July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand on the trade market with the deadline right around the corner.
This is the year that the Jays really thought they were going to take that step into the stratosphere of the Yankees and the Red Sox. Of course, you could probably say that about the Blue Jays every year for the last ten. But with the acquisitions of the likes of Scott Rolen and David Eckstein, this was really going to be the year.
Instead, not only were they passed by the Rays, but they've been passed by the Baltimore Orioles. And these are two franchises that haven't been known for great baseball decisions over the past ten years.
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand on the trade market with the deadline right around the corner.
Before you ask, using this picture of Erin Andrews interviewing Evan Longoria was in no way, shape, or form, an attempt to gather some cheap page hits. Rather, it's used to illustrate just how far the Tampa Bay Rays have come. How many ESPN sideline reporters have you seen at Tropicana Field in the ten years prior to this season? Not many.
Erin Andrews at the Trop is just one by-product of a season that finds Tampa at the top of the A.L. East standings on July 22nd. It also means that the Rays are solid candidates to be buyers and not sellers for the first time in their short history. But who's on the grocery list?
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand on the trade market with the deadline right around the corner.
Here's where Chase Utley stands on the trade market:
"You want to know what the possibilities are out there," Utley said Tuesday before playing in his third All-Star Game. "I know our organization wants to win, and if they can find a piece that will fit into our puzzle to give us a better chance, they'll do that."
Sounds like "Buy" to me. Case closed (It's like Utley wrote the blog entry for me). But I suppose you'd like some more details. All right. It's obvious that the Phillies could use a front-line starter. And with CC Sabathia and Rich Harden already gone, they seem to be getting creative ... as a name you wouldn't expect is starting to surface.
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand on the trade market with the deadline right around the corner.
America is no doubt waiting for the next great Marlin sell-off to begin. The team hits the All-Star break right in the thick of the NL East race, but still hasn't pulled in the kind of attendance numbers that would convince the Fish to add some big pieces to the puzzle.
Not that they really need big pieces, mind you. Most of the positions on the depth chart are pretty much set for the team with the most home runs in baseball. So don't expect them to go after a big bat like Adam Dunn or Jason Bay (notice I said "most" ... more on that later). And with the rotation receiving a jolt from Ricky Nolasco (10-4, 3.70 ERA), starting pitching is less of a problem than expected (although wouldn't it be a hoot if the Marlins got A.J. Burnett back after he openly longed for a city where baseball is the big dog?)
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand.
The Boston Red Sox aren't sellers, just to get that out of the way. Are they big buyers though? A lot of that will come down to a slim sheath protecting a tendon in the wrist of David Ortiz. Rumors have been bouncing around about the team's interest in Mark Teixeira to fill Papi's spot in the lineup. That's curious since the team has maintained from day one that Papi will be just fine and back in the lineup for the stretch run.
They probably won't know if Papi is healthy until the deadline has passed. He's supposed to be back July 25th but push that back a couple of days and you're not going to be able to land a big-time replacement. Similarly, if Ortiz suffers a setback after the fact the team will be left scrambling for answers. That's a problem but not a huge one. The Sox haven't suffered too much in Ortiz's absence and have a killer pitching staff that can carry them with or without Papi's monster bat.
The other problem with the trade idea for Teixeira is the inclusion of Kevin Youkilis in the rumored package going to Atlanta. Youk has been great for the Sox and isn't that far below Teixeira on the list of first basemen. Why would you deal a guy with controllable costs for an impending free agent who would cost upwards of $15 million to keep around?
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand.
It is absolutely, completely 100% unfathomable to me that we have to answer this question for the Astros. They're currently standing at 44-51, in last place in the NL Central, 13 games behind the Cubs and 8.5 back of the Wild Card. They've got no pitching staff to speak of and their offense is old. This team isn't a contender and they're in serious danger of falling into a huge rut because of the emptiness of their farm system. The answer here is an emphatic, "SELL! SELL! SELL!'
And yet, Ed Wade isn't convinced. He seems to think that there's a way for him to patch the team together and make a run at something this year. At the very least, he's refusing to rebuild this year. That's a dangerous idea for a team that's top two prospects (Hunter Pence, J.R. Towles) are already in the majors. Of course, Wade is the guy that sent a passel of prospects to Baltimore for Miguel Tejada over the winter, so don't doubt him on this one.
The other problem the Astros face is that they don't really have any terribly attractive "sell" candidates. Their best players (Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Carlos Lee, and Tejada, I guess) are all kind of old and locked up until the 2011/2012 neighborhood. Really, the Astros kind of look to be painted into a corner for the near future, and having Wade at the helm isn't going to help things.
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand.
It's amazing that the Yankees are just five and a half games out of a playoff spot at this point in the season. At one time or another, Chien-Ming Wang, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have been on the disabled list. Hughes and Kennedy were epic disappointments in the rotation and players like Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano haven't produced resulting in an offense that's only been league average at scoring runs.
They've been saved by surprising returns to form by Mike Mussina and Jason Giambi, as well as the continued brilliance of Rodriguez, but the Yankees enter the second half in a precarious position. That would seem to point to making trades for help in both the lineup and on the pitching staff.
A player like Adam Dunn would make sense as an offensive boost. His high OBP and lefty power are well-suited for the Yankee lineup but if Damon and Matsui come back and stay healthy, how to juggle a lineup that would be overloaded on the left side. The biggest offensive need is getting Melky Cabrera out of the regular lineup but Dunn wouldn't help on that front either because he can't play center.
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand.
The Cardinals are in an interesting position coming up to this deadline. They might be in contention, but they're not as good as the Cubs, Brewers, Phillies, and Mets, which is who they're likely contending for playoff spots between. Buying now might mean giving up a guy like Colby Rasmus, but selling means giving up hope in a season that they might not be out of contention yet.
The one place the Cardinals need the most hope is their bullpen. The pen's been rough all year and that was exploited on Saturday night by the Pirates, who came back from a 10-4 deficit in the eighth inning and an 11-10 deficit in the tenth against the Cardinals' shoddy pen. They're not going anywhere with the pen they have now. They could also use one more outfielder and maybe a shortstop to round things out.
So what do the Cards do? I've seen them linked to guys like Jason Bay and they'd certainly be interested in a reliever like Damaso Marte or Brian Fuentes or George Sherrill (or anyone with an arm attached to their shoulder), but at what cost? Isn't a core offense with Albert Pujols, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, and Rasmus with a staff aced by Adam Wainwright a pretty good core to build from? I'd advocate selling here, but they don't have a whole lot to see with. Their best bet is probably to stand pat.
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand.
The Orioles need to make a very difficult choice over the next few days about their 2008 season. It's been a resounding success thus far but losing seven of eight to close the first half has left them with a losing record at the break. Any ideas of a dark horse playoff candidacy died during that streak and getting back to the happy side of .500 at the end of the season is the only short-term reward.
It's not an insignificant one. When you haven't finished with a winning record since 1997, giving your fans that gift, even if it comes in fourth place wrapping paper, is appreciated. You just can't go broke to get there, though. 2009, 2010 and beyond are the balls the Orioles must keep their eyes on or else they'll just start another cycle of chasing small returns without a plan for the future.
That doesn't mean they should sit out the trade market, however. If anything the Orioles should be both buyers and sellers. The team could use a shortstop and a starting pitcher and will need them next year as well. There have been rumors linking them to shortstops like David Eckstein, Juan Uribe and Felipe Lopez but those are exactly the types of players the team should be steering clear of today, tomorrow and forever.
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand.
The Washington Nationals would seem to fit anyone's description of a seller. They are in last place, sinking fast and desperate to generate some positive buzz to get people interested in the team. Jim Bowden's never been afraid to pull the trigger on a trade, for better or worse, which is another sell sign. One little detail gets in the way, however. The cupboard is nearly barren of the healthy unwanted veterans that could make a difference in a pennant race.
Even the guys who might garner some interest have some serious warts. Cristian Guzman is an All-Star and there are teams that could use help at shortstop. He'll also be a free agent after the season but how much are teams going to buy into a decent first half from a player whose history says he isn't a competent offensive player?
Odalis Perez is the pitching staff's version of Guzman. He's been surprisingly strong this season, 116 ERA+, and lord knows teams always like to add a pitcher for the stretch run. Once again, though, his history says this isn't to be trusted. Even if they did get a bite, neither guy is going to bring them much of value.
The Nationals should have a desire to sell but the demand half of the equation just isn't going to be there. The only saving grace to this season of futility is that no one's paying attention in D.C. anyway.
July 31 is rapidly approaching. 
July 31 is rapidly approaching. 
July 31 is rapidly approaching. 
July 31 is rapidly approaching. 
July 31 is rapidly approaching. 
