Trades blue pinstripes for red
1. The newest Bomber: The trade deadline is almost here, and there are still a few big-name players yet to be moved. There was one dealt yesterday, as Bobby Abreu joins the now-excellent Yankees lineup. Abreu will fill in the gap at corner outfielder for New York for now, though long-term this deal could be an issue. Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield are injured now, though what will happen to them next year? One of them, likely Sheffield, will be out unless he moves to DH and Jason Giambi moves to first base. Either way, the 1.5 game back Yankees should be able to pass, or at least match, the Boston Red Sox down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Phillies look to rebuild as they acquired four minor leaguers as part of the deal.
2. Line up for the deadline: The trade deadline is today, and we could see (and have seen) more activity than in the past few years. Already Carlos Lee and Bobby Abreu have new clubs, and today should be the day that Alfonso Soriano is moved. The Tigers and the Marlins have joined the list of clubs he could be moved to, according to ESPN.com. Detroit has already acquired another bat for their run at the World Series. They traded a minor league pitcher to the Pirates for Sean Casey, a three-time All Star. Casey will fill in for the demoted Chris Shelton at first base. Though he hasn’t had his best season with the bat so far (3 homers/29 RBIs in limited action), Casey has yet to make an error at first. He provides some veteran leadership to the young Tigers, and should prove to be a good move for them.
3. More trade rumors: So many rumors flying around before the deadline. Here are some of them: Dontrelle Willis to the Cardinals. Red Sox are trying to swing a trade for Ryan Shealy and getting rid of Mike Lowell in a three way swap with the Rockies and the Padres. The Astros are after Miguel Tejada but have pulled Oswalt off the market. The Mets are trying to shore up their rotation by getting Jason Schmidt from the Giants. And finally, the Dodgers are in a buying mode, trying to get Miguel Tejada and/or Greg Maddux.
4. The AL playoff picture: How will all the trades that have gone down affect the American League, and where do the teams stand as of now? While there are many excellent teams in this league, two stand above the rest: the Tigers and the Red Sox. Detroit is the class of the MLB at 70-34, and they should cruise to the playoffs barring a major breakdown. The addition of Casey should help them even more as they make their run at the postseason. The Red Sox, though only a half-game up, should also make the playoffs. Their hitting with 101-RBI David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez is just too good, and with Papelbon in the bullpen they should win many close games. That mean three teams are fighting for one spot: the Yankees, White Sox, and Twins. Minnesota has been on fire lately, though as of now they are still in third in the Wild Card standings. The White Sox desperately need a starting pitcher, though their offense is top-notch. The Yankees, meanwhile, addressed their needs with the additions of Abreu and pitcher Cory Lidle. As of now they are the most solid team, and as of now we’re giving them the Wild Card. The AL West, with the A’s, Angels, and Rangers in the mix, is just too hard to tell for now. Each team has needs that they need to address in the coming hours.
5. The NL playoff picture: No significant player has been traded to an NL team, while the league loses Lee and Abreu. The American League has gotten even stronger. Either way, there will be 4 playoff teams from this league, and right now the only shoo-ins are the Mets and Cardinals. With their 13.5 game lead in their division, the Mets are in. the Cardinals are only ahead by 3.5, though their playoff experience from the past few years will come in handy. They will win the NL Central. San Diego, though they need another bat, has excellent pitchers that should earn them their second straight NL West title. As for the other teams, it’s very hard to say who will get the fourth postseason berth. Right now the Reds have a decent lead, though they will eventually start to feel the losses of Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez. The NL West teams are too inconsistent and will need a major deal to get in. Unless the Braves rebound you can throw out the NL East teams. Milwaukee is all but done without Lee, and the Astros (despite dealing for Aubrey Huff) don’t have enough offense to provide adequate run support for their great staff. Could the Reds be playoff-bound? Unless another team gets a stud, we say probably.
