MLB Editorials Articles - Page 219

CLUTCH SUMMARY: The New York Mets traded for Marcus Stroman despite seemingly being out of playoff contention. Even if the move seems suspect, a potential buy-low, sell-high scenario exists. The Toronto Blue Jays are a bit of an afterthought in the deal, as everyone is concerned with how Marcus Stroman will fit with the New […]

The 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers was an all-time classic. From the looks of things, MLB fans may be in store for Round 2 come October. Both teams have stampeded through their respective leagues, with the Dodgers leading all of baseball with a +172 run differential and the Astros […]

Not a free agent until 2025 at the earliest, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks to be the pride and joy of the Toronto Blue Jays. While not having a thing to play for this season besides their draft positioning, the team is working Vlad Jr. into their plans for the future as he is already rising […]

As everyone knows, Mike Trout is good at baseball. Fans know that, the Los Angeles Angels know that and his paycheck certainly shows how good he is at playing the sport of baseball. Known for his all-around play as well as being just a really good guy, Trout’s prowess at the plate is carried out […]

For a team coming off a World Series victory, the Boston Red Sox were expected to regress a bit in their 2019 campaign, as most championship winners in any sport tend to do. What was not expected was how much this team stumbled out of the gate, especially after how many of their key pieces […]

Wednesday afternoon was very close to being one of the most dormant MLB trade deadline days in recent memory. Despite there being plenty of activity in the rumor mill and a couple of blockbuster deals prior to the deadline, there seemed to be little action when the day itself arrived. Eventually, the surplus of deals […]

Earlier in the month of July, the National League Central was a muddied mess, full of five teams that all looked to be struggling equally while all having pipe dreams of a divisional title. Fast forward to the final days of the month ahead of the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline, and only three teams look […]

For the Chicago Cubs, their 2018 season ended in a very unceremonious way, losing their hold of the National League Central division in game 163 to the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field, followed by a crushing extra-innings defeat at home against the Colorado Rockies. 2019 looks to be divisional title or bust for this team, […]

The New York Yankees are running away with the AL East. They have the best record in the American League. They are fighting with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball. But in spite of all of that, they have one glaring flaw: starting pitching. The Yankees’ starting rotation consists of James […]

The New York Mets are 50-55. They are not contenders. They are not going to make the playoffs. They are not very good. Any sane organization in the Mets’ position would understand the current situation and would begin selling off some of its veteran pieces for younger players and prospects in order to facilitate a […]

When Addison Russell was first being investigated for a possible violation of the MLB’s domestic violence policy in 2017, he repeatedly professed innocence as the Chicago Cubs pledged their support to their young shortstop. At the time, Russell’s ex-wife — Melisa Reidy — was unwilling to comply with league investigators, fearing that all of the […]

Arizona Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher Robbie Ray may be in a new home before the 2019 MLB trade deadline passes, as teams like the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros are rumored to be interested in him, according to Jon Heyman. For a team that still currently sits in the Wild Card race, the Diamondbacks […]

Since the inception of the New York Mets in 1962, there have been 15 trades made between the Mets and their New York counterparts, the Yankees. 15 trades over 67 years is not a lot, but the line of conversation seems to have opened up more than usual before the 2019 trade deadline. The Mets, […]

There may not have been a more surprising MLB team in 2018 than the Tampa Bay Rays. Although the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees still dominated the American League East, the Rays won 90 games and watched guys like Blake Snell (who was named the AL Cy Young Award winner) and Tommy Pham […]

One year removed from making an appearance in the National League Championship Series, the Milwaukee Brewers have been struggling to make up any ground in the highly-contested NL Central division. Sitting in third place, behind the second-place St. Louis Cardinals and the division-leading Chicago Cubs, the Brew Crew are treading water as they fight to […]

The countdown to the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline is officially on, as teams around the league ramp up efforts to improve their team or acquire assets for the future. To this point, I have already dissected what teams such as the Cleveland Indians and the San Francisco Giants may or may not do by the […]

Nearly two weeks ago, I asked the question of what the Cleveland Indians would do when the trade deadline rolled around. At the time of the article, the Indians were 50-38 and had climbed back into the American League Central divisional chase, standing just 5.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins at the start of […]

Being a small-market starlet is difficult, but Whit Merrifield seems to have found his niche with the Kansas City Royals. With rumors running rampant for his eventual departure from the struggling American League Central basement dwellers last season, Merrifield made it through the deadline and was rewarded by the Royals, inking a team-friendly deal. Four […]

Coming into the 2019 MLB season, the Milwaukee Brewers faced the same problem that plagued them throughout the 2018 season, where they fell one game short of making the World Series: starting pitching. Last year’s breakthrough ace starter was Jhoulys Chacin, but his 2019 season has been anything but awesome. Making his first career All-Star […]

Even though inter-divisional trades are rare and hard to come by, the New York Yankees have yet to fit into any kind of mold ever expected of them, so it is pretty easy to tell that that will not change now. As the 2019 version of the MLB trade deadline quickly approaches, their greatest need […]

Trade season is upon us in the MLB, and with it brings the dream scenarios that every fan throws around. Wanting to get the best players while at the same time not giving up any talent in return, the trade deadline brings out the best of front offices all across the league, as franchises look […]

The 2019 MLB Trade Deadline is one week from Wednesday, and the “Hot Stove” is certainly heating up. Contenders around the league are gauging the value of various players in the hopes that one or two additions might help them reach the playoffs. One of the most underrated aspects of the upcoming deadline, however, is […]

Perhaps the biggest prize that could be available at the MLB trade deadline is San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, who is in the final year of his deal and will likely command a big contract this offseason. Of course, the fact that the Giants have somehow wriggled their way back into playoff contention by […]

While it is always hard to predict the future, the sport of baseball tends to be on the easier end of being able to see what teams are going to look like in the near future. With contract structures, minor league systems, and the developing free-agent markets, teams are able to forecast what players are […]

Heading into the month of June, the Minnesota Twins were the talk of the 2019 MLB season. Driven by shrewd offseason acquisitions and a penchant for the home run ball, the Twins raced out to a big lead in the weak American League Central while the Cleveland Indians struggled just to stay above .500 thanks […]

All across the MLB, teams are focusing their drafting and developing efforts on shoring up the core of their team, emphasizing the quality of players up the middle. From catcher to pitcher, then from second baseman/shortstop to center field, teams are taking an up the middle approach to filling out their franchises. Looking at the […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been an absolute juggernaut in the National league West, heading into Friday with an MLB-best 64-35 record and +151 run differential. Powered by an MVP season from Cody Bellinger and an incredibly deep lineup alongside the pitching performances of guys like Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers […]

In a time where players all across the MLB seem to be understanding that the baseball that they are using is juiced, the actual league is not accepting the blame or coming clean on this topic. While baseballs are being smashed out of the park at a high rate, one that has never been seen […]

Just around two weeks until the 2019 MLB trade deadline is upon us, and things seem to be strangely quiet for this time of year. While there have been some smaller moves made that have started a trend towards a busier trade season, nothing huge has happened just quite yet. The Boston Red Sox have […]

When the Chicago Cubs faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 NLCS, they got a healthy dosage of Yu Darvish. After the Dodgers took the first two games in Los Angeles, Darvish came to Wrigley Field and dominated the Cubs, striking out seven and giving up just one run in 6 2/3 innings of […]

When the Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series, they proved why they were one of the best teams in the history of Major League Baseball. With a potent offense led by American League MVP Mookie Betts and a pitching staff anchored by Chris Sale, the Red Sox were one of the most well-balanced […]

What a strange odyssey 2019 has been for the Philadelphia Phillies. After having a breakout season over the first six months of the 2018 season, the Phillies stumbled to a woeful 8-20 record in September. But armed with a young and talented pitching staff headlined by ace Aaron Nola as well as a host of […]

Being a first-round draft pick in the sport of baseball puts a ton of pressure on a kid, sometimes one that is just coming out of high school and completely skipping the route of going to college, making it tough for that important step of development to occur. But for Gerrit Cole, going first overall […]

For each of the past two seasons, one question has seemed to hover around the Cleveland Indians in the month of July: will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? The Indians are certainly in the playoff picture. At 50-38, they are currently in position for the second Wild Card spot, and are […]

By showing its strength again by winning yet another All-Star game, the American League is gearing up for the second half of the 2019 MLB season, looking to make it three in a row for World Series championships. As it currently sits, there are eight teams that have an above .500 record, which is shaping […]

The Chicago Cubs are one of the winningest MLB franchises in the last few years. After a long and arduous rebuild that began in earnest following the 2010 season, the Cubs burst back onto the scene as contenders in 2015. One season later, they had finally climbed the mountain in winning their first World Series […]

As the All-Star Break is closing up shop and the second half of the MLB season has already begun, teams across both the American and National leagues are gearing up for their run at making it into the postseason. While five teams from each league will ultimately earn a spot in the playoffs, not every […]

The halfway point in the 2019 MLB season has come and gone, and as teams gear up for the dog days of summer, there are some organizations that may have more to play for than others. Heading into Spring Training, there were plenty of exciting storylines. Whether fans chose to follow the retooled teams in […]

The All-Star game has come and gone, and with the 2019 MLB season over 50 percent complete, it is time to hand out midseason awards to some of the best and brightest in baseball. From breakout stars to rookie sensations and the most consistent superstars in the game continuing to perform at the highest level, […]