries: Rockies, Giants, Phillies, Pirates, Astros, Marlins, Athletics, Orioles, White Sox, Nationals, Cubs, Rays, Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, Angels, Mets, Blue Jays, Mariners
Buy Mode
Potential needs: Corner outfield, first base, second base, reliever
The Reds' primary need, regardless of position, is simply another bat -- or multiple bats -- to bolster what has been a stagnant offense. Ideally, that'd come in the outfield corners. Austin Hays has been great when healthy but has only made it into 44 games due to a trio of IL stints. He and utilityman Gavin Lux lead the team in plate appearances as a left fielder. Jake Fraley, who just returned from a shoulder injury, leads the pack in terms of plate appearances as a right fielder. The Reds have used eight different players in right field and ten in left. No one has more plate appearances at either position than Fraley's 140 in right field.
Fraley and Lux are both hovering around league-average offensive output that's driven largely by plate discipline. Neither is slugging even .400. Fraley has a .152 ISO (slugging minus batting average) that's right in line with the .154 league average. Lux is down at .114. Neither is going to provide much power, and neither can hit left-handed pitching.
A righty-swinging corner outfield bat would fit the Reds nicely -- all the better if it's someone controlled beyond the current season. The Reds are fringe contenders in 2025 but have the rotation talent to make a stronger run in 2026 with better health.
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Trade Candidate: Charlie Morton
Charlie Morton’s time with the Orioles couldn’t have begun much worse. He started his first five appearances and lost all of them. His best outing in that stretch was a five-inning start in which he recorded 10 strikeouts but allowed five runs. By the end of April, he’d lost his rotation spot. He carried a 9.45 earned run average with nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (26) through 26 2/3 innings.
Morton spent the next three weeks working out of the bullpen. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) over 16 1/3 innings across six appearances. It was better than his early-season production but wasn’t a full-fledged turnaround. Injuries reopened a rotation spot at the end of May.
The 41-year-old Morton has seized the new starting opportunity. He has allowed two or fewer runs in six of his past eight starts. Over that stretch, he carries a 2.76 ERA. Morton has fanned more than a quarter of opponents with a vastly improved 7.5% walk rate. His 12.4% swinging strike percentage during that time is a top 30 mark in MLB. Morton’s fastball has gained some life. The heater averaged 93.7 MPH in April but has climbed to 94.4 MPH since the beginning of June.
Morton’s April struggles still leave him with a 5.18 ERA on the season. Yet he’s coming up on two months of the mid-rotation form he showed throughout his time with the Braves. This version of Morton is the pitcher the Orioles expected when they signed him to a $15MM free agent contract.
It’s an important development with two weeks until the deadline. Morton has quietly reemerged as an intriguing trade chip for a Baltimore team that is nine games below .500. As recently as six weeks ago, he seemed closer to a DFA candidate than a trade asset. He’s now probably the most appealing of Baltimore’s three impending free agent starting pitchers.
Zach Eflin has struggled since his suffering a lat strain in mid-April. He’s on the injured list with a lower back strain, though it seems likely he’ll return to make a start or two before July 31. Tomoyuki Sugano has a 6.62 ERA in seven starts since the beginning of June. Opposing hitters have a .327/.380/.520 slash line in that time. Sugano has a 14% strikeout rate and has allowed 1.72 homers per nine innings on the season. The O’s are going to have a difficult time drumming up interest.
Morton is owed a little more than $6MM the rest of the way. That’ll drop to roughly $4.75MM from the deadline through season’s end. That’s a decent sum for two months, but it’s reasonable if an acquiring team feels he’s back to being a playoff-caliber starter. Baltimore is going to get plenty of calls on All-Star slugger Ryan O’Hearn in the next couple weeks. Morton is pulling alongside Cedric Mullins and relievers Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto in their next tier of rental trade candidates.
Shintaro Fujinami Signs With NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars
Former big leaguer Shintaro Fujinami has returned to Japan. He signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, the team announced. The hard-throwing righty was released from a minor league deal with the Mariners last month.
This probably marks the end of Fujinami’s two and a half seasons in affiliated ball. The 6’6″ righty has an upper-90s fastball but hasn’t been able to harness his stuff. The rebuilding A’s took a one-year, $3.25MM flier on Fujinami in advance of the 2023 season. They initially gave him a rotation opportunity, but he struggled mightily in seven starts and quickly moved to the bullpen.
While Fujinami had an 8.57 ERA in 34 appearances with the A’s, they managed to flip him to the Orioles at the trade deadline. He tallied 29 2/3 frames of 4.85 ERA ball for Baltimore. Fujinami secured a big league split deal from the Mets in his return to free agency. He never made an MLB appearance with New York, spending time on the injured list before being designated for assignment.
Fujinami pitched in Puerto Rico over the winter to land another affiliated opportunity. He secured a minor league contract with Seattle in January but struggled to a 5.79 ERA with 26 walks in 18 2/3 Triple-A innings. He’ll now head back to NPB, where he owns a 3.41 earned run average in parts of 10 seasons.
Manfred On Twins Sale, Media Rights, Potential For Bay Area Expansion
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to the media ahead of tonight’s All-Star game, touching on various topics, including the sale of the Twins, the ongoing media rights situation and the possibility of the Bay Area getting a future expansion franchise.
The Twins have been on the block for almost a year now, as it was back in October that the Pohlad family announced it would be exploring a sale. Per Dan Hayes and Evan Drellich of The Athletic as well as Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, Manfred chalked up the ongoing delay to the Justin Ishbia situation.
Justin Ishbia and his brother Mat were connected to the Twins early in the sale process. However, Justin abandoned his pursuit of the Twins and doubled down on his connection with the White Sox. Justin was already a minority owner of the Sox and, by early June, had a deal in place to become the eventual owner of that franchise.
The way Manfred frames it, Ishbia was initially viewed as such a frontrunner for the Twins that other potential bidders backed off. “You know this is a small business, right?” Manfred said. “All those bankers that are out there, there ain’t that many of them, they all talk to each other. When it becomes clear that you have a leader in the clubhouse, everybody else kind of backs away, right? Because they kind of get a feel for price. And unless they’re prepared to top, they’re going to move on and do something else. So a big part of the delay in Minnesota was associated with the leader in the clubhouse made a decision to do something else.”
However, interest has supposedly ramped up since Ishbia pivoted to the Sox. “I know some things that you don’t know,” Manfred said. “I can tell you with a lot of confidence that there will be a transaction there, and it will be consistent with the kind of pricing that has taken place. There will be a transaction. We just need to be patient while they rework.”
It has been reported since March that the Pohlad family is hoping to get $1.7 billion for the Twins. A $1.5 billion number which was floated by one potential bidder was considered “a non-starter.” Last year, the Angelos family sold the Orioles for $1.725MM. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg reportedly has an agreement in principle to sell the Rays for $1.7 billion this year. Perhaps the market has been set in a way which will allow the Pohlad family to get their asking price, though today’s piece from The Athletic notes that the Twins are carrying a fairly high debt load of $425MM.
Manfred also addressed the league’s media rights situation, per Drellich. Manfred previously noted that he hoped to have something to announce before the All-Star game in relation to the collapsed ESPN deal but it appears nothing is across the finish line yet. He said today that progress is being made but he didn’t specify a new target date for getting something done.
It was reported back in February that ESPN opted out of their deal with MLB for the 2026 through 2028 seasons. That deal included broadcast rights for Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby and the Wild Card round of the playoffs. ESPN still has the rights for the current season but those products are still up for grabs after 2025.
ESPN’s deal would have seen them pay $550MM annually, had they not opted out. They were reportedly willing to go as high as $200MM in order to keep the rights but MLB balked at that price. NBC reportedly made some kind of offer in May but it’s unknown what kind of number was floated, apart from it being “much less” than $550MM. Last month, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that MLB and ESPN had renewed talks and that Apple and Fox had also been connected to the package, in addition to NBC.
On another note, Manfred left the door open for a future expansion franchise coming to the Bay Area, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and John Shea of the San Francisco Standard. “In terms of expansion,” he said, “open book. You know what? People who want baseball should participate in the expansion process when we start that process, and I think by being wide open, with no predeterminations as to where it’s going, we’re going to end up with the best locations if we want to expand.”
The Bay Area still has the Giants but recently lost the Athletics, who are in the process of moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. Manfred cited recent changes in government as increasing the odds of a new franchise coming back to Oakland. “I don’t have any problem with any government official in Oakland,” Manfred said. “I thought Mayor [Sheng] Thao was not particularly helpful when we got down to brass tacks, but I don’t think I’m going to have to deal with her going forward.”
Thao was mayor of Oakland in 2023 and 2024 but was ousted in a recall election in November. Various reports have indicated that the relationships between Thao, A’s owner John Fisher and Manfred were not especially rosy. Slusser reports that Manfred previously swore off Oakland due to the unsuccessful negotiations, so his more neutral tone today is perhaps noteworthy. Both Slusser and Shea float San Jose as another possibility for the area, even if Oakland isn’t viable.
For the theoretical possibility to become a reality, a viable group would have to emerge and enter the bidding. Over the years, various groups have formed with the hopes of getting expansion franchises in places like Nashville, Salt Lake City, Orlando and Portland.
Manfred has consistently said expansion won’t be on the table until the A’s and Rays have new homes figured out. The A’s are scheduled to open their new stadium in Vegas in 2028. The Rays had a deal which fell apart in the wake of hurricane damage to The Trop, which then led to the aforementioned in-process sale. It expected that the Rays’ new ownership group will eventually pursue a new stadium in Tampa proper, as opposed to the club’s previous home in St. Petersburg.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Manfred: Longer Break In 2028 For All-Star Game And Olympics Is Possible
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to the media today, ahead of tonight’s All-Star game, addressing various topics relevant to the league. One subject that got a lot of discussion was the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the potential of MLB players participating. Baseball will be an event at the Olympics, with Dodger Stadium being the venue, but it’s still not confirmed if MLB players will be able to play. Manfred suggested it could be possible for the league to have a slightly longer midsummer break to include both the All-Star game and the Olympics, while also not impacting the regular season.
“It is possible to play the All-Star game in its normal spot, have a single break that would be longer but still play 162 games without bleeding into the middle of November,” Manfred said, per Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post. “That is possible.”
MLB players have never participated in the Olympics. Baseball has occasionally been an event in the games, but has been played by minor leaguers or college players. In recent years, it has not been unusual for MLB players to compete in international play. The World Baseball Classic has been running every few years since 2006, even though the COVID-19 pandemic threw the normal schedule off for a bit.
The main difference with the Olympics would be the timing. The WBC is held in March, ahead of the MLB regular season. The ’28 Olympics are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from July 14th to 30th. Per J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, the baseball field would include six teams, set by qualifying tournaments, who would then play from July 15th to 20th. Per Evan Drellich of The Athletic, the league would prefer that to be a little earlier. The All-Star break is usually the second Tuesday of July, which would be July 11th in 2028. The opening ceremony of the Olympics is scheduled for July 14th.
There are logistical challenges but it’s theoretically possible to line everything up. The fact that the games are taking place in the United States is also convenient, compared to a distant country where travel would be more of a concern.
It has been suggested in the past that perhaps the league could look to skip the All-Star game for one year, with the Olympics taking over as the main midsummer event. Manfred’s comments today point to both taking place, which would raise some interesting questions. Presumably, there could be a lot of overlap in terms of All-Star selections and Olympic rosters. If a player is planning to play in the Olympics and is also selected for the All-Star game, would they simply skip the latter like injured players do? Would some try to do both?
In terms of the scheduling, the details there aren’t clear either. In recent years, the MLB season has sometimes had some teams start the regular season in mid-March in order to play games in other countries such as Japan or South Korea. Starting the regular season earlier for all teams could perhaps allow for a longer midseason break, though that would lead to many weather-related annoyances in certain parts of the country.
Per Cooper, insurance is another potential hurdle. For the WBC, there are insurance policies in place to compensate an MLB team if one of their players is injured. But the WBC is put on by MLB, whereas the Olympics are put on by the International Olympic Committee. As noted by Cooper, it’s unclear if the IOC would be willing to pay the insurance premiums or if MLB would be willing to do so. MLB wouldn’t be directly benefiting from the event, since the IOC receives the proceeds, though the league would obviously hope that the Olympics would help to grow the MLB brand and expand its reach. Cooper mentions the possibility of Olympic committees of individual countries covering the insurance premiums but says this is the least likely scenario.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the logistical challenges could lead to San Francisco hosting the 2028 All-Star game. She says the league and the MLBPA would prefer a West Coast club host that year, in order to be near the Olympics in Los Angeles. She points out that San Diego, Seattle and Arizona have all hosted the All-Star festivities fairly recently, whereas the Giants last hosted back in 2007.
Slusser adds that MLBPA executive director Tony Clark also seemed open to the players agreeing to the Olympic plans, though with some details still to be worked out. “There’s just a lot of conversation that needs to be had sooner rather than later to see how viable this is,” Clark said. “But we’re hopeful that we can figure our way through it for the benefit of the game.”
If it comes to pass that the Giants host in 2028, it will kick things down the road for other clubs that have been waiting their turn. Last year, Manfred acknowledged that the Blue Jays were due, since they haven’t hosted since 1991. However, the Phillies are hosting in 2026, a decision that was made long ago to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It seems likely that the Cubs, who haven’t hosted since 1990, will be hosting in 2027. Putting the 2028 game in San Francisco would mean the Jays and other teams hoping to host would probably have to wait until 2029 at the earliest.
Manfred still seems to have a Toronto All-Star game on his radar, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. “Obviously, (the Blue Jays) are kind of perking up to the top of the list based on time,” he continued. “I’d like to be back in Toronto. Rogers has made a really significant investment in terms of improvements in the stadium. TBD at this point, beyond that.” Davidi adds that the Orioles and Red Sox are also interested. Baltimore last hosted in 1993 and Boston in 1999.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Rays To Play Home Games At Steinbrenner Field Throughout Playoffs
If the Rays are able to engineer a deep postseason run, they will be allowed to stay at Steinbrenner Field. “Our rule has always been that people play in their home stadiums during the World Series Game,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said this week, per Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. “And I’m not of a mind to change that rule. I understand it’s a unique situation. It’s different, but that’s where they’re playing. That’s where they’re going to play their games.”
The issue has been a theoretical talking point for a while. Tropicana Field suffered significant hurricane damage in the offseason, making it unplayable for the 2025 season. The Rays made arrangements to move to Steinbrenner Field for the year. The facility is normally the home of the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate of the Yankees.
The capacity of the field is a bit more than 10,000. During the 2024 season, all 3o MLB venues had a capacity of at least 34,000. This year, the Rays and Athletics are both playing in minor league parks on a temporary basis. As mentioned, the Rays had to move due to the hurricane damage to The Trop. The A’s are building a new stadium in Las Vegas but couldn’t work out a deal to stay in Oakland for the interim, so they are playing at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. That’s the home of the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants.
For the Rays and A’s, playing in those venues was generally viewed as acceptable for the regular season but it was fair to wonder if the league would allow postseason games to be played at either spot. For the A’s, it quickly became a non-issue for this year as that club slipped in the standings. But the Rays have been in contention all year, having been in a postseason spot for much of the season.
Last month, it was reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that some preliminary conversations had occurred about what to do. Having playoff games in such a small venue would be less than ideal. “The league sets aside about 7,500 tickets for players, umpires, visiting teams, sponsors, broadcast partners, media and others” for World Series games, Rosenthal wrote last month. For pre-World Series games, the number is smaller but still notable. That lesser capacity would be a concern for the Players Association as well as the league, since players get a cut of gate receipts in playoff games. Beyond that, there would be concerns around the aesthetics of the broadcast as well as the straightforward logistics of getting all the media into the smaller facility and properly set up to cover the game.
But forcing a team to vacate its home turf for the postseason could be seen as a competitive disadvantage and it seems the league has opted to let the Rays stay. It may be a moot point, as they are not guaranteed to make the playoffs. They are currently a game and a half back of the Mariners for the final American League Wild Card spot. They would need to get the top Wild Card spot or win the East division to play any home games in the first round. Under the current playoff format, the top two division winners get a bye past the first round. The third division winner and the top Wild Card team each get to host the opening round for a best-of-three, with the two lesser Wild Card clubs being on the road for that entire series.
Last month’s reporting indicated that the league was comfortable with the Rays hosting the earlier rounds but was more concerned about the ALCS and World Series. It now seems that, if that becomes a reality, the league is willing to let the Rays stay at their temporary home and figure out how to make it work. Manfred tells Topkin that they will have conversations about potentially finding ways to add more capacity. “We’ll do the best we can to make the facilities good and service as many fans as we can,” Manfred said.
Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times provides a bit more info on the Rays and their upcoming sale. It was reported this week that owner Stuart Sternberg has an agreement in principle to sell to a group led to Patrick Zalupski for $1.7 billion. Though that could become official as soon as September, Topkin notes that the transfer of power wouldn’t occur until the offseason. If the Rays manage to win the 2025 World Series, Sternberg would be handed the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good morning! Hope everyone enjoyed the Derby last night! We’ll get going at 1pm CT today, but feel free to submit questions ahead of time.
- Greetings!
- Let’s begin.
Tim
- What’s a comparative contract to what bichette is looking for?
Steve Adams
- He’s going to hit free agency ahead of his age-28 season and as (assuming this keeps up) a well above-average hitter in six of his seven MLB seasons, with an injury-ruined 2024 campaign being the outlier.I don’t see any reason he wouldn’t be looking to top the deals signed by Javier Baez (6 years, $140MM), Trevor Story (6/140), Dansby Swanson (7/177) and Willy Adames (7/182) — especially since he’s going to hit free agency a year younger than all of them were when they got to the market.
Brian
- Biggest Phillies need at deadline…OF help or bullpen arms?
Steve Adams
- Bullpen help, but it doesn’t have to be one or the other.
Steve Cohen
- Who would you list as the leading Candidates for ROY in each league? Does Jacob Misorowski have a legitimate shot?
Brewers Fan
- Assumig Misiorowski wins the ROY, how does that change his status with us? Do we lose a year of control? He wasn’t promoted early enough to get a draft pick through the promotional program thing right? The rules around that stuff always confuse me…
Steve Adams
- I love Misiorowski, but Rookie of the Year talk is pretty premature with only five starts. I think it’s fine that they took the buzzworthy rookie and put him on the All-Star team, but to call him the ROY favorite when Drake Baldwin is hitting .279/.351/.479 with plus defense in 65 games feels aggressive.Miz could absolutely end up getting there, but he needs to stay healthy and needs to remain as effective as he’s been, which isn’t a surefire thing for a guy who’s walking 11% of his opponents and benefiting from a .160 BABIP.
Misiorowski will earn a full year of service if he finishes first or second in ROY voting. The Brewers wouldn’t get a pick for that since he wasn’t called up until midseason.
Curious A’s Fan
- Is JJ Bleday the A’s best (realistic) trade chip at the deadline?
Steve Adams
- They’d be selling low, but I can see it. Jeffrey Springs is a more realistic trade option who’d net a decent return, though.
My Name
- With Buxton’s comments about having a no trade clause, will reporters be done with the trade rumors?