2025 MLB Thread

[Westheim]

There should totally be a law against rain in the only day game on a Thursday.

[Amazin69]

Mets acquire Ryan Helsley, and Cedric Mullins and his .738 OPS

The article calls Mullins "the face of the Orioles' franchise", which presumably got them hit with a defamation suit by Adley Rutschmann, Gunnar Henderson, or both. Don't feel too bad about that .738 OPS, though…it's actually Ceddy's best since his one big (fluke?) season…back when pitchers still hit in the NL.

ETA: The Orioles also traded Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano to San Diego, in exchange for the Padres' #4, 6, 12, and 29 prospects, plus two other guys. So at least the Mets didn't get hosed like that.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

There should totally be a law against rain in the only day game on a Thursday.

That would be Rays @ Yankees? Did you catch when they had the camera on José Caballero, who had just been traded from the Rays to the Yankees, informing and hugging his now former teammates? What a priceless moment when they showed him talking to one guy who obviously was surprised — his mouth formed an "O" upon hearing the news.

That's got to be a weird feeling. Assuming you don't have the gravitas for the type of contract that calls for non-trade or trade approval clauses, you don't have a say in the matter. One moment you are a Tampa Bay Ray, the next a New York Yankee. One moment you are playing your home games in balmy Florida, the next in not-so-balmy New York City.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

That would be Rays @ Yankees? Did you catch when they had the camera on José Caballero, who had just been traded from the Rays to the Yankees, informing and hugging his now former teammates? What a priceless moment when they showed him talking to one guy who obviously was surprised — his mouth formed an "O" upon hearing the news.

That's got to be a weird feeling. Assuming you don't have the gravitas for the type of contract that calls for non-trade or trade approval clauses, you don't have a say in the matter. One moment you are a Tampa Bay Ray, the next a New York Yankee. One moment you are playing your home games in balmy Florida, the next in not-so-balmy New York City.

Must have been after the rain delay ended? Also keep in mind that on MLB TV I am not getting "rain programming", it's just a lazy animation cycling forever. I went to bed after about two hours of that. But I see the score remained unchanged.

[Déjà Bru]

One man's opinion on all MLB teams' trade deadline performances. No, not me, silly! I'm no expert. These are this fellow's opinions in The Athletic. Look up your favorite team and see if you agree.

MLB trade deadline grades for all 30 teams: 5 A’s, 15 B’s, 7 C’s and 3 D’s

by Jim Bowden

This year’s MLB trade deadline was another seller’s market, which yielded some of the best prospect returns we’ve seen in years. Teams like the Diamondbacks, Twins, Athletics and Orioles fared extremely well, stocking up on young talent in exchange for controllable veteran players.

In terms of contending teams, let’s hear it for the Mariners, who landed two big bats — Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor — from Arizona. And A.J. Preller’s Padres, who picked up pitchers Mason Miller and JP Sears from the Athletics and hitters Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano from the Orioles. And the Phillies and Mets, who had a fascinating battle to acquire relievers, with Philadelphia landing the best available one — Jhoan Duran from the Twins — and New York getting the most bullpen depth with their trades, snagging Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto.

Those are just some of the teams that stood out in another wild and wonderful trade season. Now, after another trade deadline featuring plenty of twists and turns, it’s time to hand out grades.

These annual grades are strictly my opinion — nothing more, nothing less. I assign the grades based on how much teams have improved their situation — whether they’re rebuilding, trying to make the playoffs or pushing to win the World Series.

Full disclosure: I’m not a big fan of teams “standing pat,” so rightly or wrongly, I do tend to hold that against them. I’ve always believed there are ways to improve your organization at the trade deadline.

I take into account team needs, positional depth and the available players. I compare what teams did and what they didn’t do, and consider payroll size, the standings and the organization’s goals.

Here are my grades for each of the 30 teams for this year’s trade deadline.

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Grade: B+

Key takeaways: The Orioles made a lot of good trades and were one of the best overall sellers, getting strong returns — in terms of quality and quantity — for the players they traded. I especially liked the acquisitions of 17-year-old shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz from the Cubs as well as 19-year-old righty Boston Bateman and 20-year-old shortstop Cobb Hightower from the Padres. Now the Orioles should be able to focus on improving their pitching in the offseason, with more payroll flexibility and a stronger farm system from which to deal.

Boston Red Sox

Grade: C-

Key takeaways: Let’s start with the shocking blockbuster in mid-June: I didn’t think the Red Sox got enough in return for Rafael Devers, and believe they should have waited until the trade deadline to make the move, but I also understand they shed his massive contract and have played much better since the trade. At the deadline, I was anticipating they’d trade for an elite starter — like Joe Ryan, MacKenzie Gore or Sandy Alcantara (when at his best) — but none of them were dealt, and Boston ultimately settled on Dustin May, who has a 4.85 ERA. (The Red Sox did attempt to acquire Ryan, as reported by The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey, but weren’t willing to meet the Twins’ asking price for the All-Star.) I just don’t think they did enough to catch the Blue Jays or Yankees.

New York Yankees

Grade: B+

Key takeaways: The Yankees acquired an important high-leverage reliever in David Bednar to bolster the back end of their bullpen, led by Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. They kept adding relievers on deadline day, getting Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, which gives them key bullpen depth for the rest of the year, and, crucially, beyond. (Williams and Weaver are impending free agents, but all three new relievers have at least one more year of team control.) They upgraded at third base with Ryan McMahon, an above-average defender with a left-handed swing that’s meant for Yankee Stadium. They also added useful bench players in Austin Slater, an outfielder who hits left-handed pitching well (.859 OPS), and infielders Amed Rosario and José Caballero, who give them positional flexibility. They did have to pay the prospect price to get Bednar, one of the best-available relievers, but so did everyone else shopping in that aisle.

Tampa Bay Rays

Grade: B-

Key takeaways: The Rays’ deadline did some buying and selling and, oh yes, catching. They traded veteran catcher Danny Jansen to the Brewers and then acquired Nick Fortes, an experienced catcher, from the Marlins. Finally, they landed a player who could be their long-term future catcher, Hunter Feduccia, from the Dodgers, in a three-team deal that also involved the Reds. They decided to not trade some of their veterans, such as second baseman Brandon Lowe and DH/1B Yandy Díaz, but did ship starter Zack Littell to the Reds in the three-way swap. However, they also were buyers, landing Adrian Houser to upgrade their rotation depth and Griffin Jax, who has two more years of team control, to improve the bullpen. It was a balanced approach.

Toronto Blue Jays

Grade: B

Key takeaways: The Blue Jays made the best under-the-radar trade of the deadline, landing righty Shane Bieber in a deal with the Guardians. Bieber, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, has impressed in his rehab outings and could become a significant factor in the postseason, giving the Jays a potential ace for the rest of this year if he can regain his past form. I also thought they made fair deals with Baltimore to get Seranthony Domínguez and with the Twins to get Louis Varland, two hard-throwing righties, to fortify their bullpen.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

Grade: D

Key takeaways: Sometimes the best “trades” are the ones you don’t make — that’s what the White Sox are hoping is the case with center fielder Luis Robert Jr., whom they will now not only keep for the rest of the season, but also will pick up his $20 million club option for next year with the idea of trying to trade him in the offseason or perhaps at next year’s deadline. They just couldn’t find anyone to meet their asking price on Robert, whose trade value has been in decline for a while.

Cleveland Guardians

Grade: C

Key takeaways: The Guardians’ trade deadline ambitions took a huge blow when MLB placed their closer, Emmanuel Clase, on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of a sports betting investigation. Cleveland was planning to trade Clase, who has three more years of team control, but instead the Guardians were sidelined and missed out on an opportunity to get a significant return, like the Twins received from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran deal. The Guardians did acquire righty Khal Stephen, a solid pitching prospect, from Toronto in the Shane Bieber trade, but they didn’t do enough to improve their offense for the rest of this year, and more importantly, next year.

Detroit Tigers

Grade: B

Key takeaways: The Tigers added two back-of-the-rotation starters in Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton. They picked up a group of veteran relievers to improve their bullpen depth, highlighted by former Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan, along with Paul Sewald (shoulder strain), who won’t be off the injured list until September, plus Rafael Montero, Codi Heuer and Randy Dobnak. However, they didn’t land an impact high-leverage reliever for October playoff games and failed to add the right-handed hitter they needed. The Tigers improved their pitching depth for the regular season, but I wonder if going for higher quality and less quantity would have been better.

Kansas City Royals

Grade: B

Key takeaways: The Royals decided to buy, not sell, despite having ground to make up in the wild-card race. (Entering Friday, they are 3 1/2 games out of the final AL wild-card spot.) Their best deadline move was extending Seth Lugo, their most consistent starter over the past couple of years. In addition, I liked their decision to trade catcher Freddy Fermin, which netted two solid pitchers from the Padres, a deal the Royals could make because they have two more top catching prospects waiting in the wings. They also added three veteran outfielders in Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier and Randal Grichuk, which helps them around the edges of the roster. However, they failed to acquire an impact bat for left field and to add much power to their lineup, two key needs. I give them credit for going for it, but they needed more.

Minnesota Twins

Grade: B

Key takeaways: The Twins did an excellent job of selling, especially with their return for Jhoan Duran. Mick Abel, 23, has a chance to develop into a top-of-the-rotation starter once his command and control improve, and Eduardo Tait, 18, is one of the best power-hitting catching prospects in the game. They were able to shed a lot of payroll while also adding significant talent to the farm system, which sets the organization up for future success and its eventual sale. (The Pohlad family, longtime owners of the club, have been exploring a sale since last year.) If you’re going to sell at the deadline, you might as well go all-in, and that’s basically what the Twins did, trading their entire bullpen and the face of their franchise in Carlos Correa, along with others. They ended up keeping righty Joe Ryan after listening to teams’ offers. However, this was (almost) everything must go, as the Twins pushed the reset button.

American League West

Athletics

Grade: B+

Key takeaways: The Athletics acquired the top prospect who was traded at the deadline: Leo De Vries, whom Keith Law ranked No. 13 in baseball in his most recent list. The 18-year-old shortstop is currently at High A but should develop into a star and be major-league ready around when the Athletics are moving into their next permanent home, in Las Vegas, in three years. In their blockbuster deal with the Padres, the A’s also acquired pitching prospect Braden Nett, who should develop into a mid-rotation starter. Although they’re back in last place, the A’s continue to build and are going in the right direction as an organization.

Houston Astros

Grade: B-

Key takeaways: The Astros’ reunion with Carlos Correa is special and as long as he can stay healthy for the remainder of his contract, then this could be a shrewd pickup. However, I’m concerned about the injury risk — now and in future years. The Twins agreed to pay $30 million of the $96 million guaranteed to Correa over the next three seasons, but it’s still a gamble for Houston. I liked the pickup of Jesús Sánchez, who gives the Astros the left-handed bat they were seeking, and I appreciate the depth move for Ramón Urías in case Correa gets hurt. However, I also wanted the Astros to land a No. 3-type starter to slot behind Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown in their rotation for the playoffs — no dice.

Los Angeles Angels

Grade: D

Key takeaways: The Angels once again kept the baseball world guessing, and surprised me when they opted to buy instead of sell. They added righty Luis García and lefty Andrew Chafin, two veteran relievers who improve their bullpen depth. OK, fine. But the Angels just never seem to take advantage of trade deadlines to improve their future, which is disappointing. Closer Kenley Jansen and outfielder Taylor Ward could have been dealt for solid returns. Nope! Once again, they missed an opportunity to build for the coming years. As for this season, the Angels enter Friday 4 1/2 games out of the final AL wild-card spot. I just don’t see this team leapfrogging five teams in the wild-card race, nor finishing ahead of the Mariners, Rangers and Astros in the division.

Seattle Mariners

Grade: A

Key takeaways: The Mariners were huge trade deadline winners, filling their most significant team needs on the infield corners by acquiring first baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suárez from the Diamondbacks in separate deals — and to land the pair, they didn’t even have to give up their very best prospects. With Suárez joining Cal Raleigh, Seattle has a chance to have the first duo of hitters with 50 homers in a season apiece since 1961, when Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris did it for the Yankees. The Mariners also bolstered their bullpen with lefty Caleb Ferguson, who ranks in the 97th percentile or higher in hard-hit rate, barrel percentage and average exit velocity. Jerry Dipoto was under some pressure at this deadline, and he delivered. In my opinion, the Mariners are now the favorites to win the AL West and they have a real shot to win that elusive first World Series in franchise history.

Texas Rangers

Grade: B+

Key takeaways: The Rangers managed to improve one of the best pitching staffs in baseball — they lead the majors in team ERA — in both key areas. They added Merrill Kelly, one of the game’s most consistent starters in recent years, to their rotation. They also added important balance and depth to the bullpen with lefty Danny Coulombe and righty Phil Maton. The Rangers tried to acquire a higher-leverage reliever, but weren’t able to in a competitive trade market. They also could have used another right-handed hitter for the bench. But all in all, they had a solid deadline.

National League East

Atlanta Braves

Grade: D

Key takeaways: The Braves didn’t make any significant trades to improve their team for 2026 and beyond. They were unable to trade DH Marcell Ozuna, who has 10-and-5 rights, and despite the strong market for relievers, they ended up retaining Raisel Iglesias. They were able to add three veteran pitchers to help them get through the regular season and avoid rushing pitching prospects to the majors if their staff suffers even more injuries in August or September. However, it was disappointing that the Braves couldn’t make any moves to begin to improve their 2026 team.

Miami Marlins

Grade: C-

Key takeaways: The Marlins made solid trades with the Astros and Rays but weren’t able to take advantage of the seller’s market to get what they wanted for Sandy Alcantara or Edward Cabrera. They held onto their back-end relievers as well. However, sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make. Since the Marlins weren’t offered what they considered to be fair value for their starters, they did the right thing by keeping them. They can always trade them in the offseason or at next year’s trade deadline. Alcantara has two more years of team control and Cabrera has three.

New York Mets

Grade: A-

Key takeaways: Among the contending teams, the Mets did the best job of building bullpen depth, adding three former closers in Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto, who collectively bring a wide variety of deliveries, arm angles and stuff. Incorporating the trio into the bullpen should allow the Mets to shorten games and better set up their closer, Edwin Díaz. The Mets weren’t able to add length to their rotation, but they made up for it by emphasizing the bullpen. I also liked their decision to trade three minor-league relievers for center fielder Cedric Mullins, who despite his low batting average, is still a 20-homer, 20-steals player and a strong defender. Mullins, and his high energy, will fit nicely in the Mets’ clubhouse.

Philadelphia Phillies

Grade: A-

Key takeaways: The Phillies landed the best-available closer, Jhoan Duran, who is also controllable through 2027. Getting a high-leverage reliever addressed their biggest need. However, they were forced to part with two top prospects, Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait, due to the competitive market. The Phillies also improved their bullpen depth and experience by signing free-agent reliever Dave Robertson to a one-year deal that will pay him approximately $5.5 million on a pro-rated, one-year, $16 million contract. They acquired Harrison Bader, an above-average defensive outfielder who can play center and left. He has a 111 OPS+ this season. I would have liked to see the Phillies get a better right-handed bat than Bader, like Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox, but when the prospect ask from the White Sox became too high, I understand why they settled on Bader, who will be a plus defensively and on the bases.

Washington Nationals

Grade: C

Key takeaways: The Nationals traded away three relievers, a starter, a utility player and a solid fourth outfielder for six pitching prospects and three position player prospects. They did what they had to do in moving several veteran players on expiring contracts. Their returns were solid but not spectacular. They listened to inquiries on MacKenzie Gore, but when they did not receive an offer to their liking, they decided to stand pat and revisit possibly trading him in the offseason.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs

Grade: C

Key takeaways: The best move the Cubs made was extending president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to a multiyear contract, but their trade deadline activity was underwhelming. I did love the Willi Castro pickup because of his positional flexibility, but I thought they overpaid for reliever Andrew Kittredge and starter Michael Soroka. I expected the Cubs to go all-in for an impact starting pitcher, but it didn’t happen. Instead, they just improved around the edges.

Cincinnati Reds

Grade: B

Key takeaways: The Reds improved their infield defense significantly with the addition of Ke’Bryan Hayes, who is in line for another Gold Glove Award, leading all third basemen with 16 Defensive Runs Saved. However, they also had to commit to his contract through 2029 at an average annual value of $7.5 million, and took on injury risk given his back issues over the years. His defense is superb, but his hitting has been brutal; he’s carrying a 61 OPS+ on the season. The Reds added to their starting pitching depth, getting Zack Littell (3.58 ERA over 22 starts). They also added a power bat in outfielder Miguel Andujar, who crushes left-handed pitching and is more of a platoon-type player.

Milwaukee Brewers

Grade: C+

Key takeaways: The Brewers’ trade deadline was a bit underwhelming in terms of actual moves. They acquired a solid defensive catcher in Danny Jansen, a more than solid reliever in Shelby Miller and a speedy extra outfielder in Brandon Lockridge. I would have liked to see the Brewers improve the offense on the left side of their infield, but at the end of the day, they enter August in a strong position. The promotion of Jacob Misiorowski (June 12) and the reinstatement of Brandon Woodruff from the injured list (July 6) outweigh any trade they could have made at the deadline. Those righties give Milwaukee two additional aces to go with Freddy Peralta. I still believe the Brewers are the team to beat in the NL Central due to the potential dominance of the top of their rotation.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Grade: B-

Key takeaways: The Pirates were able to significantly reduce their future financial exposure with the trades of David Bednar, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Adam Fraizer, Taylor Rogers and Caleb Ferguson. In particular, I liked the decision to shed the Hayes contract — he is making $7 million this year and is owed an average of $7.5 million over the next four years — because his bat has just never come around. Beyond that, the Pirates got solid returns in most of the deals, highlighted by Rafael Flores, the prospect centerpiece of the Bednar trade, who should develop into their long-term answer at catcher. He has slashed .279/.351/.475 this season with 16 homers between Double A and Triple A.

St. Louis Cardinals

Grade: C+

Key takeaways: The Cardinals ended up selling, trading away closer Ryan Helsley, swingman Steven Matz and starter Erick Fedde (the latter for cash considerations). The three-player return for Hesley was solid considering he’s an impending free agent who has taken a step back after a stellar 2024 season. Batters are hitting .406 and slugging .522 against his four-seamer. This was the Cardinals’ last trade deadline under president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, who has worked in the club’s front office for nearly three decades. Chaim Bloom will take over baseball operations after this season, and Mozeliak has set him up with flexibility and a clean slate to put his mark on the team.

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Grade: B

Key takeaways: The Diamondbacks did a nice job in getting five solid prospects from the Mariners for Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor, but I was disappointed they weren’t able to land any of Seattle’s very best prospects with those big bats. However, I give the D-Backs credit for selling, emphasizing quantity in the trade returns, improving their farm system’s depth considerably, and putting themselves in a much better position for the offseason. Because Zac Gallen’s trade value had dipped due to his down year (5.60 ERA in 22 starts), they couldn’t move him; instead, they can extend him the qualifying offer and, if he declines, take the draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere. (And, if he accepts the QO, they can try to get him back to his Cy Young-caliber form. Bottom line, by selling their impending free agents, the D-Backs did the right thing for their organizational future.

Colorado Rockies

Grade: B-

Key takeaways: I gave the Rockies a “D” last year after yet another quiet Colorado trade deadline, in a seller’s market no less. This year, I thought they fared better. They had a solid deadline and took advantage of this seller’s market to acquire four prospects, including three pitchers from the Yankees for Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird, whom they traded to New York in separate deals. This time, the Rockies understood the assignment and got done what they could.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Grade: B+

Key takeaways: The Dodgers decided to both buy and sell at the deadline, acquiring a solid fourth outfielder in Alex Call (119 OPS+) and a veteran reliever in Brock Stewart (2.38 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), who should significantly help their bullpen down the stretch. The trade for Stewart could become one of the best under-the-radar deals of the deadline. I also really liked their pickup of Call because he’s a plus defender with speed and is controllable through 2029. The Dodgers also sold in an effort to build up their farm system, and I liked those moves as well. They always seem to win three-team trades, and I thought they did it again with the acquisitions of High-A lefty Adam Serwinowski and Triple-A righty Paul Gervase, who came over from the Reds and Rays, respectively, in the three-way deal.

San Diego Padres

Grade: A

Key takeaways: The Padres put themselves in a strong position to not only catch the Dodgers in the NL West — they’re only three games back — but also to again be legitimate candidates to reach the World Series. Pairing Mason Miller with Robert Suarez at the back of the bullpen gives the Padres the best 1-2 punch in the sport. Add in All-Stars Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam as well as Jeremiah Estrada, and you have a ridiculous bullpen that could be potent in the playoffs. Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn give the Padres the two bats they were looking to acquire at the deadline, and Freddy Fermin is a big upgrade at catcher. It’s official: From now on, A.J. Preller should be considered the king of the trade deadline.

San Francisco Giants

Grade: A-

Key takeaways: The Giants landed one of the five “A” grades (an A-minus technically) in part for landing DH Rafael Devers from the Red Sox on June 15 without giving up their top prospects. Even though they haven’t played well since, it was a phenomenal, lopsided trade, which I think will help them for years to come. During the week leading into the deadline, they decided to be all-in sellers and did an excellent job — so much so, I thought they came out on top in every trade they made. The Giants have reloaded their farm system, gotten younger and put themselves in a stronger position to add in the offseason. Kudos to Buster Posey on crushing his first trade deadline as president of baseball operations.

[Cobra Mgr]

Baseball celebrated the return of preseason football last night.

"Giants" lost to the "Dolphins" & the "Steelers" fell to the "Broncos" each on the final "snap" of the game.

What amazes me the most about the Colorado game is the announced attendance of 36,000+. For a Rocky home game vs the Pirates? A combined 76-143? They gotta find some way to make baseball in Denver "normal". Those fans deserve to see their team have a chance.

[Hrycaj]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

One man's opinion on all MLB teams' trade deadline performances. No, not me, silly! I'm no expert. These are this fellow's opinions in The Athletic. Look up your favorite team and see if you agree.

I stopped reading after "Jim Bowden". Guy should be in prison instead of providing analysis.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Hrycaj

I stopped reading after "Jim Bowden". Guy should be in prison instead of providing analysis.

In his jobs as general manager, he pulled off some scurrilous and unpopular deals but the only thing that I can find of a criminal nature in his Wikipedia resume was this:

In February 2009, it was reported that Bowden along with former special assistant José Rijo were part of an FBI federal investigation into the skimming of signing bonus money from Latin American baseball players. He resigned from the Nationals on March 1, 2009.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

If JR Smith played baseball.

Do Yankee baserunners know the rules?

[Cobra Mgr]

Reason we want robo umps #46,221,873
Reason we want robo umps #46,221,874

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Do Yankee baserunners know the rules?

Do Yankees players know how to do basic baseball? Well, did you watch the last World Series?

And then add Chisholm, who managed to be simultaneously a showboater and a scatterbrain while he was still a Marlin.

Can't imagine that's gotten better. Don't know what the Yankees coaches are doing to justify their salary, but we all know the manager is mostly concerned with picking a fight with an umpire so he can leave the office early.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Do Yankees players know how to do basic baseball? Well, did you watch the last World Series?

And then add Chisholm, who managed to be simultaneously a showboater and a scatterbrain while he was still a Marlin.

Can't imagine that's gotten better. Don't know what the Yankees coaches are doing to justify their salary, but we all know the manager is mostly concerned with picking a fight with an umpire so he can leave the office early.

Heh, doubled up on a popup. He hasn't heard the last of this, by far.

This was only a day or two after Yankees' Austin Wells doubled off by Rays after losing track of outs on the basepaths.

[Hrycaj]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

In his jobs as general manager, he pulled off some scurrilous and unpopular deals but the only thing that I can find of a criminal nature in his Wikipedia resume was this:

Which was a huge deal at the time. It was also something the league was instrumental (in my opinion) of covering up. Ties into human trafficking as well. A real dark part of the game that I wonder how many people know about.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Hrycaj

Which was a huge deal at the time. It was also something the league was instrumental (in my opinion) of covering up. Ties into human trafficking as well. A real dark part of the game that I wonder how many people know about.

Believe me, I am not trivializing the issue. It does have the earmarks of "settlement", in particular the fact that, aside from passing references here and there, when you google "Jim Bowden skimming scandal", you find nothing of substance after his resignation in 2009. The organization avoids embarrassment if the problem goes away by himself.

[Hrycaj]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Believe me, I am not trivializing the issue. It does have the earmarks of "settlement", in particular the fact that, aside from passing references here and there, when you google "Jim Bowden skimming scandal", you find nothing of substance after his resignation in 2009. The organization avoids embarrassment if the problem goes away by himself.

And I’m not trying to challenge you either if that was how it came across. I just really don’t like that guy.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Hrycaj

And I’m not trying to challenge you either if that was how it came across. I just really don’t like that guy.

No, I didn't take it that way. It's just that I never think to examine by-lines and who is the one pontificating now. I should. It's just that I'm not much of a TV sports show or YouTube guy, so I don't get into media personalities very much.

A while back, we had a short conversation about these ratings articles. You know, where one guy or a committee issue letter grades for drafts and team standings and such. We agreed that posting them here does not constitute an endorsement of their opinions or an intention that they are the absolute wisdom of experts that we should respect. Instead, we use them as talking points for expressing our own opinions.

In that vein, then, it doesn't matter who is bloviating. But I respect your negative opinion of the man. Too often these days, people who do wrong are let off the hook with a qualified and insincere apology or a gesture that serves as a settlement, such as a resignation. This man has been rewarded with plenty of jobs since 2009 with whatever he did then swept under the rug.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Do Yankees players know how to do basic baseball? Well, did you watch the last World Series?

And then add Chisholm, who managed to be simultaneously a showboater and a scatterbrain while he was still a Marlin.

Can't imagine that's gotten better. Don't know what the Yankees coaches are doing to justify their salary, but we all know the manager is mostly concerned with picking a fight with an umpire so he can leave the office early.

Let's talk about this a bit more. First, read through this article from The Athletic:

After base-running mistake on popup, Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. says he wouldn’t change a thing

By Chris Kirschner

MIAMI — After yet another base-running blunder by the New York Yankees, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., the culprit this time, said he would do nothing differently if faced with the same situation on the basepaths.

In the second inning of Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, Chisholm made an inning-ending out that agitated Yankees fans anew after the prior night’s collapse.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a routine pop fly to Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards, who was standing in the dirt. Chisholm, on first base with one out, was a few feet off the bag. The ball hung in the air for 6.6 seconds, according to Statcast, and Edwards took a few glances at Chisholm to see where he was in relation to the first-base bag. Edwards told MLB.com that he was thinking about dropping the popup to get Chisholm out at second base, which would have put the slower Goldschmidt on first base.

Instead, Edwards caught the ball at the last second and threw Chisholm out at first base for a double play, which ended the inning.

“He was trying to pressure him a little bit, and that if he did, he knows how it bounces on this (field) to put him in a position to advance,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Chisholm. “Clearly, too far out there. Can’t get caught there. I have no issue with the initial pressure because I understand infielders will try and swap you out, but you got to know exactly where you are to be able to get yourself back safely.”

Chisholm believes if Edwards had purposely dropped the ball, he would have beaten the throw to second base, despite him being roughly 75 feet away. He said his previous experience playing for the Marlins, and with Edwards as his former teammate, gives him insight into how the ball would bounce on the dirt.

“I was just trying to be aggressive, already playing with both the middle infielders out there,” Chisholm said. “I saw something that I thought they were going to do. He deked it like he was going to do it. He didn’t do it. Still trying to be aggressive because I played here before. I know how the field plays. Sometimes you get aggressive and you get caught up and you make an out.”

When Chisholm returned to the dugout, he and Boone walked down the steps leading to the clubhouse. Chisholm said they had a conversation but he wasn’t reprimanded; Boone was asking him what happened on the play.

First of all, look at the video embedded in that article. Chisholm is not exhibiting the body language of aggressiveness.

But my question is, shouldn't the Infield Fly Rule be invoked in this situation?

The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball and softball that treats certain fly balls as though caught, before the ball is caught, even if the infielder fails to catch it or drops it on purpose. The umpire's declaration of an infield fly means that the batter is out (and all force plays are removed) regardless of whether the ball is caught. The rule exists solely to prevent the defense from executing a double play or triple play by deliberately failing to catch a ball that an infielder could catch with ordinary effort.

Whether this rule was called or not, Chisholm has the duty to NOT be doubled up. It was on him to be aware if the umps invoked the infield fly rule and if not, worse case scenario if Edwards did drop the ball is that Chisholm is out at second. (Then Aaron Boone comes running out of the dugout, gets into an umpire's face, yells and spits, and gets thrown out of the game. Yawn.)

Instead, the really worse case is an inning-killing double play. Chisholm does not worm his way out of this baserunning blunder.

[kq76]

I know of Bowden's history, but it's never lead me to dismiss what he has to say. For example, I read his above takes on a few of the teams and I didn't disagree with any of them. I think the guy is clearly very knowledgeable about the game and loves it. I think he's also often bang on with his takes (I'll often watch videos he's in). And as far as I know, he's always denied the accusations and was never charged of anything so why should we cancel the guy? If we cancelled everyone who was accused of something we'd be cancelling a whole lot of good innocent people.

What amazes me is how does the guy always look so young? He's 64 and looks to me like he's about 50.

[kq76]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

First of all, look at the video embedded in that article. Chisholm is not exhibiting the body language of aggressiveness.

I agree, it sure didn't look to me like Chisholm was really thinking there. It looked much more like he was spacing out as he's known to do. My guess is the Yankees are just covering for him, but really, if someone is spacing out shouldn't you call them out on it? Maybe don't do it publicly, but how long are they going to accept it?

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

But my question is, shouldn't the Infield Fly Rule be invoked in this situation?

Chisholm was the only guy on base when men need to be on first and second, at least, to have the IF fly rule to be called.

[Hrycaj]

Originally Posted by kq76

I know of Bowden's history, but it's never lead me to dismiss what he has to say. For example, I read his above takes on a few of the teams and I didn't disagree with any of them. I think the guy is clearly very knowledgeable about the game and loves it. I think he's also often bang on with his takes (I'll often watch videos he's in). And as far as I know, he's always denied the accusations and was never charged of anything so why should we cancel the guy? If we cancelled everyone who was accused of something we'd be cancelling a whole lot of good innocent people.

What amazes me is how does the guy always look so young? He's 64 and looks to me like he's about 50.

I can understand that position. I put a lot of stock in the book "Baseball Cop" by Eddie Dominguez and I choose to believe that this was a giant cover up by the league. Parts of that book looked into human trafficking and stealing of international signing bonuses. So my perspective is coming from that angle. While Bowden wasn't specifically named in that book the details lined up very conveniently with Bowden's alleged actions. I feel he had to have a fall on the sword moment to protect a bigger issue. I don't think that is all that far fetched. I also feel the NFL tried to bury the CTE stuff as another example. It's coming from that perspective that these leagues will protect the shield at all times. However, like you said there was never a charge but I did want to point out that I wasn't just blatantly trying to cancel a guy out.