JULY WAS A SPICY ONE, as trade deadline months tend to be.

 

(Note:  All stats updated through August 1st, only highest level or largest sample size or both shown for the prospects cuz fuck you. Also note MLB Comps are lazier than ever and no longer limited to active players because laziness I have become thee. Also note I may forget a Rights Player trade or waiver order trade or draft pick trade or blah blah fucking blah and almost certainly have, but in my defense I never really give a shit whom you drafted with some pick you acquired for trading Jon Lester….)

 

 

DATE / TRADE		CURRENT #s / MLB COMPS	NOTES / WINNER
Sat, Jul 28 11:50 AM   WOOD traded Daniel Murphy, Wsh 2B to BBS BBS traded A.J. Minter, Atl RP to WOOD BBS traded Michael Soroka*, Atl SP to WOOD BBS traded Michael Wacha*, StL SP to WOOD		Murphy:  .341 OBP (125 ABs), 6 2Bs, 4 HRs, 10 Rs, 23 RBIs, 1 SB   Minter:  3-2, 42.1 IP, 2.98 ERA (2.29 FIP), 49 Ks (10.42 K/9), 11 Holds, 6 Saves   Soroka:  2-1, 25.2 IP (5 GS), 3.51 ERA (2.85 FIP), 21 Ks (7.36 K/9)2 QS MLB Comp:  Tim Hudson. HOT START.   Wacha:  8-2, 84.1 IP (15 GS), 3.20 ERA (4.22 FIP), 71 Ks (7.58 K/9), 7 QS	I think Wacha is probably the same shit he has always been, I also think Murphy is a broken down homophobe, I also think THE BONERS DID PRETTY GOOD HERE Soroka could be a guy Minter is a guy already I LIKE THIS ONE FOR THE BONERZ YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY / Morning Wood
Sat, Jul 28 11:32 AM  BEAR traded Willy Adames, TB SS to OGFC OGFC traded Justin Smoak, Tor 1B to BEAR		Adames:  .264 OBP (119 ABs), 2 2Bs, 4 HRs, 15 Rs, 11 RBIs, 1 SB MLB Comp:  Xander Bogaerts, alllllways Xander Bogaerts   Smoak:  .360 OBP (354 ABs), 28 2Bs, 17 HRs, 47 Rs, 55 RBIs	Gonna MOSTLY decline to comment on my deals, other than to comment a bit. I think one of these guys may one day be good I think one of these guys is good now, I also blame my High Minors bats for AT LEAST 5 of my team’s losses this year they’ve been piss poor.
Fri, Jul 27 12:28 PM  BEAR traded Cal Quantrill, SD SP to WOOD WOOD traded Lorenzo Cain, Mil CF to BEAR		Quantrill:  (AA) 6-5, 117 IP (22 GS), 5.15 ERA (4.25 FIP), 101 Ks (7.77 K/9) MLB Comp:  Ryan Madson ohhh I went there.   Cain:  .394 OBP (348 ABs), 18 2Bs, 1 3B, 8 HRs, 55 Rs, 30 RBIs, 19 SBs	Again here, one MAY be good in time (although there’s likely better options in FA as we speak in terms of prospect ranks and such) and one is good now. Particularly in an OBP league. And we needed a playoff push clearly.
Fri, Jul 27 10:26 AM  RCBD traded Carlos Carrasco, Cle SP to GSW GSW traded Miguel Sano, Min 3B to RCBD GSW traded Sixto Sanchez, Phi SP to RCBD		Carrasco: 13-5, 123 IP (20 GS), 3.66 ERA (3.26 FIP), 138 Ks (10.22 K/9), 12 QS 2 CGs   Sano: .276 OBP (164 ABs), 11 2Bs, 7 HRs, 19 Rs, 28 RBIs   Sanchez:  (A+) 4-3, 46.2 IP (8 GS), 2.51 ERA (2.68 FIP), 45 Ks (8.68 K/9) MLB Comp:  Either Pedro Martinez or Antonio Bastardo.	I certainly GET this one for both sides, the Warriors were trying to combat injuries plus feel you can never have too much pitching plus Sano was sucking and down in AAA. The Dudes wanted to move along from Carrasco roster constructionally and likely thought Sano was better than his #s and would be back soon, plus Sixto looks gooooood. The amount of Os I just put in “good” there means I prefer the Sixto side o’ things. / Bad Dudes
Thu, Jul 26 1:12 PM  BEAR traded Cody Bellinger, LAD 1B to LTBS BEAR traded Fernando Tatis Jr., SD SS to LTBS LTBS traded Jose Altuve*, Hou 2B to BEAR		Bellinger:  .351 OBP (272 ABs), 17 2Bs, 1 3B, 5 HRs, 41 Rs, 32 RBIs, 4 SBs   Tatis Jr.:  .365 OBP (302 ABs), 17 2Bs, 1 3B, 14 HRs, 53 Rs, 51 RBIs, 1 SB MLB Comp:  Carlos Correa if he works, Tim Beckham if he doesn’t (mwahaha)   Altuve:  .365 OBP (302 ABs), 17 2Bs, 1 3B, 14 HRs, 53 Rs, 51 RBIs, 1 SB	Good chance this looks GREAT for Doch in a few years, particularly if Tatis Jr. arrives and rakes or if age/injury robs Altuve of his value (off to a HOT START there). Lotta swing n miss in the games of the two kids here but that is perhaps just the game these days. I regret nothing though.
Wed, Jul 25 4:45 PM  RCBD traded Jed Lowrie, Oak 2B to LTBS LTBS traded Kevin Maitan, LAA SS to RCBD		Lowrie:  .352 OBP (406 ABs), 27 2Bs, 1 3B, 17 HRs, 48 Rs, 68 RBIs,   Kevin Maitan:  (R) .306 OBP (134 ABs), 5 2Bs, 3 HRs, 21 Rs, 13 RBIs MLB Comp: Ronnie Belliard	I suspect there was something else involved in this too, but I mean maybe there wasn’t? Either way Kevin Maitan is a chubby piece of shit. / BackdoorSliderz
Fri, Jul 20 6:50 PM  XYZ traded Jon Lester, ChC SP to RCBD		Lester:  12-4, 125.2 IP (22 GS), 3.22 ERA (4.66 FIP), 99 Ks (7.09 K/9), 10 QS	Look I hate Jon Lester as much as the next guy BUT it is very possible he outpitches the FIP all year somehow and gives the Dudes a couple clutch starts on a playoffs push. And who gives a fuck about those goddamned draft picks or whatever, ergo. / Bad Dudes
Thu, Jul 19 12:30 PM  XYZ traded David Dahl, Col CF to WOOD WOOD traded Brandon Crawford, SF SS to XYZ		Dahl:  .309 OBP (91 ABs), 3 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 4 HRs, 8 Rs, 13 RBIs, 2 SBs   Crawford:  .352 OBP (376 ABs), 24 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 10 HRs, 45 Rs, 43 RBIs, 3 SBs	TRULY there are no winners here, this was some sort of weird procedural thing and I am annoyed I even typed it out. BUT also Dahl’s teeny line there hints at the massive upside should he ever get it together so I meannnn if you’re comfortable with the roster dead spot (he wasn’t Dahl is an FA), but also Crawford has been decent this year soooo… / X*Rayz
Wed, Jul 18 11:30 AM  OGFC traded Josh Naylor, SD 1B to XYZ XYZ traded Justin Smoak, Tor 1B to OGFC		Naylor:  (AA) .394 OBP (408 ABs), 20 2Bs, 1 3B, 14 HRs, 59 Rs, 65 RBIs, 4 SBs MLB Comp:  Pedro Alvarez   Smoak:  .360 OBP (354 ABs), 28 2Bs, 17 HRs, 47 Rs, 55 RBIs	Smoak eventually fetched Adames whom is a higher ranked prospect (but also one about to lose minors eligibility but I digress) so by transitive property… / Trout Fishing Club
Tue, Jul 10 12:06 PM  RCBD traded Sonny Gray, NYY SP to WOOD WOOD traded Jose Alvarado, TB RP to RCBD		Gray:  8-8, 103.2 IP (21 GS), 5.56 ERA (4.42 FIP), 99 Ks (8.59 K/9), 7 QS   Alvarado:  1-3, 45 IP, 2.40 ERA (3.01 FIP), 46 Ks (9.20 K/9), 20 Holds, 4 Saves (2 BS)	Sonny Gray is fucking atrocious and getting him off your team is always a win. / Bad Dudes
Mon, Jul 9 10:47 AM  BEAR traded Luis Urias, SD SS to OGFC BEAR traded Carter Kieboom, WAS SS (Rights Player) to OGFC OGFC traded Amir Garrett, Cin RP to BEAR OGFC traded Cal Quantrill, SD SP to BEAR		Urias:  (AAA) .378 OBP (366 ABs), 20 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 7 HRs, 63 Rs, 36 RBIs, 2 SBs MLB Comp:  Jose motherfuckin Altuve! Or like Jorge Polanco or something.   Kieboom:  (AA) .327 OBP (140 ABs), 9 2Bs, 2 HRs, 17 Rs, 9 RBIs, 1 SB MLB Comp:  Jedd Gyorko   Garrett:  0-2, 51.1 IP, 3.68 ERA (3.83 FIP), 60 Ks (10.52 K/9), 19 Holds (2 BS)   Quantrill:  (AA) 6-5, 117 IP (22 GS), 5.15 ERA (4.25 FIP), 101 Ks (7.77 K/9) MLB Comp:  The aforementioned Ryan Madson	Amir has suckedddd since he’s been acquired and even if he had NOT sucked he’s a one year rental, turning Quantrill into LoCain is nice but I like Urias a lot an Kieboom could end up being a steal eventually so fine declaring a victor here / Trout Fishing Club
Sat, Jul 7 5:24 PM  OGFC traded Justin Verlander, Hou SP to LTBS LTBS traded Brendan Rodgers, Col SS to OGFC LTBS traded Dylan Cease, CWS SP to OGFC		Verlander:  10-6, 148.2 IP (23 GS), 2.24 ERA (2.87 FIP), 190 Ks (11.50 K/9), 18 QS 1 CG   Rodgers:  (AA) .342 OBP (357 ABs), 23 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 17 HRs, 49 Rs, 62 RBIs, 12 SBs MLB Comp: Troy Tulowitzki or Alex Bregman or Trevor Story or JJ Hardy or a guy that never makes the league cuz PROSPECTS, JJ Hardy was rude though.   Cease:  (AA) 2-0, 34.2 IP (6 GS), 2.34 ERA (2.87 FIP), 49 Ks (12.72 K/9) MLB Comp:  Keone Kela if he gets bullpen’d, for I do not see color. Perhaps more of a Vince Velasquez if he does not.	I absolutely get the OGTFC deciding to ship out Verlander in what looks to be a lost year, and Rodgers+ certainly ain’t a bad package and Lacey may grow to miss him, but also Verlander has been oh so good this year so I’ll give it to the guy pushing his chips into the middle we are suckers for that sorta thing. / BackdoorSliderz
Wed, Jul 4 11:55 PM  BBS traded Estevan Florial, NYY CF to RCBD BBS traded Alex Reyes*, StL SP to RCBD RCBD traded Max Muncy, LAD 3B to BBS RCBD traded Austin Gomber, StL SP to BBS RCBD traded Robert Gsellman, NYM RP to BBS		Florial:  (A+) .346 OBP (185 ABs), 10 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 1 HR, 25 Rs, 18 RBIs, 8 SBs MLB Comp:  Raw as fuck so this one is tricky, could be Keon Broxton could be Aaron Hicks could be who knows.   Alex Reyes:  0-0, 4 IP aka just enough to put him over his minors limit (1 GS), 0.00 ERA (4.50 FIP), 2 Ks (4.50 K/9)   Muncy:  .387 OBP (270 ABs), 11 2Bs, 1 3B, 24 HRs, 48 Rs, 48 RBIs, 2 SBs   Gomber: 1-0, 22.1 IP (1 GS), 3.22 ERA (4.46 FIP), 18 Ks (7.25 K/9), 1 QS MLB Comp:  Jordan Montgomery   Robert Gsellman:  6-2, 59 IP, 4.27 ERA (4.35 FIP), 54 Ks (8.24 K/9), 10 Holds 5 Saves (5 BS)	I kinda love Max Muncy also kinda think Gsellman can still be a useful 2018 piece also kinda VERY skeptical as towards what Alex Reyes becomes and Florial doesn’t make it twitch for me, therefore I like this one for the Banana Slugs and I am unapologetic about it fuck you Mike. / Banana Slugs

 

 

The trade deadline will soon be upon us, ESPN is yelling at me on my team page about this fact, and I voted for it to come much sooner than this but the democratic system felt otherwise. NEVERTHELESS when it arrives we will be in a unique position in the league, as this is the first second year of the shortened season format and the second third year where all players will be kept into the offseason. Ergo, the deadline is going to be CLOSELY followed by the playoffs and ERGO 4-for-1 trades aren’t useless in the way that they might have been for teams in a pre-dynasty format. Certain teams no doubt have their eyes on the prize for 2017 2018, certain teams might be all but mathematically eliminated (or actually mathematically eliminated) from contention for 2017, and certain teams might be somewhere in between. What follows is a brief preview of what are IN MY HUMBLE OPINION the Buyers, Sellers, and In-Betweens in the Backyard this season. Will also dig in a bit about possible trade targets, areas of weakness or strength, etc. etc. etc. for each. Just fucking read it or fucking don’t what do I care……..

So that was mostly just regurgitated from last year but whatever still mostly works…..

 

THE BUYERS

 

 

BELL ROAD BEARS:  8-7, CURRENT #5 SEED

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  Perhaps an upgrade on offense (power numbers ain’t great, steals ain’t either), perhaps another reliable starting pitcher, CATCHER I GUESS.

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  High Minors SS Willy Adames, a going-through-growing-pains SS Scott Kingery, a where-does-the-true-talent-lie OF Brandon Nimmo, Rights Player 3B Nolan Gorman, Low Minors OF Fernando Tatis Jr. JK NO….

ANALYSIS:  The Bears went from the second hottest team to one of the league’s coldest, having dropped 3 outta 5 for A VARIETY OF REASONS. They still are in decent shape to grab the 4 or 5 seed but also could run the risk of falling out of the playoffs ENTIRELY if a 2 game losing streak continues on to three or four games. When in such a position it is prudent to not ignore the trade market, and perhaps the Bears could decide they don’t want to sit through some of the growing pains on some of their younger players and package them for something of a bit more consistency.

 

 

 

LACEY TOWNSHIP BACKDOORSLIDERZ:  7-8, CURRENT #6 SEED 

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  Perhaps an upgrade at closer or a speedster to help out in the SBs cat.

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  Rights Player SS Keston Hiura, Rights Player SS Royce Lewis, Rights Player SP Casey Mize, Low Minors SP Michael Kopech, Low Minors OF Heliot Ramos, I dunno just about any prospect…..

ANALYSIS:  The BackdoorSliderz reallllly don’t have a tremendous amount of weaknesses at this time, they only make the buyers list due to their precarious playoff positioning. An impact closer or an impact steals guy (perhaps the X*Rayz have grown tired of Billy Hamilton‘s struggles?) could provide justttt enough of an edge to assure this team of a playoff spot, while also improving their odds of making noise once settled into said playoff spot. One never really knows how attached other owners are to their particular prospects but the BDSliderz would certainly have some interesting names both in their minors and their rights system, should they show a willingness to deal any of them.

 

 

 

ROJO’S RENEGADE FORCE:  8-6-1, CURRENT #4 SEED

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  Some steals help, some rotation help, a closer if they’re feeling froggy (they never are).

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  SP Julio Urias, Low Minors 1B Brendan McKay, High Minors OF Victor Robles, Low Minors OF Corey Ray, High Minors OF, again just basically check their minors system and cross out the untouchables (of which there should be none most of the time, is generally what I say)….

ANALYSIS:  The Renegade Force is positioned fairly okay in terms of their chances of punching a ticket to the Backyard Bracket, however they also haven’t won since mid-June so TIME TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR. And should they look in said mirror they just may discover some vulnerability in pitching and in speed, some of their older ace types are struggling mightily in the dog days o’ summer here and they currently roster only one player that’s stolen more than one base in the last 30 days (Kipnis with 2, team leader is Springer with 6). So yanno FAR BE IT FOR ME to ever try and convince the RRF to not punt categories, that is not something I do, but generally one shouldn’t punt steals in the playoffs (see last year’s champeen for confirmation bias) particularly if they are also punting Saves. That’s like a QUICK 0-2 hole and that could be trouble. Worth. Looking. Into.   

 

 

THE SELLERS

 

 

Q-TIP CITY MORNING WOOD:  1-14, CURRENT #10 SEED

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  PITCHING AND PROSPECTS. They have a few pieces on offense, of course they could use a few more who cannot, but pitching has been big foible this season for the Bonerz. Also they could use a bit of a restocking of the minors system they’ve gutted a few times over at this point.

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  Honestly they’ve been KINDA picked clean but uhhhh OF Lorenzo Cain, 1B Carlos Santana, perhaps OF Justin Upton or 2B Daniel Murphy or some shit, OF Starling Marte if they wanna capitalize on the recent stretch o’ dongs....

ANALYSIS:  Oh, BONERZ. Not to be outdone by his inaugural season, Shane has somehow managed to improve his team’s overall stats while decreasing his team’s winning percentage. VERY IMPRESSIVE. Less impressive is the prospects this team has amassed in a reaction to all of the talent that has made its way out of town in a short amount of time. Vlad Guerrero Jr. would have been a real crown jewel but instead he got stolen by an evil in-law, and the prospects aren’t particularly promising. Not that there’s an automatic need to stock a non-playoff team with prospects but THIS TEAM could perhaps use an additional one or two, unfortunately THIS TEAM has already given away most of their biggest trade chips. And so here we are. A franchise picked all but clean.

 

 

 

OCEANGATE TROUT FISHING CLUB:  4-9-2, CURRENT #9 SEED

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  Better management, better pitching, better balance in a rather top-heavy lineup.

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  OF Michael Brantley, 2B Brian Dozier, 1B Justin Smoak, C Yadier Molina if I get desperate…..

ANALYSIS:  OceanGate is once again set to miss the playoffs DESPITE HAVING THE GREATEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY. It is a team sport folks. They also have Betts and therefore NO EXCUSES, blame your ho-hum Cubbie seasons and Trea Turner seasons all you like. Unlike our other seller the OGTFC minors system is actually in okayish shape, and like our other seller most of the OBVIOUS sell candidates have already done been sold (mostly thinking of Verlander). So yea tough deadline market is the entire point of this pointless article.

 

 

 

THE IN-BETWEENS

 

 

RIVER CITY BAD DUDES:  6-9, CURRENT #7 SEED OR #8 SEED OR WHATFUCKINGEVER

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  A longterm 2B worth a goddamn, starting pitching cuz I kinda say that for everyone except Ryan and Brian and Doch at this point.

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  SP Jake Arrieta, SP Carlos Carrasco based on rumors and innuendo, all da prospects if they decide they are GOIN’ FOR IT….

ANALYSIS:  On one hand the Bad Dudes are PERILOUSLY CLOSE to missing the playoffs and not being able to cite that dumb statistic about making the playoffs every season as if anyone gives as hit. ON THE OTHER HAND, they will not be interested in anything resembling a “rebuild” of any kind and won’t be formally eliminated by our trade deadline. So tough to say if the Bad Dudes look to move any more pieces, having already parted with some deadline currency in SP-eligible holds fellas and 2018 breakout Max Muncy. Should they see an opportunity to unload a guy they’ve grown tired of they may do so, particularly if the Backyard landscape looks cold to them and their playoff chances look particularly fleeting by Saturday AM. But also maybe they’re done dealing.

 

 

 

POINT LOMA X*RAYZ:  6-9, CURRENT #8 SEED OR #7 SEED OR WHATFUCKINGEVER

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  Hard to look at this team and not think they could stand to upgrade here and there on either side of the ball, so take your pick.

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  SP Jordan Hicks, SP Kenta Maeda, SP JA Happ but not really…..

ANALYSIS:  The X*Rayz TOO find themselves in a tricky position, needing to win out for a chance to make the Backyard Bracket and avoid snapping their own slightly smaller playoffs streak meh. A team outside of the playoff hunt RARELY has need for an SP-eligible holds guy unless they think he’s gonna make a fine RP only, jury absolutely out on Hicks there. And aside from that it is a matter of either attempting to add a piece or two or attempting to unload a guy that you think is sorta peaking in value, and that guy may be Kenta Maeda and the team that desires him may be mine.   

 

 

GARDEN STATE WARRIORS:  12-3, CURRENT #1 SEED

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  Fresh bodies to cover all these damn injured players and/or extra DL slots.

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  Low Minors SP Sixto Sanchez, Low Minors SP Forrest Whitley, Low Minors SP MacKenzie Gore, Low Minors SP Jason Groome, all the Low Minors SPs pretty much, also a couple Rights Player OFs (Baddoo, Adell) they are willing to deal…..

ANALYSIS:  Look the Warriors are fuckingggg cruissssssingggg so far be it from me to act like they need to make a deal, however The Baseball Gods have been doing their best to knock them off their perch and they currently have like eleventee DL’d players. Couple that with a looming matchup with the Isotopes in Week 17 that very well may have the #1 seed on the line and you have at least the POTENTIAL for the Warriors to at least be CONSIDERING dealing from a position of strength to shore up some injury-created holes. And that position of strength would be a stacked system of Low Minors pitchers waiting to graduate to a stacked rotation. Warriors could probably spare one or two or three if a deal made sense, though a 9 game win streak likely means there is no impetus to do so at this time. FEEL FREE TO ASK THOUGH, other teams. Otherwise this deadline is shaping up to look dead.

 

 

ASTORIA ISOTOPES:  11-3-1, CURRENT #2 SEED

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  Pitching, one can never have too much pitching and behind Chris Sale and Keuchel there’s the surprising Tylers (Skaggs/Anderson) and then crickets.  

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  1B Miguel Cabrera (Bonerz written all over it), 2B Robinson Cano,  Low Minors OF Leody Taveras,  Low Minors SP Justus Sheffield, Low Minors SP Shane Baz, Low Minors SP Michel Baez, High Minors SP Corbin Burnes…..

ANALYSIS:  Another team cruising towards the Backyard Bracket and a possible bye, the Isotopes also have the interesting wrinkle of being able to possibly trade AGING DL’d or suspended stars to a team that believes they still will have real value in 2019. Trading players at their lowest possible value has been a bit of a theme in 2018 let’s keep it going. ALTERNATELY the ‘Topes could choose to part with some prospects if there’s pitching available that provides a clear upgrade to their staff. That is. The if. However. Or just ship out a prospect to upgrade the team in general (SP holds guy?) because flags fly forever and I haven’t seen the Isotopes win a playoff matchup in seemingly forfuckingever. See also this “flags fly forever” thing as the reasoning why I am suggesting they need pitching while also suggesting they trade some pitching that is just around the corner, THE ‘TOPES HAVE NEVER FELT CLOSER TO A TITLE.

 

 

 

BARNEGAT BANANA SLUGS:  10-5, CURRENT #3 

POSSIBLE NEEDS:  Power hitting to kinda fill in after the beautiful moment when Jesus Aguilar, Max Muncy, Trevor Story, and Eddie Rosario all regress ever so slightly at precisely the same time.

POSSIBLE TRADE CHIPS:  Rights Player OF Brandon Marsh, Rights Player 3B Alec Bohm, Low Minors OF Kyle Lewis, Low Minors OF Taylor Trammel, Low Minors SS Bo Bichette, High Minors SP Mike Soroka, Low Minors 3B Vlad Guerrero Jr. I KID I KID I KID…..

ANALYSIS:   Barnegat is a team I almost threw in the “Buyers” section above because they could be a little luck and a little hot streak away from grabbing themselves a bye, yanno the bye they acted like they had clinched after a 7-1 start and have subsequently choked away by going 3-4 since? That bye. BUT I mean the Banana Slugs are still comfortably in the playoffs and nobody loves projecting their prospects more, so getting them to part even with the washouts (looking at you Kyle Lewis) could be tricky. I am confident Slugs management shall be doing its due diligence however.

 

 

I am also confident I am mostly out of things to say in this, BORING DEADLINE last year’s felt like it had more promise. See below for last year’s closing commentary when I felt the world was still full of wonder and possibility, I do not remember how many teams had ERAs over 4 at that time but we currently have 5 so that may be tied or topping it.

 

 

 

 

2017 closing statements – So there you have it. A bit of a preview of where IN MY HUMBLE OPINION all of your teams fall, and then an attempt to spice up the deadline by identifying possible trade chips and team needs and then just floundering and declaring everyone could use pitching. CUZ EVERYONE CAN, this is the most ERAs over 4 that this league has ever seen (probably a juiced baseball issue but still). So there. You have it. Happy Trading everybody….

 

 

 

You should have the general feel down by now, I simply listicle all the trades in the month in ESPN transaction summary form and fill in some bullshit for each. So LETS……do that. And maybe should these ever get interesting or should the deadline get crazy this will be tweaked but yanno……who even knows what the deadline is at this point. JULY TRADES…. 

Note for these belated “reviews”:  all stats are current-ish, so not necessarily reflective of the numbers at time of trade, but still who really gives a shit….

 

RECENT ACTIVITY
	DATE / TRADE	CURRENT NUMBERS / MLB COMPS	NOTES / WINNER
	Mon, Jun 18 10:25 PMWOOD traded Arodys Vizcaino, Atl RP to XYZ XYZ traded Hunter Greene, Cin SP to WOOD	Vizcaino:  2-2, 31.2 IP, 1.71 ERA (3.19 FIP), 33 Ks (9.38 K/9), 15 Saves (2 BS) Greene:  (AAA) 3-7, 63.1 IP (16 GS), 4.69 ERA (3.49 FIP), 80 Ks (11.37 K/9),   , Cin SP to WOOD MLB Comp: (a real rosy one)  Noah Syndergaard	Hunter Greene has the chance to be prettttty special and Vizcaino is yanno just a closer and stuff, so gonna give this one to the team that got a potential top tier SP / MORNING WOOD AND ABOUT TIME
	Mon, Jun 11 12:14 PMOGFC traded Addison Russell, ChC SS to RCBD RCBD traded Luis Castillo, Cin SP to OGFC	Russell:  .351 OBP (272 ABs), 17 2Bs, 1 3B, 5 HRs, 41 Rs, 32 RBIs, 4 SBs Castillo:  5-8, 98.1 IP (19 GS), 5.58 ERA (4.72 FIP), 94 Ks (8.60 K/9), 5 QS	Addi is CERTAINLY having his best year to date despite the middling power numbers, Castillo is struggling mightily, but still SHOULDN’T SELL LOW in this particular sitch IMHO / OGTFC
	Sun, Jun 10 1:10 PMWOOD traded Zack Greinke, Ari SP to LTBS LTBS traded Carlos Santana, Phi 1B to WOOD LTBS traded Mitch Keller, Pit SP to WOOD LTBS traded Yoshihisa Hirano, Ari RP to WOOD	Greinke:  9-5, 114 IP (19 GS), 3.39 ERA (3.60), 117 Ks (9.24 K/9), 10 QS   Santana:  .365 OBP (302 ABs), 17 2Bs, 1 3B, 14 HRs, 53 Rs, 51 RBIs, 1 SB Keller:  (AA) 9-2, 86 IP (14 GS), 2.72 ERA (3.73 FIP), 76 Ks (7.95 K/9)  (AAA) 0-1, 8.2 IP (2 GS), 13.50 ERA (5.39 FIP), 13 Ks (13.50 K/9)   MLB Comp: I don’t knowww howz about Kevin Gausman	Keller might one day be pretty good but uhhh even if so, not the best of hauls here for Greinke and sneaky nice piece in a one Carlos Santana. At least he won the other one up there / BackdoorSliderz
	Thu, Jun 7 7:33 PMLTBS traded Austin Riley, Atl 3B to XYZ (and I am sure some freaking draft pick was involved but whatever)	Riley:  (AAA) .345 OBP (102 ABs), 3 2Bs, 4 HRs, 10 Rs, 18 RBIs, 1 SB  (AAA) .394 OBP (99 ABs), 10 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 6 HRs, 17 Rs, 20 RBIs MLB Comp: Slower Nicholas Castellanos sure why not.	I will just make this easy on myself and go with the non-draft pick side…. / X*Rayz

 

Don’t let my adorable friend above fool you, these trades are mostly meh. WHICH I GET. Season is young, deadline is not near, everyone is mostly .500 except for the few that aren’t. I get it. But I will be DAMNED if I cover these in much detail at all. Let’s get to it….

Note for these belated “reviews”:  all stats are current-ish, so not necessarily reflective of the numbers at time of trade, but still who really gives a shit….

 

DATE / TRADE	CURRENT NUMBERS / MLB COMPS		NOTES / WINNER
Thu, May 31 11:14 PM  GSW traded Dylan Bundy, Bal SP to XYZ (for MacKenzie Gore, SD SP)	Bundy:  3-7, 68.2 IP (12 starts), 4.46 ERA (4.74 FIP), 83 Ks (10.88 K/9), 7 QS 1 CG Gore:  8 IP and 9 ER and 10 Ks across 3 A ball starts. MLB Comp:  Cole Hamels		Bundy has games where he looks unhittable (7 QS hint at that), other times he gets rocked. Worth the gamble sure, but Gore’s eventual upside likely surpasses Bundy’s. / WARRIORS
Thu, May 31 8:19 PM  RRF traded Jordan Hicks, StL SP (and waiver claim spot) to XYZ XYZ traded Marcell Ozuna, StL LF to RRF	Hicks:  2-1, 29 IP, 2.48 ERA (4.19 FIP), 16 Ks (4.97 K/9), 5 Holds MLB Comp:  Mauricio Cabrera Ozuna:  .320 OBP, 6 2Bs, 4 HRs, 21 Rs, 24 RBIs, 3 SBs		Hicks THROWS REAL FAST but that is about all he does, doesn’t get many swings and misses and walks more than he strikes out. Ozuna can rebound, this is better than dropping him but yea. / RRF
Tue, May 15 8:40 PM  RCBD traded Marcus Stroman*, Tor SP to LTBS LTBS traded David Dahl*, Col CF to RCBD	Stroman:  0-5, 37.1 IP (7 starts), 7.71 ERA (4.60 FIP), 32 Ks (7.21 K/9), 1 QS Dahl:  .309 OBP, 3 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 4 HRs, 8 Rs, 13 RBIs, 2 SBs		Hindsight has been unkind to this trade, cuz AT THE TIME I would applaud the Dudes giving up a pitcher I have always found to be mediocre for a potential 5 cat stud. Now that “stud” is out like 8 weeks and on waivers and starting to appear like he will always be out like 8 weeks. / Bad Dudes
Tue, May 8 11:37 PM  XYZ traded A.J. Puk, Oak SP to RCBD RCBD traded Brad Boxberger, Ari RP to XYZ	Puk:  He had TJ surgery in early April. MLB Comp:  Andrew Miller Boxberger:  1-2, 20 IP, 1.80 ERA (3.08 FIP), 27 Ks (12.15 K/9), 13 Saves		I do not have much faith in AJ Puk future starting pitcher, but future impact reliever might be plausible. MIGHT. Boxberger is helping out now though. / X*Rayz

 

 

 

 

Let’s phone this one in trade reviews are tedious….

 

 

DATE / TRADE	CURRENT NUMBERS / MLB COMPS		NOTES / WINNER (in my humble opinion)
Fri, Apr 27 1:47 PM   BABA traded Garrett Richards, LAA SP to RCBD RCBD traded Cesar Hernandez, Phi 2B to BABA RCBD traded Jonny Venters, TB SP to BABA	Richards:  3-1, 27.2 IP (6 starts), 4.88 ERA (4.56 FIP), 37 Ks (12.04 K/9), 1 QS Hernandez:  .406 OBP, 5 2Bs, 3 HRs, 21 Rs, 11 RBIs, 5 SBs Venters:  0.00 ERA (4.47 FIP), ZERO Ks, 1 Hold		Richards is having reallll issues getting deep into games but when he’s on he is pretty excellent. Cesar grossly underrated OBP 2B. Venters being listed as an SP is a travesty. I’ll give it to the Dudes for G-Rich’s upside going forward, though it shrinks with every passing day. / Bad Dudes
Mon, Apr 23 6:42 PM   XYZ traded Luiz Gohara, Atl SP to LTBS LTBS traded Jon Lester, ChC SP to XYZ	Gohara:  Gettin’ shelled in AAA currently, 9.51 K/9 and 4.91 ERA (2.75 FIP) in 29.1 MLB innings last year. MLB Comp:  CC Sabathia with a lot more velo.   Lester:  2-1, 33 IP (6 starts), 2.73 ERA (4.58 FIP), 27 Ks (7.36 K/9), 3 QS		Lester certainly seems like he is trending down over the past two years, not sure I trust the mileage on that arm. Gohara on the other hand throws heat but has control issues, and a terrible body. INJURY CONCERNS. Still like the upside for him, but again another even deal. / BackdoorSliderz
Mon, Apr 23 5:52 PM   LTBS traded Blake Snell, TB SP to XYZ XYZ traded Mitch Keller, Pit SP to LTBS	Snell:  4-1, 42.1 IP (7 starts), 2.55 ERA (3.14 FIP), 45 Ks (9.57 K/9), 5 QS   Keller:  2.73 ERA (3.88 FIP) and 8.80 K/9 in 29.2 AA innings this season, 3.12 ERA (2.50 FIP) and 11.68 K/9 in 34.2 AA innings last season. MLB Comp:  CC Sabathia with a lot more velo.		Keller might be great as soon as next season, but Snell is looking prettttty great now after a rocky couple of seasons. So I will take the guy that seems like he’s figured it out over the guy that might hit some bumps in the road prior to that. Likely a good deal for both sides though. / X*RAYZ
Mon, Apr 23 3:45 PM   RRF traded Teoscar Hernandez, Tor LF to LTBS LTBS traded Michael Chavis, Bos 3B to RRF	Hernandez:  .333 OBP, 8 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 4 HRs, 15 Rs, 11 RBIs, 3 SBs   Chavis:  SUSPENDED 80 games for PEDs, evidently had good Raw Power but WAS IT REAL? MLB Comp:  Trevor Plouffe cuz fuck him.		Michael Chavis got popped for PEDs but was like 78th best prospect according to MLB.com, I am not impressed. Teoscar on the other hand has been impressive and hits the shit outta the ball. Would rather have. / BackdoorSliderz
Mon, Apr 23 11:05 AM   BABA traded Marwin Gonzalez, Hou SS to XYZ XYZ traded Andrew Miller*, Cle RP to BABA	Gonzalez:  .320 OBP, 5 2Bs, 2 HRs, 10 Rs, 17 RBIs   Miller:  1-0, 10 IP, 0.00 ERA (1.59 FIP), 17 Ks (15.30 K/9), 1 Save, 4 Holds		Gonzalez’s positional versatility can be helpful but he’s still kinda MEH. Miller is injured but back soon and v. good. / BABADOOKS
Wed, Apr 4 3:21 AM   OGFC traded Andrew Miller*, Cle RP to XYZ XYZ traded Jay Bruce, NYM RF to OGFC	Miller:  1-0, 10 IP, 0.00 ERA (1.59 FIP), 17 Ks (15.30 K/9), 1 Save, 4 Holds Bruce: .308 OBP, 6 2Bs, 1 3B, 2 HRs, 9 Rs, 12 RBIs, 2 SBs		Jay Bruce is MEH, previous year’s numbers be damned. Miller is the best Holds guy in the league (when healthy). / X*RAYZ

 

Only cuz Heroy noted nobody discussed it. FINE we will fucking discuss it ya baby……

 

 

 

 

THE TRADE?

• Apr 4, 3:21 AM in the gotdamned morning
• OGFC traded Andrew Miller, Cle RP to XYZ
  XYZ traded Jay Bruce, NYM RF to OGFC

 

 

THE WHO?

Fishing Club Return

JAY BRUCE, 31 year old Mets RF and a guy that can hit some dingers, nobody is saying that he can’t hit some dingers.  .324 OBP, 29 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 36 HRs, 82 Rs, 101 RBIs, 1 SB for 2 teams across 555 ABs in 2017.  SO real good XBH numbers, and can he keep it up? I dunno probably can. You always wonder if going to the Mets saps morale (Todd Frazier already feels less joyous to me) and if the Mets training staff increases DL stints but WHAT DO I KNOW, and Jay is still fairly young and has fairly consistent underlying numbers that point to the basics in those numbers being mostly repeatable. More time in the OF and less time in the 1B maybe leads to more time off but maybe….not. I am not sure of anything today. 

 

X*Rayz Return

ANDREW MILLER, 32.88 year old southpaw reliever for the Indians and the best non-closer reliever in alllll of baseball. 4-3, 27 Holds, 2 Saves, 95 Ks in 62.2 IP (15.43 K/9), 1.44 ERA (1.99 FIP) in 2017. What is there really to sayyyyy here, Miller is the best holds guy in a holds league. Usually by a pretty sizable margin. And I doubt that changes this year and I’m sure he grabs a few saves to boot (more if Allen gets injured) and a bunch of Ks and bam business as usual.

 

 

 

THE WHY?

Uhhhh not too sure really. Seems the OGTFC were desperate to move Miller, perhaps for an OF, I hope for an OF cuz there’s probably better non-OF bats on the waiver wire right now. And seems the X*Rayz just took what was given to them. #analysis

 

 

THE WINNER?

THE X*RAYZ. I like the X*Rayz side here because TO ME Jay Bruce is still a borderline replacement-level bat, particularly now that he’s got the Mets stank on him. Nothing like a trip back to the Mets to drag down your morale and your numbers. So yea Jay Bruce is like, guy that may be outperformed by Corey Dickerson and Andrew Miller is best holds guy in league that counts holds. Gotta give this one to the latter side. THIS WAS RELATIVELY BORING THOUGH pick up the pace, league.

 

 

THE TRADE?

• Mar 28, 5:38 PM
• BBS traded Jake Lamb, Ari 3B to WOOD
  BBS traded Rick Porcello, Bos SP to WOOD
  WOOD traded Trevor Bauer, Cle SP to BBS

 

THE WHO?

Banana Slugs Return

TREVOR BAUER, 

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/trevor-bauer-major-league-baseball-censored-article-1.3865623

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20829464/cleveland-indians-pitcher-trevor-bauer-loses-drone-park

https://deadspin.com/trevor-bauer-had-a-rough-start-and-then-went-on-a-twitt-1819311300

https://deadspin.com/we-regret-to-inform-you-that-trevor-bauer-is-at-it-agai-1792215724

 

https://deadspin.com/5984242/is-trevor-bauers-terrible-new-rap-song-a-diss-track-directed-at-miguel-montero

 

 

just need to note the one tweet a little bit harder here:

@GManfan64 @Apple @Twitter lol ummm. Lol yeah. You say that to one of the most scientific baseball players in MLB. Ok lol

— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) February 10, 2017

 

 

Morning Wood Return

DOESN’T MATTER I’ve got all I need here…

 

 

THE WHY?

I dunno man.

 

 

THE WINNER?

THE MORNING WOOD. The Morning Wood win this trade. lol umm Trevor Bauer go away lol. Or at least log off the Twitter Ok lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SO……. going forward I reserve the right to review trades WITH LESS WORDS only in like a monthly format or something BUT I will also review trades at a bit more length and in a bit more timely fashion when they are of interest to me or when I am bored (or I will not review them at all, or someone else can review them, eat me). AND IN THIS CASE the review is necessary because it has merit (also I don’t feel like working), a perhaps HISTORIC number of players acquired by the Garden State Warriors all in one day all (one must assume) due to feeling miffed about his BLOG TEAM PREVIEW. Just another reason to start charging a subscription service for you people to read this stuff. ANYWHO let’s look at the Warriors day, or more accurately night, and decide how we, or more accurately I, feel about it.

 

 

 

 

THE TRADE?

• Mar 21, 8:49 PM
• RCBD traded Craig Kimbrel, Bos RP to GSW
  RCBD traded Yusniel Diaz, LAD CF to GSW
  GSW traded Andrew McCutchen, SF CF to RCBD
  GSW traded Carlos Rodon, CWS SP to RCBD

The Warriors also get the right to Rights Player Jo Adell, OF in the Angels organization.

 

THE WHO?

Bad Dudes Return

ANDREW MCCUTCHEN, 31.45 year old GIANTS RF but only CF eligible at the moment but will be RF eligible after playing 10 games. Formerly one of the best players on the planet, now still very good but moving towards an uncertain aging process and moving to a home park where HRs go to die (as they say)(TELL THAT TO BARRY LAMAR BONDS). Had 28 HRs last year though, also 30 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 94 Rs, 84 RBIs, 11 SBs, .363 OBP.  REALLY turned it around after a disappointing 2016 that made a lot of owners nervous, I will give him that. Now it is just a matter of seeing how he ADAPTS to a new locale and a new home park and new opponents and yada yada. If he can stay healthy I see him delivering alotta value out of an OF slot, I do not see him hitting 28 dongs again.  

CARLOS RODON, 25.25 year old White Sox SP that just CANNOT fucking stay healthy. 2-5 (6 QS), 76 Ks (9.87 K/9) and a 4.15 ERA (4.69 FIP) in 69.1 IP last year. So wasn’t very healthy, wasn’t all that great when he pitched as walks remain a concern, and SURPRISE SURPRISE not healthy again this year and probably out until June at least. No goddamn idea what you’re getting outta this guy, a realllll flyer if there ever was one.

 

Warriors Return

CRAIG KIMBREL, 29.75 year old Red Sawks closer and prrrrobably your second-best closer in all of fantasy and real baseball. 5-0, 35 Saves, 126 Ks in 69 IP (16.43 K/9), 1.43 ERA (1.42 FIP). Simply put Kimbel was about as good as he has ever been last year and I am sure in other places you can maybe make the argument he is the best fantasy closer but NOT ON THIS BLOG. The Sawks should be good and he should be great, best AVAILABLE closer and the Warriors went out and got em.

YUSNIEL DIAZ, 21.45 year old Dodgers OF prospect.  As of today, Baseball America Top 100 – NO LONGER RELEVANT cuz those cockaroaches want people to pay to see it now, as if they are even that accurate; MLB.com top 100 – NR; Fangraphs top 100 – NR; Baseball Prospectus Top 101 FANTASY- NR. Yusniel ain’t on too many radars as the Dodgers 5th ranked prospect but he DID slash .333/.390/.491 in 33 games in his first taste of Double A last season. Do something like that across a full season next year and OH folks will notice, and there’s also some buzz he could debut in the show in 2018, but right now tough to project and I’m not sure there’s more than a MLB reserve OF here. GONNA PROJECT ANYWAYS.                                                                                                                     Rose-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Mikie Mahtook     Thorn-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Alex Gordon

JO ADELL, 18.90 year old Angels OF prospect.  As of today, MLB.com top 100 – 62; Fangraphs top 100- 66; Baseball Prospectus Top 101 FANTASY- 33. Adell doesn’t have much pro ball to go off of but THE RUMOR IS this is a potential 5 tool star if he puts it altogether, although that IF is a fairly large one. He’s demonstrated some pop though, and has gotten some ink in various places (see that BP fantasy-based rating), and has been given a future FV 70 Raw power which is VERY good, and hit 4 HRs and stole 5 bases with a .351 OBP in 31 games of rookie ball last season. Another wait and see type thing, but if he has himself a year expect him to shoot up prospect lists. and MAYBE even get listed on ESPN dot com.                                                                                                        Rose-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Justin Upton    Thorn-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Drew Robinson

 

 

THE WHY?

The why here is obvious:  Ryan read my team preview instructions specifically stating “Additional Assembly Required” for his bullpen and he went out and did additional assembly. Or I dunno Lobman inquired about McCutchen or something, which would seem OUT OF CHARACTER, but these “WHY” sections are always heavy on speculation. I am speculating I am righter about the first one. Also the Bad Dudes seem to have no issue doing a real reliever carousel year after year so that helps.

 

 

THE WINNER?

THE WARRIORS. Basically I think Kimbrel is the best player in this deal and it just didn’t cost a particular lot to get him. McCutchen should be solid though there is certainly some risk to go around there, Rodon I think will be mostly useless. Rodon was once traded straight up for Raisel Iglesisas basically and NEITHER work as a starter is what I am saying, Rodon just hasn’t realized it yet. Injuries can be cruel. But yea Kimbrel over everything else and THEN the Warriors even get one very good OF prospect and one who the hell knows OF prospect thrown in. Warriors pretty easily here IMHO.

 

 

 

 

THE TRADE?

• Mar 21, 9:05 PM
• GSW traded Buster Posey, SF C to T
  GSW traded Chris Sale, Bos SP to T
  T traded Wil Myers, SD 1B to GSW
  T traded Gleyber Torres, NYY SS to GSW
  T traded Jose Berrios, Min SP to GSW
  T traded Sean Doolittle, Wsh RP to GSW
  GSW dropped Blake Rutherford, CWS CF to Waivers
  GSW dropped Bobby Bradley, Cle 1B to Waivers

Also the Isotopes receive rights to Rights Player Shane Baz, SP in the Pirates organization.

 

THE WHO?

Warriors Return

JOSE BERRIOS, 23.80 year old Twins SP and a realllll up and comer. 14-8 (12 QS), 139 Ks in 145.2 IP (8.59 K/9), 3.89 ERA (3.84 FIP). Fastball/Curveball/Changeup pitcher and the potential to be a realllll good one, last year he had some trouble with lefties and ran out of gas late but he is fully ready to be an ace and likely gets there this season. Should very likely be a top 20 SP by years end, or higher.

WIL MYERS, 27.25 year old 1B/Soon-to-be RF for the Padres and a realllll multi-cat contributor. .328 OBP, 29 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 30 HRs, 80 Rs, 74 RBIs, 20 SBs in 2017. Quite frankly there aren’t many 20-20 threats out there in a given year and Wil Myers has been 20-20 two years in a row (28-28 in 2016), and 30-20 last year, and that is VALUABLE. It was very valuable out of a 1B, it shall remain valuable as a 1B/RF. I see a third 20-20 season in 2017, guy just turned 27 he is right in the olllll’ sweet spot.  

SEAN DOOLITTLE, 31.45 year old Nationals closer with a history of injury troubles. 2-0, 24 Saves, 62 Ks in 51.1 IP (10.87 K/9), 2.81 ERA (2.59 FIP). A VERY NICE YEAR split between the As and Nats, and now he enters his first full season in Washington penciled in as their closer. The pencil is not a pen mostly due to injury concerns, if those aren’t there what you have here is a fine reliever in fine position to rack up a lot of saves for a probable contender.

GLEYBER TORRES, 21.25 year old middle infield prospect for the Yankees and a guy that might have made the Opening Day roster before the Yankees went out and signed old man Neil Walker.  As of today, MLB.com top 100 – 5; Fangraphs Top 100- 12; Baseball Prospectus Top 101 FANTASY- 6. SO YES, we are dealing with a tippy top prospect here. Baseball Prospectus gave him a ceiling of Jose Ramirez minus some steals and a floor of Starlin Castro, Fangraphs declared him to have no flashy tools but plenty of solid tools but they’re kinda the low man on him (I believe Baseball America had him top 5 or 10 or something). The general consensus is he gonna be good. Probably would have debuted last year if he didn’t end up getting TJ surgery but uhhh, he ended up getting TJ surgery. His AAA slash line in the 23 games prior to said surgery:  .309/.406/.457. I expect him to debut this summer and I expect Neil Walker to get out of his way one way or another.                                                                                                                                          Rose-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Jose Ramirez minus some steals    Thorn-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Starlin Castro     😉 PHONED THIS ONE IN BUT GLEYBER IS GOOD

 

Isotopes Return

CHRIS SALE, 28.95 year old Sawks SP and a top 3 or 4 pitcher in the Backyard (4th according to last year’s player rater but that dumb thing made Ervin Santana 2nd). 17-8 (23 QS, 1 CG), 308 fucking Ks in 214.1 IP (12.93 K/9), 2.90 ERA (2.45 FIP). Good lord those Ks. Now I am mad at the White Sox for trading him all over again. On the bright side, if you root against the Red Sox, Sale’s delivery is so goddamned violent that he may split in half on the mound at any moment. On the downside that probably won’t happen and he will probably be top 3 or so again this year, vying with Scherzer for the Backyard league lead in strikeouts. Mikey T should be ashamed of himself for trading for the Red Sox ace, but I get it all the same.

BUSTER POSEY, 30.95 year old backstop for the Giants and a guy the Rays could have drafted if they didn’t instead draft Tim Beckham. .400 OBP, 34 2Bs, 12 HRs, 62 Rs, 67 RBIs, SBs in 140 2017 games. Buster had a longggg and respectable run as the top catcher in fantasy baseball, but that is over now, but he is still very solid. The issue with him is you don’t have to squint too much to see him getting forced off catching duties in the nearish future and turning into Joe Mauer……like EXACTLY like Mauer (high OBP low HR first basemen). So that has to be a concern these days for anyone in fantasy paying for the Buster Posey name value, but at least for 2018 and possibly a few years after he seems set to sticking with catching and that makes him valuable in the fantasy world. That is, unless he gets ran over at home at some point. We here at the blog feel Buster Posey can only survive 2.2 more home plate collisions.

SHANE BAZ, 18.75 year old righty SP prospect with the Pirates.  As of today, MLB.com top 100 – 67; Fangraphs Top 100- NR ; Baseball Prospectus Top 101 FANTASY- 57. Six foot three inches tall, fastball can hit 98 and has sat comfortably in the mid 90s apparently. Also has a “power breaking ball” and a cutter. BUT as with all pitching prospects he has the whole “needs to improve control or he ends up in the bullpen” thing attached to his name. For what its worth Baseball Prospectus gave him a ceiling of their top pitching prospect in 2020. Also for what it is worth he pitched 23 innings in Pirates rookie ball last year. Doesn’t feel like enough innings to really analyze, his FIP was bad he walked too many guys it was 23 innings whatever.                                                                  Rose-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Drew Pomeranz    Thorn-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Wade Miley

 

THE WHY?

For the Warriors, this one was likely about Wil Myers being shopped and their desire to get in on the Wil Myers sweepstakes. FOR WHATEVER REASON the ‘Topes were long known to be making that guy available and the Warriors surely saw him as an upgrade to RF after trading McCutchen (or even before, as both these two are in a similar waiting for RF eligibility type place). There may also have been a desire to shed Posey and EMBRACE JT Realmuto, there may also have been a desire to further shore up the bullpen. And getting a consensus top middle infield prospect to boot doesn’t hurt.

For the Isotopes, this one is about getting Chris Sale back after trading him to Ryan in the 11th hour of a 2015 midnight trade deadline. There was also the whole desire to move Wil Myers thing, and one must figure Chris Sale was about the best player they could have gotten back for Myers…. even if it included a larger package (gay) to make all the peices fit.

 

THE WINNER?

THE WARRIORS. Gotta give it to the Warriors once again, even though I don’t fault the Isotopes at all for going and grabbing them some Chris Sale. And Buster Posey is no slouch but is a threat to become Joe Mauer at some point in the not too distant future, A GUY READILY AVAILABLE in the waiver wire. And Shane Baz who fucking knows. ANYWHOM I simply feel Wil Myers is a pretty premier bat and there is a good possibility Gleyber joins him there eventually so that’s a nice get to begin the package. AND FURTHERMORE, while Berrios probably doesn’t reach Sale’s value he can very easily make a leap into the top 15 SPs as soon as this season with room to go higher. And then Doolittle could be a top 10 closer given health with the amount of saves the Nats may afford him. Good deal for both sides, but gotta give it up for that pretty package (gay).

 

 

 

SO THERE IT IS, A HISTORIC FLURRY BY THE GARDEN STATE WARRIORS AND NOW I CAN’T CRITIQUE THEIR BULLPEN ANY MORE. TUNE IN NEXT TIME KIDS, WHENEVER THAT MAY BE…..

 

 

 

There were quite a few moves made these past few weeks. I know you all care SOOO deeply about what the guy who loses most of his trades thinks BUT it’s about goddamn time someone effing did one. So, deal with it. By Shane McCann-can-can

 

First Trade (3/1):

XRAYZ traded Elvis Andrus, TEX SS to BABDOOKS
XRAYS traded Justin Smoak, TOR 1B to BABDOOKS

BABADOOKS traded Matt Carpenter, STL 1B to XRAYZ
BABADOOKS traded Jorge Mateo, OAK SS to XRAYZ

I’m PRETTY sure there was a draft pick swap somewheres in there too but I ain’t got the time to go find it. Maybe if ya’ll updated ya dang Twitter pages I wouldn’t have to.

 

 

1B Matt Carpenter  –  32 year old 1B for the Cardinals. Carp is coming off a pretty usual Carp year in terms of counting stats (23 HR, 69 RBI, .384 OBP) and is far from dead at his age. He has lost some of his appeal with declining appearances at other positions, though he could and should 2B or 3B eligibility late in the season. Not that the X-Rayz give a crap as they’ve casually tossed Carpenter away already.

SS Jorge Mateo – 22 year old SS for the A’s. Ranked at 72 overall on MLB.com and is the A’s 4th ranked prospect. Rated highest by Baseball America at 64. Mateo fits the typical X-Rays profile of speed and average and will likely be back at AA to start the season.

SS Elvis Andrus  –  29 year old SS for the Rangers. Doesn’t it feel like Andrus should be older? Some very non-Andrus like numbers in 2017 (20 HRs, 88 RBI) seem WAY off the charts (steroids?) considering he’s never topped EIGHT dongs before. But, I’m sure the allure of Andrus lies in his speed, which he has in spades, and the general weakess of the middle infield for fantasy purposes.

1B Justin Smoak – 31 year old 1B for the Blue Jays. At least this guy kinda had the power thing going all along but exploded with a career best 38 round trippers and a stunning 90 ribbies and a suddenly non Mendoza Line riding batting average. The hope is he keeps it up and maybe the Blue Jays don’t die of dysentery this season and maybe aren’t terrible and this looks genius come August.

This was a tough one, but I gotta go with the BABADOOKS. Even if Smoak returns to pre-2017 levels and gets dropped (as I predict he will) Andrus is a nice enough guy to have around filling up the middle of the infield. Mateo isn’t SUPER highly rated and Carpenter was flipped for a dude not in the ESPN system yet which we’ll get to later. Immediate returns favor the Babadooks as I see it.

Second Trade (3/4):

OGTFC traded Yasiel Puig, RF, LAD to SLUGS

SLUGS traded Brent Honeywell, SP TB to OGTFC

THE FISHING CLUB RETURN:

SP Brent Honeywell – about to be 23 year old SP for the Rays. Ranked as high as 11 (Baseball Prospectus) and generally in that vicinity anywhere else. Went under the knife in late February and is already out for the 2018 season and possibly beyond for that pesky Tommy John surgery. He was pretty dominant in the lower levels of the minors and kept it going into AAA with a sky high 11.3 K/9 between the upper two levels. This guy can be something special if he can return to form and keep the character concerns at bay.

RF Yasiel Puig  –  27 year old RF for the Dodgers. Good not great numbers that were much better in ‘17 than over his young career, he could maybe be a guy heading into next year and beyond. Maybe a little odd that his agent dropped him. MAYBE a little concerning that he found himself DEMOTED as recently as 2016. I still think he can produce those good but not great numbers as long as he keeps out of prolonged slumps and ends up in the minors again.

The Return I Like M

HARD TO SAY AGAIN because as much as I like both players, Tommy John surgery isn’t something to dismiss (unlike your client AMIRITE??) nor is being demoted mid-season for literally sucking. My initial reaction at the time of the trade was the Slugs getting out ahead BUT since we are a dynasty league I have to go with the FISHING CLUB in the end. You kinda already know what you’re getting with Puig and while he is a solid dude, the upside of Honeywell is too much for this casual observer to ignore.

Third Trade (3/4):

XRAYZ traded Lorenzo Cain, MIL CF to WOOD

XRAYZ received the 4th pick in the All-Star Break Draft
WOOD received the 8th pick in the All-Star Break Draft

 

THE X-RAYZ RETURN:

4th Pick in the Draft – Little hard to place a value on a pick when the actual draft hasn’t taken place. Moving up four spots does have it’s advantages though

THE WOOD RETURN:

CF Lorenzo Cain – nearly 32 year old CF for the Brewers. Cain offers a skill set that is (was?) SEVERELY lacking in Q-Tip City. One that helped the X-Rayz to a title is all. He moves to a more hitter-friendly park in Milwaukee and while he won’t offer drastic numbers in the power department, that was clearly not the direction headed with this acquisition.

8th pick in the draft – See above, except for moving down bad.

It’s a little biased BUT I like the WOOD side more. Decent speed picked up for little more than a draft pick swap. Considering how much our normal writer dislikes rating draft pick trades, it would appear the Wooders got Cain for practically nothing, even if he was headed from Dropsville anyway.

The Fourth Trade (3/6):

SLUGS traded Adam Eaton, CF/WAS to WOOD
SLUGS traded Cody Allen, RP/CLE to WOOD
SLUGS traded Jimmie Sherfy, RP/AZ to WOOD

WOOD traded Alex Reyes, SP/STL to SLUGS
WOOD traded Erick Fedde, SP/WAS to SLUGS

THE WOOD RETURN:

CF Adam Eaton – 29 year old CF for the Nationals. Slugs GM Brian Smith had a mini meltdown following Eaton’s season-ending injury last year (because this was the seemingly 75th injury to a Slugs player at that point) and rightfully so as he was on to something good in 2017. He was at a career high OBP when the injury happened on a good team. Sadly, the injury derailed said breakout season and threatens to delay the start of his 2018 campaign. HOWEVER, once healthy, he figures to return to form a produce good, solid counting stats for the Wooders this year.

RP Cody Allen – 29 year old RP for the Indians. Allen notched 30 saves for the 3rd straight year for the Wahoos last year and a sub 3.00 ERA while posting a K/9 of 12.3. This was the prize of the deal and while closers occasionally are a risky move because of how quickly they can lose their jobs, Allen does seem to have one of the more secure jobs in baseball despite the now yearly spectre of Andrew Miller.

RP Jimmie Sherfy – 26 year old for the Diamondbacks. In a normal situation, you don’t trade for what amounts to a holds guy (for now, anyway) but with 10.2 IP of shutout ball last year, he will nab (hopefully) holds while under high minors status. Is it SP, RP minors holds? No, but ya take what you can get.

SP Alex Reyes  –  23 year old pitcher for the Cardinals. Reyes is coming off TJ surgery but has shown in his previous 46 IP in The Show that he can produce. 4-1 record, 1.57 ERA and a K/9 over 10 in those 46 IP. His role when he returns (May-ish) is a bit undefined and muddy at best BUT I see no reason he isn’t getting something important, be it holds, saves or dubyas, in the near future. Speaking of future, the dude is just 23 so he has a lot of time to return to the dominance he showed in 2016. He is MLB.com’s 17th ranked overall prospect for a reason.

SP Erick Fedde – 25 year old Nationals pitcher. Currently competing for a spot in the major league rotation, this dude was TRRRBUL in 2017 in his limited time before basically dying of an forearm injury and losing the rest of his season. He’s fallen off the MLB prospects watch in terms of their top 100 but he remains the 4th guy on the Nats list, and their top pitcher. He has the stuff to be a mid rotation type of guy still if he sticks around in the Big Dance.

The MORNING WOOD in a landslide, if one GroupMe poll is to be believed. While Reyes is a nice piece to potentially build a franchise around, the haul of a top 10 closer, potential future closer and a strong center fielder all under the age of 30 raised some eyebrows and I humbly agree.

Fifth Freaking Trade (3/

WOOD traded Adam Duvall, LF/CIN to LTBS

LTBS traded Kolby Allard, SP/ATL to WOOD

LF Adam Duvall – 29 year old LF for the Reds. Duvall followed up his 2016 All-Star breakout season with a pretty similar 2017 (without the All-Star selection, sad face) which in most formats was pretty good. 31 ding dongs, 99 RBI and that unsightly .301 OBP. That looks to be his only real weakness because he strikes out a lot but I guess it could be constant double play balls which would matter to his real life team FAR more than the Sliderz. An overall solid but not flashy contributor who finds himself whored out this offseason, only to return to where is all began and without so much as a single AB for either team that cast him aside.

SP Kolby Allard –  20 year old pitcher for the Braves. Rankings for this former 1st round pick vary greatly, from Baseball America at 65 to Baseball Prospectus, which places him at 24. He’s reached as high as AA ball and figures to return there to start the 2018 season. He’s shown a middling ERA and K rate so far in the minors but he’s still only going to be 21 this year.

As much as I don’t like it, I like the BACKDOOR SLIDERZ return better. A fly on the wall of the negotiations told me that this was a smooth transaction with both owners finding a good match and making it happen. Duvall isn’t a sexy name (think Jay Bruce) but he is going to produce some pretty sexy numbers even with the probably bad on base percentage. Allard is a bit of an unknown and just isn’t highly touted as a prospect. The Braves tend to know what they’re doing but no one is perfect and we won’t know how this pans out in hindsight until he cracks the majors, maybe in 2019. FOR NOW, Duvall is the better player here.

The Sixth Goddamn Trade (3/7):

XRAYZ traded Matt Carpenter, 1B/STL to LTBS

LTBS traded Hunter Greene, SP/CIN to XRAYZ

Also swapped were LTBS receiving the 2nd overall pick and X-RAYZ receiving the 15th pick

THE BACKDOOR SLIDERZ RETURN:

1B Matt Carpenter – Ya’ll know how I feel about this guy. See above.

THE X-RAYZ RETURN:

SP Hunter Greene’s rights –  18 year old pitcher for the Reds. Second overall draft pick in the MLB draft last year. Super young still and yet so highly rated, sitting at 21 on MLB.com and 29 on Baseball America. Won’t sniff the majors for some time but he’s highly touted and THEY’RE NEVER WRONG!

The Return I Like More:

The BACKDOOR SLIDERZ. If memory serves, Greene was picked 1st last summer which you can view as a swap for that 2 spot, which in theory was slightly lower value. I then look at it as getting Matt Carpenter with the 15th pick, which if he were a free agent and in the pool he wouldn’t fall as low. It’s close, but I see a TEENSY bit more value heading to Lacey Township than it sent out.

Mercy Me, the Seventh and Last Trade (3/8):

BAD DUDES traded Monte Harrison, CF/MIA to XRAYZ

XRAYZ traded Adonis Medina, SP/PHI to BAD DUDES
XRAYZ traded Lazaro Armenteros, LF/OAK to BAD DUDES

Also swapped were X-Rayz receiving the 19th overall pick and the Bad Dudes receiving the 15th pick.

THE BAD DUDES RETURN:

SP Adonia Medina – 21 year old pitcher for the Phillies. Ranked 86th on MLB.com, Medina has languished in Low A ball so far but he is still only recently allowed to purchase alcohol. What he has done in that class has been serviceable if not great with low ERAs countered by a middling strikeout rate. Could be a guy but leaning, for me, towards like a Jon Garland.

LF Lazaro Armenteros – 18 year old left fielder for the A’s. This poor kid has been traded, dropped and traded like a $5 whore the past few months it seems. Ranked 7th on the A’s prospect list (it’s something?) he’s so far only played some rookie ball with little to show for it sooooo who knows.

THE X-RAYZ RETURN:

CF Monte Harrison –  almost 23 year old CF for the Marlins. Generally ranked in the 70s on our major ranking sites. He was a piece in the trade that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee and no doubt was acquired (here and in Miami) for his speed, though he has shown some pop lately.

The Return I Like More:

The X-RAYZ yet again. This is partly because Lazaro was dropped and then traded for a week late by the same dude. Prooooobably could have just dropped someone else BUT I shall manage my own damn team. Harrison looks like a slightly better prospect of the two others and seems closer to making his major league debut than Medina, though I still do like him. Far from a landslide here but points off for the Lazaro thing.