As has been the case for the last five years, the Baltimore Orioles desperately need starting pitching. Currently, they are first-place team ranking 28th in starter’s ERA and innings pitched, 23rd in strikeouts, and 25th in opponents batting average. Astonishing.
The failure to address this area of need year after year has ultimately hurt the franchise’s success in the long run.
Acquiring Wade Miley yesterday was a step in the right direction, but more has to be done to fortify a subpar staff.
With that said, Dan Duquette needs to find a way to get Vince Velasquez to Baltimore. In 18 starts for Philadephia, the 24-year-old right-hander is 8-3 with a 3.32 ERA while recording 108 strikeouts in 97.2 innings pitched. Long story short, he solves virtually every aforementioned problem.
Additionally, the youngster is team control contract through 2021. He will not only be a short-term solution but rather a long-term answer as well. Expect the O’s to hop in as a sleeper and eventually strike a deal for Velasquez.
For a team 13 games above .500 and merely two games back in the NL West, the Dodgers will simply be in search of finishing touches. Given the organization’s ongoing uncertainty with Yasiel Puig, Jay Bruce can provide that finishing touch.
Not only would he slide seamlessly into right field, but he would give a needed jolt to a Dodgers lineup which currently ranks 19th in baseball in runs scored (450), 24th in batting average (.245), and 19th in home runs (115).
With Los Angeles, it is never a question of whether they are “all in.” Ownership will spend money and trade assets if it means getting one step closer to a world championship.
Bruce, 29, is exactly what contending teams are interested in: a run producer. Along with his superb home run total (25), he leads the National League in RBIs (80) while maintaining a stellar OPS (.875).
Expect the Dodgers to act fast on any chance to acquire the Reds’ outfielder.
Despite the Yankees actively shopping the 39-year-old, they haven’t quite found a preferable or favorable match. With that said, it would be a shock if Beltran threw on a Yankee uniform for Monday night’s game. In other words, he is as good as gone.
Where better to go than the team he made a true name for himself with? The 2004 postseason was as sensational a display of clutch hitting as you will ever see.
Putting past reflection aside, Houston currently needs one more formidable bat. Adding Beltran — a switch-hitter who can DH and play right field — would make the lineup substantially more dynamic. Standing only 2.5 games out of the second AL Wild Card spot, an offensive addition resulting in an eventual surge is exactly what the Astros need.
A .304/.344/.546 slash line with 22 homers and 64 RBIs makes Beltran’s value as high as it will be prior to retirement. Given that it is his walk year, the Yankees will likely be flexible with their asking price. However, they will not be led into something they are not comfortable with.
Expect the Yankees to be in search of a young arm such as Albert Abreu (Houston’s No. 10 prospect), and for Beltran to end up with his former team.
In the oddest sequence of events thus far, a deal that would have sent Jonathan Lucroy to the Cleveland Indians fell through after the terms were agreed upon. Why? Lucroy exercised his power to veto the deal.
Everyone close to the situation did not call it a result of the Andrew Miller deal or simply a false report but rather Lucroy’s keen perspective on 2017.
Evidently, the Brewers’ catcher is not too caught up in playing for a winner. With that said, the Mets, who were rumored to be interested in Lucroy, may sneak right back into the mix.
With an extremely shaky catching scenario, the Metropolitans can guarantee that the 30-year-old will play every game he is physically able to be on the field for. Furthermore, going to the Mets is by no means an act of waving his winning chances goodbye.
Only 2.5 games out of the second wild card, the 2015 NL Champions can certainly make some noise. However, that noise is dependent on another dependable middle of the order bat. Fittingly enough, Lucroy would be that bat.
With a superb .300/.360/.484 slash and 13 homers along with 50 RBIs in 94 games, he can provide much-needed protection to Yoenis Cespedes while spacing the lineup.
As the clock ticks closer to 4 pm, expect Sandy Alderson to feel an obligation to the New York fans and overspend on the Milwaukee catcher.
The Yankees make their final bold move minutes prior to the deadline, trading catcher Brian McCann back to the Atlanta Braves, the organization which he spent the first nine years of his career with.
Currently not budging on the deal due to an unwillingness to eat the money the Braves have inquired about, time will prove to be an enemy of New York. Brian Cashman, who has done a magnificent job stacking the farm system this past week, will be overcome with desires to give Gary Sanchez his first crack at everyday big league action.
The Braves (37-68), on the other hand, are in search of box office commodities to help fill seats when they move to their new ballpark in 2017. If the seat-filling aspect was not in play, they never would have acquired Matt Kemp.
For that same reason, bringing McCann, a fan favorite in his time with the Braves, back to Atlanta would produce general buzz at the very least. Along with a big name, they would receive a catcher who knows how to handle a pitching staff, controls the running game and knocks anywhere from 20-30 home runs per year.
This is a move that makes more and more sense each time you think about it, and one that should get done in the end.
Emmanuel Berbari covers the New York Yankees& Major League Baseballfor ESNY. Interact with him and view his daily work by “liking” his facebook page. He invites you to emailanyquestions, comments, or concerns as well.