It's best smooth sailing for the Houston Astros in 2017 as they lead the AL West by 16.5 games over the Seattle Mariners. But now they will be tested as their best player Carlos Correa will be out for six to eight weeks after tearing ligaments in his left thumb on a swing during Monday's game against the Mariners. Correa, 22, who won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2015 and was elected to his first All-Star Game as the starting shortstop, was hitting .320 with an OBP of .400 along with 20 home runs and 67 RBI.
Of course, the Astros have a deep lineup with the likes of George Springer, Jose Altuve, Carlos Beltran, Josh Reddick, Brian McCann and Marwin Gonzalez and the rest of the AL West has a steep mountain to climb. Still it will be interesting to see if the Astros' lead slips significantly when Correa returns to the club in September.
The trade deadline deals have now begun in earnest. The Detroit Tigers traded outfielder J.D. Martinez to the Arizona Diamondbacks for three minor league infielders. After three undistinguished seasons with the Astros, the Tigers took a chance on Martinez and turned his career around. In three and a half seasons, Martinez hit .300 with 99 HR and drove in 285 runs despite dealing with injuries both last season and in 2017. In 57 games with the Tigers this season, Martinez was batting .305 with 16 HR and 39 RBI.
Martinez could be exactly what the doctor ordered. Although the D'Backs are firmly ensconced for the top spot in the NL Wild Card, they have been struggling. Prior to the announcement of the trade, the D'Backs had lost a season high five in a row and had lost 8 of their last 9 games before trouncing the Cincinnati Reds tonight. Martinez will be a welcome addition to the middle of the order that consists of Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb and will take pressure of A.J. Pollock who has struggled to produce despite a respectable .282 batting average. Getting Martinez is also a coup for the D'Backs' front office as he was being pursued by their NL West & Wild Card rival the Colorado Rockies. Martinez, who turns 30 next month, is a free agent at the end of the season.
For weeks, there had been speculation that the Boston Red Sox were trying to get third baseman Todd Frazier from the Chicago White Sox. This speculation only increased after the Red Sox designated Pablo Sandoval for assignment last week. However, Frazier will be playing in Yankee pinstripes for the rest of 2017. The Chisox dealt Frazier, closer David Robertson and reliever Tommy Kahnle for the struggling Tyler Clippard and three minor league prospects, most notably outfielder Blake Rutherford.
Although Frazier is batting only .207, he does have 16 HR and 44 RBI. Chase Headley simply isn't supplying the offensive production necessary with only 4 HR and 36 RBI in 83 games for the Yankees this season. Headley's days in the Bronx are very likely numbered. The Yankees also get an old friend in Robertson who spent five seasons as Mariano Rivera's set up man before having the unenviable task of succeeding him in 2014 when he saved 39 games. Robertson then signed a four year deal with the Chisox prior to the 2015 season and has saved 84 games on the South Side. But with the Chisox in last place in the AL Central, he has been limited to 13 saves. And that's where he'll probably stay as he will likely serve as Aroldis Chapman's eighth inning set up man and take the pressure of the struggling Dellin Bettances. But if Chapman falters, Robertson can step into the breach.
As for the White Sox, they continue to collect prospects (as they did when they dealt pitcher Jose Quintana to their crosstown rival Cubs last week) while Clippard gets an opportunity to regain his sanity and not be a top trending topic on Twitter. Clippard was 1-5 with a 4.95 ERA in 40 appearances for the Yankees this season. But the White Sox aren't thinking of 2017. They're thinking 2020.
So where does this leave the Red Sox? It appears they will go with the triumvirate of Deven Marrero, Tzu-Wei Lin and the now healthy Brock Holt at third base. Holt's return over the weekend is probably what convinced Red Sox President Dave Dombrowski not to pursue Frazier. But the Red Sox do need another bat. If not Frazier then whom? The plot thickens and may thicken until 4 p.m. EST on July 31st.
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