Category: Baseball

Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion were traded back in June.. but July had plenty of trades. The deadline was slow until the Greinke trade along with others were completed in the final hours. It was interesting having the deadline on August 1st, because some teams, like the Mets, are technically still in the playoff hunt…

Teams that did little to nothing:

The Orioles kept Trey Mancini and other young guys, which was smart. They did not make a trade. The Red Sox needed some relief pitching and got none. Andrew Cashner was acquired after the all-star break, but they did nothing at the deadline. Dave Dom said they had the opportunity to make a lot of trades if they wanted.. well they didn’t. The Yankees need starters, even with Severino coming back soon. They got a 19-year-old one in Alfredo Garcia. Not what Yankee fans wanted to say the least. Watching pissed off Yankee fans react on Twitter is always fun. Examples. Astros got better by getting Zack Greinke!! and the Yanks and Red Sox stand pat..

The White Sox traded some minor league players, but essentially did nothing. I couldn’t find a great deal for them to make anyway. The Royals moved Jake Diekman, Homer Bailey and Martin Maldonado before the deadline.. but did nothing at the deadline. They did enough early to sit back. The Angels added catcher Max Stassi, but didn’t move the needle but adding strong pitchers. The Rangers received pitcher Kolby Allard, which was a good return for Chris Martin. Mike Minor prolly shoulda been traded.. The Phillies added Corey Dickerson and Jason Vargas.. not groundbreaking stuff. The Pirates got cash in return for Corey Dickerson. They had relievers to trade, but weirdly didn’t. The Cardinals traded Jedd Gyorko for cash reasons. The Rockies and Dodgers did nothing.

Teams That Did Some Things in Order of How Good Those Things The Teams Did are:

The Astros have done it again. Two years ago it was Verlander, now they have added Zack Greinke!! Martin Maldonado is a great backup catcher to add. Joe Biagini and Aaron Sanchez are pitchers that can improve in Houston. Kyle Tucker, Houston’s best prospect in many eyes, stayed with the team. They did give up some marquee prospects to the Diamondbacks for Greinke, but Ray from The Trailer Park Boys said it best, “That’s the way she goes”. Solid work done again in Houston. Morey ball crosses all sports I guess.

The Giants got rid of relievers Mark Melancon, Sam Dyson, Ray Black, and Drew Pomeranz for marquee prospect Mauricio Dubon essentially. The Braves took on all of Melancon’s contract, which was surprising to me. Dubon is a little “old” for a prospect at 25, but he is a solid shortstop. Madison Bumgarner stayed put. Scooter Gennett is a solid, but injured add. San Francisco is still in the wildcard race, and they got better in the minor leagues. Solid work.

The Indians got rid of Trevor Bauer, but they got some above average outfielders in Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes. Logan Allen, Victor Nova, and Scott Moss are solid youngsters to receive for Bauer. Cleveland are still in the playoffs as of now.. yes their pitching rotation got worse, but they added a ton of depth and prospects. Solid work similar to the Giants.

The Rays Jesus Aguilar addition is great if he can improve. Aguilar was bought low for a reason… Tampa Bay needs some more homers. Travis d’Arnaud can’t hit 3-homers against the Yankees every time. Trevor Richards will help the rotation. Nick Anderson is a good reliever. Giving up Ryne Stanek is tough, but the Rays did better than all of their division opponents.

The Tigers traded Shane Greene and Nicholas Castellanos for prospects like Joey Wentz, Travis Demeritte (who has over 20 homers in triple-A this season), and Paul Richan (who is 10-5 in the minors this season and was second round pick last year by the Cubs). Tigers did what they had to do. The Cubs are helping pay for Castellanos too.

The Braves added Shane Greene, Mark Melancon and Chris Martin. A great collection of relievers to stiffen up their bullpen. They could have added some stars, but I like what they did.

The Diamondbacks added a shit-ton of great prospects to cover a bunch of different weaknesses. Those weaknesses should be gone in the next few seasons now.

The Reds have been in the news for more than just brawling with their deadline moves. Trevor Bauer is a great addition for next year. Puig is gone, but that’s fine. Tanner Roark to the A’s for young outfielder Jameson Hannah is good work for the future. Cincy got better in 2020 at this deadline.

The Marlins traded Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards for Rays P Ryne Stanek and young outfielder Jesus Sanchez. That is a solid deal. They also picked up a guy named Jazz. Honestly, when Miami doesn’t trade their best players, I think they did well.

The Nationals made moves similar to their rival Braves, by adding solid bullpen depth in Daniel Hudson, Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland.

The Twins added Sam Dyson for pennies. Dyson will help their bullpen.

The Brewers added Drew Pomeranz, Ray Black, Jordan Lyles, and Jacob Faria – good additions. Just good. Milwaukee lost too many prospects for my liking..

The Cubs added David Phelps in the bullpen. Not enough. Nicholas Castellanos is one of my favorite players, but I like him more than I should prolly. Decent deadline, but I would have liked some more pitching for Chicago.

The Padres added Taylor Trammell, but Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen and Victor Nova are a lot to give up for Trammell in my opinion.

If I forgot your team.. sucks. My bitch (dog) needs a walk.

Today’s plays:

92-83 on MLB last season and went up 34.31 units

33-32 on MLB this season down 5.45 units

Marlins at +160 for 1 unit. Jordan Yamamoto is my man. That is all. Still like Yelich more (bad trade Jeter), but Yamamoto has been impressive this season. 

Atlanta Braves -1½ at +127 for 1 unit. Atlanta has some hot bats right now.

Cardinals at -125 for 2 units. Jon Lester against Jack Flaherty. The Cardinals are favored at home. Had the Cards at -160 so I’ll take the value.

Houston Astros -1½ at -118 for 2 units. Gerrit Cole on the mound is what I like against the Wildcard leading Indians. Houston should be able to hit Danny Salazar.

 

 

92-83 on MLB last season and went up 34.31 units

26-29 on MLB this season down 20.19 units

Home Run Derby H2H Pete Alonso over Carlos Santana at -175 for 12 units. Every time I bet against Josh Bell and the Pirates, Josh Bell hits a home run. So I am not betting against him today. I think Alonso wins the derby, but this is a “safer” play than him against everyone else at +350. Alonso said the key was to hit more homers than anyone else. I like where his head is at. 20 of Alonso’s homers this season have traveled over 400 feet. That’s power. Plus, Alonso is a rookie, so he could prolly use the million dollars.

Rest in Peace Tyler Skaggs. The Angels pitcher passed away in Texas on July 1st. Skaggs was married just last year. He was on pace to post a personal best in strikeouts, innings pitched, and numerous other categories. It seems he was just hitting his prime in baseball and life. Sad to see. RIP.

92-83 on MLB last season and went up 34.31 units

25-26 on MLB this season down 12.12 units

Tigers Game 1 at +130 for 3 units. Daniel Norris, the starter for Detroit today, is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in two starts against the White Sox this season. Dylan Cease is getting his first start for Chicago today. Cease was acquired from the Cubs two years ago and is one of the best pitching prospects around. Cease has been pitching well in the minors for two years.. he should be ready, but I am going against him in his first MLB start.

Brewers at +124 for 3 units. Jhoulys Chacin pitched well in his last start, a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh. Milwaukee lost on an error that Cincinnati and Puig capitalized on in extra innings last time out. The Brew Crew won’t let that happen again.

Dodgers -1.5 at -122 for 3 units. Buehler will pitch better than he did in his most recent start against the Rockies. Merrill Kelly is starting for the first time against the Dodgers.

Astros -1.5 at +112 for 5 units. Peter Lambert gives up a lot of hits. That is not good against this Houston lineup. Wade Miley gave up only 1 run in his most recent start for Houston. Miley is 7-2 with a 3.89 ERA in 14 career appearances against the Rockies. The over/under is at 14 for this game! Colorado’s bullpen has been booty lately. Taking the runline with an over/under this high is fun. Winning money is fun. Let’s have some fun.

92-83 on MLB last season and went up 34.31 units

24-24 on MLB this season down 6.19 units

Braves at +131 for 3 units. Mike Soroka hasn’t received a loss in his last 10 starts. He should get NL rookie of the year at this rate. DeGrom doesn’t scare me. That is all.

Angels at -134 for 3 units. Noe Ramirez and Mike Trout have been great this season. Noe gets the start for the Angels today. Angels have won 4 in a row. Ohtani is seeing the ball well. Felix Pena will come in for Noe pretty early I’d imagine, but the Angels bats and bullpen have been too hot to bet against (Pena has struggled against the A’s recently).

Brewers at -144 for 7 units. Brewers are 6-1 against the Pirates this year. Pittsburgh’s bats and pitching were hot against Houston, but I expect them to cool off a little here. Chacin has looked a little better for Milwaukee over his past 2 starts. Cain back in the lineup helps. Milwaukee has 32 more homers this season against righties than Pittsburgh. Both starters today are righties. The Brew Crew bats better at home. Chris Archer gives up a homer about every 3 and half innings this season. This game is going to come down to getting hits with RISP.. I like the Brew Crew to come through..

92-83 on MLB last season and went up 34.31 units

21-22 on MLB this season down 11.31 units

Marlins at +161 for 3 units. Marlins are 2-0 with Jordan Yamamoto starting (the pitcher they received for Christian Yelich). Yamamoto has pitched 14 innings this season without giving up a run. The rookie Enyel De Los Santos starts for Philly. The Phillies have lost 6 in a row. “There’s not a single part of our game that is where it needs to be.” – Gabe Kapler, manager of the Phillies, said after his first ejection the other night..

Braves at -147 for 3 units. Mike Soroka is going for his 9th win in a row tonight. Atlanta overcame Folty’s poor start last night. Folty has been optioned to triple-A ball. Austin Voth is making his debut for the Nats against a hot Atlanta lineup.

Yankees/Mariners Parlay risking 2 units to win 4.91 units. Orioles suck. Good Value on the Yankees today against Verlander.

92-83 on MLB last season and went up 34.31 units

21-20 on MLB this season down 5.31 units

Braves at +130 for 3 units. The Nats have won 4 games in a row and are 2-0 against the Braves this year. Dallas Keuchel is debuting tonight. Stephen Strasburg did not look good in his last start. There is value here.

Tigers at +173 for 3 units. Matthew Boyd has lost his last 3 starts. He is too good to keep losing. That’s all I got.