Indians Don't Land Bryce Harper; Settle for Leonys Martin Plus Other Trade Deadline Deals

Cleveland Indians' fans are undoubtedly disappointed at not landing Bryce Harper. Rumors abounded that the Washington Nationals were making their franchise player available before the trade deadline. But this did not come to pass. So the Tribe settled for obtaining Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers to assist their beleagured outfield.

But who knows? Maybe Martin could hit a home run that's even bigger than the one hit by his teammate Rajai Davis in the 2016 World Series.

A year ago, the Los Angeles Angels traded Cameron Maybin to the Houston Astros. He earned a World Series ring. This year, the Miami Marlins have traded Maybin to the Seattle Mariners. Can lightning strike twice?

What does one make of the Tampa Bay Rays? They trade their ace Chris Archer to the Pittsburgh Pirates and their catcher Wilson Ramos to the Philadelphia Phillies, but then turn around and acquire Tommy Pham from the St. Louis Cardinals. However, the Rays have Pham under contract through 2021. So this move could pay dividends down the road. But so could have keeping Archer and Ramos.

The Atlanta Braves' pitching staff has a strong Baltimore Orioles flavor with the additions of Kevin Gausman, Darren O'Day and Brad Brach. It remains to be seen if they will have the same kind of success that former Oriole Nick Markakis has had in Atlanta. The Braves also added Reds' power hitter Adam Duvall.

Second basemen were also a valuable commodity today with the O's trading Jonathan Schoop to the Milwaukee Brewers for infielder Jonathan Villar and two prospects. In a deal two years in the making, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally landed the power hitting bat of Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins.

Most of the other deals involved the bullpen. The Dodgers added veteran reliever John Axford from the Toronto Blue Jays. Their NL West rival Arizona Diamondbacks countered with reacquiring ex-D'Back Brad Ziegler from the Marlins as well as Jake Diekman from the Texas Rangers. Diekman's former Ranger teammate Keone Kela has landed in Pittsburgh. The Chicago Cubs have acquired Brandon Kintzler from the Washington Nationals. You will recall that the Nats obtained him from the Twins a year ago.

Of course, MLB clubs can continue to make deals. But now other clubs can block deals by making a waiver claim. In which case we can expect Bryce Harper to remain in D.C. for the rest of 2018.

Red Sox Acquire Ian Kinsler From The Angels

Following the Boston Red Sox extra inning win over the Philadelphia Phillies this evening, it was announced the Bosox acquired veteran second baseman Ian Kinsler from the Los Angeles Angels for two minor leaguers.

In 91 games for the Angels this season, Kinsler hit .239 with 13 HR and 32 RBI. The numbers don't look impressive. However, he was hitting .215 to start the month of July. In his final dozen games with the Angels, Kinsler was hitting .375 (20 for 48), 2 HR and 6 RBI. So the Red Sox struck while the iron was hot.

Prior to joining the Angels, Kinsler spent the bulk of his career with the Texas Rangers playing with back to back AL pennant winners in 2010 and 2011 before being traded to the Detroit Tigers for Prince Fielder prior to the 2014 season. The 36-year old veteran was teammates with current Red Sox players J.D. Martinez and David Price while with the Tigers. Of course, Kinsler is familiar to Red Sox President Dave Dombrowski during his tenure with the Tigers. Dombrowski has said he expects Kinsler to become the Red Sox' everyday second baseman for the rest of this season. Kinsler is a free agent at season's end.

Yankees & Astros Make Questionable Moves

I'm scratching my head as to the moves both the New York Yankees and Houston Astros have made.

In recent days, the Yankees have shipped relievers Chasen Shreve and Adam Warren to the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners, respectively. They did this to make room for....Lance Lynn?

I suppose Lynn adds some depth to the starting rotation. But after six seasons in St. Louis, Lynn signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins and has gone 7-8 with a 5.10 ERA in 20 starts in 2018. Meanwhile, the Twins get a really exciting player in Tyler Austin. I could definitely see him becoming a superstar in the Twin Cities.

I'm really puzzled by the Yankees' decision to deal Warren to Seattle. If the season were to end today, the Yankees would face the Mariners in the AL Wild Card game. Dealing Warren to their likely Wild Card opponent might come back to haunt them. Of course, there is another 16 or so hours left before the trade deadline elapses.

But this isn't getting as much scrutiny as the Houston Astros trading away closer Ken Giles to the Toronto Blue Jays for their closer Roberto Osuna. The Astros are getting heat because Osuna is currently on the restricted list due to domestic violence. I realize Giles wasn't getting the job done, but adding Osuna gives them the sort of attention they aren't going to want. Osuna is eligible to come of the restricted list on August 5th. It has been pointed out that Robinson Cano's PED suspension renders him ineligible for the post-season should the Seattle Mariners end their playoff drought, but Osuna faces no such restriction.

As it stands, the Yankees and Astros are virtually guaranteed a playoff spot. I'm just not sure how these moves help them during the post-season.

A Very Sad Day For Pro Wrestling (R.I.P. to Nikolai Volkoff, Brian Chrstopher & Brickhouse Brown)

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer put it succinctly on Twitter:

Just to confirm, Nikolai Volkoff, Brian Lawler and Brickhouse Brown have all passed away. Very sad day for pro wrestling.

Volkoff passed away at the age of 70 for reasons not yet released to the public. Although his public persona in the ring was that of a Soviet, he was actually from Croatia and would become a long time Maryland resident who ran for public office under a Republican banner.

Volkoff was best known for his run in the WWE (then known as the WWF) in a tag team with The Iron Sheik. The two would rile up the crowd with Volkoff singing the Soviet National Anthem with The Iron Sheik saying, "Russia number one!!! Iran number one!!!" and then spitting after he said the U.S.A. or Canada.

Brian Christopher Lawler died under far more tragic circumstances taking his own life while in jail. He was arrested earlier this month for DUI after taking police on a chase. The son of Memphis wrestling legend Jerry "The King" Lawler, he would mostly wrestle under the name Brian Christopher to escape the long shadow of his famous father. He would achieve some measure of success in the WWE in the late 1990's, early 2000's in the tag team Too Cool where he was known as Grandmaster Sexay. Initially envisioned as cowardly heels, their alliance with Rikishi made them fan favorites. Alcohol and drug problems short circuited his success in WWE. He continued to wrestle on the independent circuit into the early 2010's, but had several brushes with the law in recent years. Lawler was 46.

Brickhouse Brown also died too young succumbing after a year long battle with cancer at the age of 57. While not as nationally well known as Volkoff or Christopher, Brown's career ring spanned 35 years. Originally trained by Terry Funk, Brown made his mark in Memphis in the 1980's and 1990's primarily as a heel first in the Continental Wrestling Association and later the United States Wrestling Association holding numerous regional singles and tag team titles. He reached the height of his career in 1987 when he defeated Jerry Lawler to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. Following his cancer diagnosis, several independent wrestling promotions organized charity shows to help Brown pay for his medical bills. 

It is said that things come in threes. Let's hope it stays that way. R.I.P.

Moustakas Reunited With Cain in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired third baseman Mike Moustakas from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for two minor leaguers.

Moustakas has spent his entire professional career in the Royals' organization who first drafted him in 2007. He was the second overall pick in the nation behind current Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Moustakas reached the majors in 2011 and has been a mainstay since.

In seven and a half seasons with the Royals, Moustakas was selected to two AL All-Star Teams, was a part of the back to back AL pennant winners in 2014 and 2015, earning a World Series ring in '15. Moustakas was thought to be on the trading block last year when he hit a career high 38 HR and 85 RBI. In 98 games with the last place Royals this season, Moustakas hit .249 with 20 HR and 62 RBI. The trade reunites Moustakas with his former Royals teammate Lorenzo Cain.

With Moustakas as the new Brewers third baseman, it will be interesting to see how Travis Shaw fares at second base. If Shaw falters we'll see if the Brew Crew makes another run at Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop. Acquiring Moustakas may have strengthened the hot corner, but it might leave a big gap up the middle. At the moment, the Brewers hold the top NL Wild Card spot. However, an experiment at second base could change that dynamic quickly. There might be a moose loose in Milwaukee but he can't cover second.

Phillies Acquire Cabrera From Mets; Twins Trade Escobar To Arizona

Today it was the infielders turn to be traded.

While these trades aren't of the same significance of the Dodgers acquiring Manny Machado from the Orioles, Asdrubal Cabrera and Eduardo Escobar should help their new teams.

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired Cabrera from the New York Mets for a minor leaguer. Cabrera was one of the few bright spots for a Mets team in turmoil. In 98 games with the Mets this season, Cabrera hit .277 with 18 HR and 58 RBI. Shortstop has been a weakness for the first place Phillies and Cabrera should be a stop gap measure for the rest of 2018. Cabrera is a free agent at the end of the season.

Eduardo Escobar was in tonight's starting lineup for the Twins against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. But Escobar would be a late scratch when he learned he had been dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks for three minor leaguers. The D'Backs had a sudden need for an infielder when Jake Lamb was placed on the DL after injuring his shoulder during yesterday's game at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. Although primarily a shortstop, Escobar is a versatile defender and can fill in a third. A member of the Twins since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a trade deadline deal for Francisco Liriano, Escobar was hitting .274 with 15 HR and 63 RBI along with an AL leading 37 doubles in 97 games in 2018. Like his fellow Venezuelan Cabrera, Escobar is a free agent at the end of 2018.

Twins players are reportedly angry at Escobar's trade. Will they respond like they did last season when the team dealt closer Brandon Kintzler to the Washington Nationals and earn an AL Wild Card berth? The Twins are currently 8 games back of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central and 13 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the second AL Wild Card berth. So the Twins have their work cut out for them. The Twins are very likely not dealing as veteran second baseman Brian Dozier is also on the trading block.

Rangers Trade Cole Hamels to The Cubs; Phillies' Fans Hearbroken

The Texas Rangers have traded veteran southpaw Cole Hamels to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguers. 

The trade is a disappointment to Philadelphia Phillies' fans who had hoped for a reunion with Hamels who pitched for the team from 2006 until he was dealt to the Rangers during the 2015 trade deadline. 

In 20 starts for the Rangers this season, Hamels is 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA. Hamels has struggled mightily while pitching in Arlington. However, he has fanned 114 batters in 114 1/3 innings pitched. 

Hamels will be a definite upgrade over Tyler Chatwood. I watched Chatwood walk six batters in 4 2/3 innings pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This didn't stop the Cubs from winning today's game, but the Cubs are going to need a starter who can go deep and has post-season experience. 

For Philly fans disappointed with today's trade there might be a silver lining. Hamels is a free agent at season's end. Perhaps the reunion has merely been delayed.

There is one more comment I would like to make. Hamels has an outside chance to go to Cooperstown. He has a career record of 152-111 with a 3.43 ERA along with 2,341 strikeouts. Should Hamels pitch until he is 40 he will very likely finish his career with more than 200 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. While Hamels does have a World Series ring and four All-Star appearances, he has never been thought of as the greatest or most dominant pitcher of his era. But he has staying power and I believe he will get healthy consideration from the BBWAA when he becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame. Another World Series ring certainly would help his cause.