MLB trade rumors and wishes, doubleheader diary, and other MLB news and notes from around the FanSided network.
One of the best things about the FanSided network as a whole, and the baseball division, in particular, is the passionate, opinionated, and unique content available.
We’re got wide-ranging columns that ask what made baseball fun this week? Want to know the World Series contenders and pretenders through the first quarter of the season? We’ve got you covered there too. We go in-depth on history, including Tommy Lasorda and the bygone era of baseball in America, plus the top 25 batting seasons of all time.
And we’ll even go out of the box to provide a full diary of a doubleheader between the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals, which follows one fan’s quest to watch it all.
Of course, with summer heating up, and the trade deadline on the horizon, we also offer plenty of speculation on trades and try to play matchmaker by pairing up buyers and sellers, such as the Red Sox and White Sox, Indians and Rays, Orioles and Phillies, or Nationals and Reds.
MLB trade rumors and wishes from the FanSided network
The Cubs are sure to be buyers at the trade deadline, and Cubbies Crib took a look at some of the assets available to sell in return.
Left field has pretty much been a black hole for the San Francisco Giants since Barry Bonds played by the Bay. Though Chris Shaw could soon be the answer in left, Around the Foghorn also ran down five outfield trade targets for the Giants.
One of the most valuable trade chips available to the Reds at the moment is infielder Zack Cozart. But would parting with one of the club’s top hitters be best for Cincinnati? Blog Red Machine pondered that very question.
Breaking up is hard to do, but it seems inevitable for the Kansas Royals. Kings of Kauffman outlined some of the most likely Royals to be traded this summer.
Based on poor results in recent weeks, there have been calls for the Miami Marlins to cut their losses and pull the trigger on a complete rebuild. However, Marlin Maniac made the case against Miami blowing up its roster.
On that note, as Call to the Pen explained, tanking may sound good in theory but has plenty of flaws.
Also looking ahead, Rum Bunter makes the case that the Pirates are in a no-win situation with McCutchen.
Looking back, Tomahawk Take said the best move the Braves made over the offseason was the one they didn’t make – acquiring Brian McCann. The team that did trade for McCann, the Houston Astros, learned from past mistakes, as Climbing Tal’s Hill explained.
The Oakland A’s are always willing to make a trade, and pitcher Sonny Gray could be the next to go after a strong start to the season, according to White Cleat Beat.
Other MLB news and notes
Forget the trade deadline, it’s already time to think about post-2018 free agency – and Bryce Harper, in particular. Dodgers Way is already dreaming of Harper in Los Angeles.
But That Ball’s Outta Here thinks there is a chance Harper joins the Phillies (though Philadelphia would rather find a way to bring New Jersey native and Eagles fan Mike Trout back home). Every team would love to land Harper, and even the Brewers could be in the mix, according to Reviewing the Brew.
The New York Yankees are sure to pursue Harper, but there’s already a star right fielder in the Bronx. Aaron Judge has been the talk of baseball for most of the first quarter of the season, but is the Yankees slugger getting too much credit too soon? Yanks Go Yard explored that question.
New to the first-place Rockies’ bandwagon? Rox Pile has a complete guide of what you should know. Puckett’s Pond has Twins bandwagon jumpers covered also.
The Boston Red Sox have ranked among the worst teams in baseball all season in hitting home runs. But, as BoSox Injection pointed out, a team doesn’t need to hit home runs to score runs – or be an elite scoring team.
Redbird Rants has a plan from within to save the Cardinals bullpen. Also, is there a “murmur guy” is St. Louis?
Think position battles only occur in spring training? Nope. There is a trio of position battles raging in Los Angeles today, according to Dodgers Way.
Jays Journal pointed to the questionable timing of Bautista’s recent start at third base.
With All-Star Game voting under, Call to the Pen noted players that have been sabermetric All-Stars so far, including surprises like Yonder Alonso and Corey Dickerson. As Call to the Pen also noted, a relatively new measure of hitting is how many pitches a batter “barrels.” A’s slugger Chad Pinder leads baseball in that category.
Rising Apple contributor Emmanuel Pepis had an opportunity to broadcast for the Mets Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas and reflected on the experience.
The Mariners have been pretty bad this season, awful even, according to Sodo Mojo, who put together a timeline of what went wrong.
The Tigers were one of several major league teams that struggled out of the bullpen in April, but Detroit relievers have turned things around in May, as Motor City Bengals shared. The Diamondbacks have also had a solid bullpen this month, according to Venom Strikes.
The most lopsided series in baseball this weekend pits the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres in D.C. Still, District on Deck found five players worth watching in the series.
Need to make a quick waiver addition to your fantasy team before the weekend? Fantasy Baseball Crackerjacks has you covered.
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