deadline fast approaching, the 12-15 Milwaukee Brewers find themselves with a dilemma. Should they buy or sell at the deadline?At 11-14, the Brewers are an interesting team to monitor with the trade deadline nine days. Teams that have spoken to Milwaukee say they’re stuck in the middle and that if they do buy, they’re prioritizing players with multiple years of control.— Robert Murray August 22, 2020In a season shortened because of COVID-19, Milwaukee has had it problems over the first 27 games. Lorenzo Cain is no longer in the dugout. The offense has been been consistently bad. Virtually none of the players brought in to fill the voids left by players like Yasmani Grandal, Mike Moustakas, and Eric Thames have approached their impacts on the field or the dugout. Maybe the Brewers should come to the conclusion that the 2020 season just is not working out and sell its tradable assets. There are several issues with that line of thinking. With that in mind, I present the case for the Milwaukee Brewers to be buyers at the deadline.Brewers’ have not played to their track record Go to Fangraphs and input the names Omar Narvaez, Avisail Garcia, Justin Smoak, Ryan Braun, and Christian Yelich and you will see huge difference in slash line and wRC+ from the 2020 season and previous years. Keston Hiura has yet to hit consistently. Luis Urias is only now getting his sea legs under him. This team has collectively, all at the same time, not hit. That is bound to change.These players have a track record of performance that suggests they will turn things around. You can already see it happening. Yelich is getting it together Trevor Richards Jersey. Justin Smoak has had a couple really nice games. Narvaez is seeing the ball much better. Hiura is making more contact, and that contact is normally hard. Things are coming along, and when it does in total, it might be like a swelling dam bursting. Milwaukee’s pitching has been pretty good. If the offense comes along, the Brewers will be tough to handle in, lets say, the month of September. Milwaukee part of a muddled heapThe only team not in realistic contention in the National League right now is the Pittsburgh Pirates. Every other team has a playoff shot, and we are not just talking about being a 7th or 8th seed. There are only four National League teams that are six or more games over Avisail Garcia Jersey.500. With the St. Louis Cardinals sitting two games above .500 and the Cincinnati Reds sitting five games below .500, there are ten teams within seven games of each other. If the playoffs started today, and the Dodgers, Cubs, Braves, and Padres took the top four seeds, the other ten teams would be playing for the other four seeds. The Milwaukee Brewers are in this thing, and there is no way a team with this much talent that is apt to start running on all cylinders should be selling. They should be adding a piece or two. September has yet to arriveThe Milwaukee Brewers have been arguably the best team in baseball in the month of September over the past couple of years. They have done so well that the Milwaukee fanbase affectionately refers to the month as Craigtember. The Brewers have done so well in the last month of the season because of excellent managing of the team, especially the bullpen as well as savvy deadline moves that give the 2018 and 2019 Brewers’ teams the je ne sais quoi needed to make a run https://www.fanmb.com/robin-yount-jersey. Instead of talking about selling, we should be excited about what David Stearns has up his sleeve.Acquiring a difference maker could put this team in real contentionAs I mentioned in the previous paragraph, David Stearns has made some really nice moves at the trade deadline in past seasons that have brought value. Might there be a move or two this season? It is difficult to speculate what that might be, but there are upgrade opportunities at first and third base as well as the outfield. Bringing in a solid starter or a bullpen piece could be part of the equation too. The market might be a little sparse, but Stearns does have a way of finding valuable pieces to add.The remaining schedule lines up well for a runOver the first 23 games, the Milwaukee Brewers had a pretty tough schedule. They faced the Chicago Cubs seven times, the Minnesota Twins six times, and the Chicago White Sox four times. The remaining games on the schedule come against teams currently with losing records or teams that are within division. The only exception to this is a 3-game series at Cleveland in early September. This puts Milwaukee in a very good spot not just to get one of those four spots in the lower end of the seeding process, but still contend for the NL Central title. They sit just 5.5 games out of the division lead. That is not that much of a lead to overcome with 33 games remaining. It can be done and has been done.

were cut far too short. Nonetheless, baseball fans in South Florida will always remember his time with the Miami Marlins with fondness. The 2013 National League Rookie of the Year, Fernández would finish his career with a 38-17 record and 2.58 ERA. Fernández set single-season pitching records for Miami and appeared in two All-Star Games. His final All-Star appearance came on this day five years ago https://www.mmfanstore.com/starling-marte-jersey. Unlike in 2013 when he shined as a rookie, Fernández didn’t have as great of a showing on July 12, 2016 at Petco Park in San Diego. In a contest won by the American League 4-2, Fernandez was the first National League pitcher out of the bullpen. With his team trailing 3-1, Fernández entered with two outs in the second inning and promptly struck out Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to end the frame. Fernández ran into trouble in the third. José Fernández’s reaction to walking David OrtizAfter walking David Ortiz, of the Boston Red Sox, with one out, Fernández gave up a double to Boston’s Xander Bogaerts before allowing an RBI single to Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals. Fernández was able to get Boston’s Mookie Betts to hit into a double play to end the inning and his night.As far as the game went, it was actually pitching that dominated. Kris Bryant, of the Chicago Cubs, homered in the first inning to give the National League an early 1-0 lead Adam Duvall Jersey. Hosmer and Kansas City’s Salvador Pérez homered in the third to put the American League ahead for good, 3-1.Following Hosmer’s RBI single off Fernández, it was a Marlin who would plate the final run of the night. Marcell Ozuna singled home Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants in the top of the fourth to cap the scoring Adam Duvall Jersey. Although Fernández allowed a run in 1 1⁄3 innings, he still seemed to enjoy himself during his final Midsummer Classic. That appearance came on this day five years ago.

worst outing of the season on Monday, allowing an earned run in just 5.1 innings of work against the Marlins. Despite not having his best stuff, he left the Mets in a position to win the game until the Marlins plated a run against Bobby Parnell in the 9th. The Mets would again take the lead in the 15th, but the Marlins would score a pair in the bottom of the inning to walk away with a win. The full box score available here. The loss wasn't the only bad news for Mets fans on Monday, as David Wright was scratched from the lineup with a sore neck. Wright is currently listed as day to day.Also injured last night was Giancarlo Stanton, who hurt his hamstring running out a play in the 10th. Stanton was placed on the DL after the game, and replaced by Marcell Ozuna https://www.nymgear.com/tylor-megill-jersey.Rob Neyer looked at Matt Harvey's fantastic start to his career Stephen Tarpley Jersey, and poured a little cold water on it by comparing him to Brett Myers. It's easy to forget how good a young starter Myers was when he debuted because of his world-class douchebaggery.Yesterday, NBA player Jason Collins announced that he's gay. MLB Tom Seaver Jersey.com had some reaction from around the baseball world, including a quote from our own David Wright.Many fans weren't thrilled when the Mets Triple-A affiliate shifted from Buffalo to Las Vegas, especially those of us doing minor league recaps early in the morning. There was a huge benefit to that move though, as none of us were forced to read Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News anymore.Yesterday at AAApril 29th in Mets History saw John Franco get both his 1st and 300th career saves.Monday was performance meter day at AA, as we saw hitters, pitchers, and prospects reviewed.We also had This Week in Mets Quotes yesterday.Around BaseballThe Nats and Braves met yesterday, with the Braves extending their division lead with a 3-2 victory. That probably wasn't the worst news of the day for Nats fans either, as Stephen Strasburg is being treated for "forearm tightness".The Braves have been without outfielder Jason Heyward for about a week now, and it looks like they'll be without him for a bit longer. I'm sure there will be some fun criticisms of Heyward from Braves fans because of this.On most nights, a 15-inning game would be the longest game of the evening. Not last night though, as the A's and Angels need 19 innings to find a winner.Remember that time when the Mets needed outfielders? Remember that time when the Mets TRAIDed for a broken J.J. Putz? One of the players involved in that trade is off to a pretty ridiculous start this season.Jon Heyman sent out a tweet yesterday that got quite a reaction from baseball fans, but both BtB and FanGraphs had excellent responses to his query.

playing like the best center fielder in baseball. Among qualified players at the position, the Orioles star leads MLB in batting average (.322), on-base percentage (.395), slugging percentage (.540), stolen bases (12), wRC+ (157), and fWAR (3.3) this season.The two-home-run performance Friday evening on what was his own t-shirt night at Camden Yards serves as just the latest reminder of what a special season Mullins has enjoyed to this point. There is no question that he deserves a spot in Denver at next month’s All-Star Game. In fact, he should be the American League starter.What remains unknown is how this breakout from Mullins will impact the plans of Mike Elias and the Orioles’ front office moving forward. Up until recently, it seemed like much of the team’s roster consisted of stopgap solutions across the diamond with a possible exception for guys like Ryan Mountcastle or Austin Hays, two players that featured on “Top 100 Prospect” lists for years prior to debuting in the bigs.Mullins was never expected to have that type of ceiling, and given his significant struggles early in his big league tenure Milt Pappas Jersey, it would have been reasonable for the O’s to lump him in with the rest of the players that were positioned to simply take up space until the Adley Rutschman era of prospects arrived on the scene.But Mullins has been so good, is young enough, and remains far enough away from arbitration that the Orioles may need to rethink things a bit. It is now entirely possible that Mullins will be the club’s center fielder for the present and (hopefully competitive) future https://www.baltimoregearshop.com/ryan-mountcastle-jersey. That’s pretty cool for a former 13th-round pick who was demoted two whole levels just a few seasons ago.LinksMullins strengthens ‘amazing’ All-Star bid | Orioles.comThe Orioles will not be receiving a pity all-star bid this year. Mullins is a stud. Trey Mancini has been great. And John Means is still in the Cy Young discussion. That feels pretty nice.This might be baseball’s newest curse | MLB.comIt’s all John Means’s fault! He made a deal with the baseball devil, trading his near perfect game in exchange for the Orioles’ ability to win on the road. Honestly, in 2021, I make that deal too.Hyde on Zimmermann: “He is progressing and he should be fine” | School of RochBe honest, when you learned that Bruce Zimmermann’s start was going to be replaced by Thomas Eshelman you were less than enthused. But Eshelman turned in a solid performance, and it sounds like Zimmermann will be back in short order.As Orioles top prospect Adley Rutschman grows in Bowie, his star potential is clear: ‘You’re awed every day’ | The Baltimore SunRutschman is the best catcher in the entire Orioles organization, big league roster included. It would be cool to see him in Baltimore at some point this season, and the argument for that not happening will be almost impossible to back up if he continues to hit the way he has thus far in Double-A Bowie https://www.baltimoregearshop.com/tippy-martinez-jersey.Oh no, we suck again (Ep. 73) | The Warehouse PodcastThis past week may have been the worst of all for a team that has had quite a few bad weeks. You can hear me and my pal Eli discuss the misery if you would like.Orioles birthdays Is it your birthday? Happy birthday! Logan Verrett turns 31 today. The right-handed pitcher appeared in four games for the 2017 Orioles, tossing 10.2 innings in total.Val Majewski celebrates his 40th birthday. The outfielder made his way into nine games with the 2004 O’s, which represented the entirety of his MLB experience.Bruce Chen is 44 years old today. The 17-season MLB veteran spent three seasons with the Orioles from 2004 through 2006, accumulating a 4.61 ERA over 343.2 total innings.Willis Roberts turns 46 today. He was a right-handed pitcher for the O’s from 2001 through 2003.Butch Davis is 63. The outfielder played in 18 games with the Orioles between 1988 and ‘89. He went 7-for-31 during his brief stay in Baltimore.Happy 92nd birthday to Don Ferrarese. The southpaw pitched in 50 games with the Orioles between 1955 and ‘57, his longest run with any one club over his nine years in the big leagues.This day in history2010 - Orioles “ace” Kevin Millwood records his first win of the season in his 15th start. He gone 0-8 in the previous 14 and would win just four decisions all season long.

Cincinnati Reds being unsettled at the shortstop position was complete nonsense. By ‘a time,’ I really mean ‘a half a century.’Roy McMillan won a pair of Gold Gloves and made a pair of All Star games for the Reds and Redlegs in the 1950s. Leo Cardenas made five All Star teams as the club’s shortstop of the 1960s. Davey Concepcion took the reins in 1970 https://www.crfanshop.com/gary-redus-jersey, and he effectively held them until Barry Larkin took over in the mid 1980s, himself manning the position for nearly twenty years before heading off to Cooperstown.Since then, though, it’s been a much less settled situation. There was the lone freak season from Felipe Lopez over a decade ago. Zack Cozart was steady for a handful of years, but only had the one true career season of elite level production. We’ve seen the likes of Edgar Renteria, Orlando Cabrera, Jolbert Cabrera (!), Ramon Santiago, Wilson Valdez, Jeff Keppinger, and a cavalcade of others get turns there, with Jose Peraza the latest in a long line of ‘maybe he’ll be the one(s)’ to not exactly pan out.Peraza’s failings last year gave rise to a year of glovey brilliance from Jose Iglesias, of course, but he’s now a free agent again, leaving the Reds again in the position of trying to solve their shortstop plans for both now and into the future. So, it’s no surprise that they’re reportedly interested in the single biggest SS free agent on the market this winter - one whose name just so happens to already be one of those post-Larkin guys who’ve spent at least a little time as the Cincinnati shorstop: Didi Gregorius.So sayeth MLB Network insider Jon Heyman over the weekend, at least:Reds have interest in Didi Gregorius, whose original team was yes, the Reds. Gregorius is a good bounce-back candidate as @KMillar15 said on @IntentionalTalk today.— Jon Heyman November 8, 2019It’s an idea that makes almost perfect sense, at least on paper. Gregorius is still young enough to have a few prime years left in his tank, the Reds need offensive upgrades while not sacrificing defense, and Gregorius wasn’t tagged with a qualifying offer from the New York Yankees (meaning he won’t cost the Reds a draft pick if they sign him) https://www.crfanshop.com/custom-jersey. In other words, the only real red flag in all of this would be money, but that’s something the Reds brass has repeatedly insisted won’t be an issue this winter as they finally, finally try to make a push for the playoffs in 2020.Hell, we even made Didi our biggest signing in last week’s SB Nation GM simulation.It’s an idea that seems to make good sense to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, too, who took a closer look at the pros and cons of the Reds making a run at signing Didi - as well as where they could turn if that marriage doesn’t pan out.What’s becoming increasingly clear early in this Hot Stove season is that the Cincinnati Reds sure are showing interest in many of the best and brightest available players, as Didi’s name gets thrown in the same category as the likes of Yasmani Grandal and Howie Kendrick. On the heels of bringing in Kyle Boddy to help refine the franchise’s overall pitching philosophy, that sure sounds like the Reds are set to be very, very proactive all winter, which is the best thing we’ve had to look forward to around these parts in quite some time.That seems to suggest the club is rather intent on going for it for 2020, which is a concept the folks over at Redleg Nation addressed over the weekend.Over at FanGraphs, Brendan Gawloski looked for homes for six of the top-tier free agents in this winter’s class. While he profiled Grandal - and ultimately picked a club other than the Reds as his landing spot - he does make a case for him as a good fit with the Reds, and even lobs out what kind of contract it might take to sign him.Also from the Graph of the Fans comes some goodness from our own Tony Wolfe, who looked at how players over the age of 30 impacted some of the best teams in baseball last year, a concept that seems to run counter to the prevailing movement towards younger players over the last decade. It’s interesting as a concept in its own right, but when you consider the Reds’ reported interest in Gregorius (30 in 2020), Grandal, (31 in 2020), and Kendrick (36 in 2020), it does add an additional fan-flavor to the discussion.The most recent FanPulse results are out Cincinnati Reds Hoodies, this time with their focus on the chances for each team in the NL Central to contend in 2020 (as you can see in the graphic below). That’s one way of saying roughly 2/5ths of you fine FanPulse contributors think the Reds, as currently constructed, have a shot in 2020. That means there’s some work to do in your minds, I suppose. (And if you want to participate in these FanPulse polls, sign up here and do just that.)That’s it. Them’s the links.

Dodgers have been playing catch-up all season https://www.kcrgear.com/george-brett-jersey. Last year, the Dodgers came out of the gate on fire, and were able to runaway and hide for awhile, never losing their division lead. This year, it has been a struggle. The Dodgers are definitely a buyer at the trade deadline. Even if they were to fall out of even the wild card race, I can't see owner Frank McCourt throwing up the white flag. There needs to be at least a superficial attempt at playoff contention to keep butts in the seats at Dodger Stadium, where despite being atop the league in tickets sold in three of the last four seasons, there has been a 20% no-show rate per the Los Angeles Times. Pitching is at the forefront of the Dodgers needs. Dodgers fifth starters this season have a 5.97 ERA in 29 starts while averaging under five innings per start, so the Dodgers will be in the market for a starter. As it stands right now, Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are the only established starters under contract for 2011, so a starting pitcher under contract or control beyond this season is ideal. Roy Oswalt is in the deep end of the salary pool, too rich for the Dodgers tastes. Someone like Paul Maholm, who is signed through 2011 with an option for 2012, is the kind of pitcher they will target. Ted Lilly, whose contract is up after this season, is another option.Starters aren't the only pitchers on the shopping list, either. The Dodger bullpen currently consists of two reliable pitchers, Jonathan Broxton and Hong-Chih Kuo, and a series of question marks. Ronald Belisario is currently on the restricted list for what the team calls personal reasons, but no matter what the reason the Dodgers lost a valuable piece of their bullpen. Ramon Troncoso was overworked and ineffective, and George Sherrill, whom the club acquired at last year's trade deadline, has seen his production fall off the face of the Earth. Octavio Dotel is a name that comes to mind, simply because he can be packaged with Maholm, and the Dodgers are looking for a discount on shipping and handling. The Dodgers might also look north to Toronto, where Scott Downs and Jason Frasor would be a fit. The Dodgers once traded Frasor to the Blue Jays for Jayson Werth; perhaps they can attempt that again with the Phillies. That brings us to the Dodgers' other need: an outfielder, preferably a right-handed hitting one. Manny Ramirez is currently on the disabled list for the third time this season with a calf injury. He will be out for at least three weeks, if not longer, and may not be able physically to play the field very often if at all once he gets back. Xavier Paul, who bats from the left side, figures to get the bulk of the playing time down the stretch as he auditions for the open spot next year. Reed Johnson is also on the disabled list, but is expected back in about a week, so perhaps the Dodgers will seek a bench-type upgrade rather than a starting outfielder. The last two trade deadlines have seen the Dodgers trade catcher Carlos Santana (and pitcher Jon Meloan) for Casey Blake https://www.kcrgear.com/greg-holland-jersey, and third baseman Josh Bell (and pitcher Steve Johnson) for Sherrill, so the fear is that the Dodgers will surely overpay for non-elite talent this season as well. Their top offensive prospects are shortstop Dee Gordon and outfielder Jerry Sands, and the top pitchers are Chris Withrow and Ethan Martin. Outfielder Andrew Lambo (suspended earlier this season for 50 games for a drug of abuse) and Scott Elbert (who left his Triple A club with permission after being upset about being demoted) might have normally been trade chips Jake Newberry Jersey, but their value has plummeted for different reasons. The system is deep in pitching prospects, but many are at lower minor league levels so they may require a trade partner with patience.-----Previous team previews:LAnaheim AngelsOakland AthleticsHoustonAstrosToronto Blue JaysAtlanta BravesMilwaukeeBrewersSt. Louis CardinalsChicagoCubsArizonaDiamondbacksSan Francisco GiantsClevelandIndiansSeattleMarinersFloridaMarlinsNew York MetsWashingtonNationalsBaltimoreOriolesSan Diego PadresPhiladelphia PhilliesPittsburghPiratesTexas RangersTampa Bay RaysCincinnati RedsBoston Red SoxColorado RockiesKansasCity RoyalsDetroit TigersMinnesota TwinsChicago White SoxNew York Yankees

recent memory, the Bombers are enjoying a well-deserved day off on Monday before hosting the Blue Jays in a three-game series. The Bombers haven’t seen the Bluebirds since the second week of the season, during which the Yankees went 2-4 across six games. Much has changed since Bo Bichette walked off Chad Green on April 14th — the Yankees went 23-12 and now sit in a tentative playoff spot, while the Jays have stumbled a bit to a .500 record and fourth in the AL East. They’re currently on a six-game skid, having just been swept by the red-hot Rays.Toronto has scored 33 more runs than New York this season, but has also allowed 24 more. Although Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is enjoying a spectacular season, George Springer has only played in four games and is back on the IL, putting the pressure on Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, and Teoscar Hernández to pick up the slack (and they’ve done well, for the most part). The Jays are also struggling to find pitching after ace Hyun Jin Ryu, who the Yankees are fortunate to dodge this series.Tuesday: Corey Kluber vs. Steven MatzWhenever the Blue Jays get their first hit off Kluber, it’ll be the first hit he’s allowed in almost two weeks. Kluber’s breaking ball was extra-sharp in his no-hitter against Texas on Wednesday, a weapon he could use to get ahead of hitters or finish them off. Kluber’s changeup also helped him generate plenty of weak contact. Of course, facing the Blue Jays is a lot different than facing the Rangers, and they did rough him up a bit early on in 2021. Kluber has heated up since then and is unbeaten in his last five starts while pitching to a 1.78 ERA and a .171 batting average against, averaging more than a strikeout per inning.Matz, who turns 30 on the weekend, has been his usual self for the Blue Jays this season, his first outside of Queens. On the season, he’s notched a 4.69 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 92 ERA+. Start-to-start consistency has long eluded Matz, who began the year 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA but has pitched to a 6.93 ERA in his last five outings. While strikeouts are up this year, he’s still allowing too many baserunners. In seven career outings against the Yankees, he’s 1-3 with a 6.83 ERA.Wednesday: Domingo Germán vs. Alek ManoahGermán will look to continue his resurgent season on Wednesday. Since his demotion on April 11th, Germán has gone unbeaten in six starts while pitching to a 1.93 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He was particularly effective in his last start at Texas, throwing seven shutout innings. He’s yet to throw more than 92 pitches this season, but whatever he’s been doing has been working. Over this recent stretch, he’s performed like the number three starter the Yankees have been chasing for so long.This would have been Anthony Kay’s spot in the rotation, but the Blue Jays demoted him after a poor start on Thursday. With Nate Pearson working on his mechanics in the minors and Ross Stripling booted from the rotation (he went seven as the “bulk guy” on Monday), Toronto only has three traditional starters at the moment https://www.nyygear.com/babe-ruth-jersey. Thus, originally, we suspected that Wednesday would be a bullpen game, but it was later revealed that the Blue Jays would be calling up starter Alek Manoah:Blue Jays promoting their top pitching prospect, right-hander Alek Manoah, to start Wednesday against the Yankees, sources tell @TheAthletic.— Ken Rosenthal May 24, 2021Here’s a little background on Manoah Jordan Montgomery Jersey, courtesy of Josh in the comments:11th overall pick out of WVU in 2019, 2.65 ERA in Low-A that season. 0.50 ERA, 40.9 (!)% K rate with Triple-A this year. Much better than his prospect ranking, one of those guys that we have very little data on since he spent all of last season at the alternate site. Plus plus fastball with arguably the best slider in Triple-A Gerrit Cole Jersey. Should be exciting.Thursday: Jordan Montgomery vs. Robbie RayThe Yankees will start Jordan Montgomery in this game, coming off of his best start this season. Montgomery had a career-high 11 punchouts on Friday against a White Sox team that usually dominates lefties. He has put together a fine season all his own, to the tune of a 4.07 ERA, career-best 1.07 WHIP and 9.6 K/9.The Blue Jays will counter with Robbie Ray in this one. A one-time All-Star who is still just 29 years old, Ray pitched seven innings of one-run ball while fanning seven Rays in his most recent start. The southpaw has always been good at missing bats, but has long struggled with his control. However, he’s never had a better walk rate than the 2.2 BB/9 he’s posting this season. On the other hand, his 3.79 ERA belies an unsightly 5.21 FIP. It’ll be interesting to see how the Yankees’ plate discipline holds up against Ray in the series finale.