It's not the trade that will have the most bearing on who wins the World Series this fall, but the Boston Red Sox' decision to dump former top prospect Marcelo Mayer onto the San Francisco Giants stands out as among the most quietly curious of this past deadline. Then again, hearing Mayer and his family speak about his time in Boston ahead of his debut with his new team, perhaps it was for the best all the way around.
Will Mayer be able to prove that the Red Sox got this one wrong? The latest round of MLB rumors has more on that as well as the Philadelphia Phillies' looming Don Mattingly decision and Alex Bregman on the mend for the Chicago Cubs.
Marcelo Mayer and his family sound relieved to be out of Boston
Not all that long ago, Mayer was a crucial part of the future for the Red Sox, as much a foundational prospect as Roman Anthony. But he struggled to stay healthy over the last two years, and struggled to hit even when he was in the lineup. Eventually, Boston decided they'd seen enough, flipping the young infielder to San Francisco at this year's trade deadline — and it seems as though Mayer is eager to prove that Craig Breslow was wrong to cut bait.
According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Mayer and his family "let the Red Sox front office know they'd be comfortable with a trade" as the atmosphere in Boston grew hostile toward the 23-year-old.
“Obviously, it didn’t go the way I wanted,” Mayer told Slusser, “and obviously, outside the lines, it’s a lot over there.”
Mayer's dad was willing to go even further, saying that he "jumped 30 feet in the air" when he heard the news that his son was headed back to his home state of California.
On the one hand, Mayer's offensive numbers over his first two big-league seasons are undeniably ugly, and he's missed time due to injury in each of the past four years. Then again, none those health issues seem to be of the chronic variety, and they undoubtedly hampered his development. You can understand why the Red Sox weren't willing to wait around for Mayer to maybe turn into a big-league second baseman, but you can also understand why the Giants were eager to give him a second chance — and why, given all the criticism he faced from fans and talk-radio types in Boston about whether he was soft, Mayer can't wait to get back on the field.
Phillies waiting until offseason to make a decision about Don Mattingly
It's been a big few days for interim managers, with both Chad Tracy in Boston and Andy Green with the Mets earning the full-time job moving forward. But no such vote of confidence has come for Phillies interim skipper Don Mattingly, who took over from Rob Thomson back in late April and has guided the team to the brink of a Wild Card spot. And from the sound of it, he shouldn't get his hopes up.
"[We] have felt it is better to wait until our season is complete," Phillies president Dave Dombrowski told reporters this week, per Scott Lauber of the Inquirer.
That seems to be a pretty clear warning: Take this team deep into October, or else. And really, despite Mattingly's 78-51 record at the helm this season, it's hard to fault Dombrowski too much here. The roster Mattingly inherited certainly has its flaws, with a thin bullpen and a lineup with multiple trouble spots. But Mattingly also hasn't helped matters at times, with some questionable decision-making that makes clear why his previous managerial stints ended unhappily.
Yes, he deserves credit for his role in Philly's turnaround. But it has much more to do with the players on the field than anything else, and the Phillies are wise not to tie themselves to a 65-year-old who could very well come back to bite the team in the postseason. And if Mattingly does prove himself next month, they can very easily revisit the matter.
Cubs appear to have dodged a bullet with Alex Bregman injury
The Cubs suffered a real scare in Cincinnati over the weekend, when star third baseman Alex Bregman took a line drive directly to the face while standing in the on-deck circle. Given the frightening nature of the injury and the timing just a week before the end of the regular season, it was hard not to fear that Chicago might have to at least begin its playoff journey without a guy who's been one of their very best players in the second half.
Thankfully, though, the Cubs appear to have gotten good news. Bregman suffered multiple facial fractures in the incident, but manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Tuesday that the veteran isn't expected to go on the IL — and that he might even be able to return to the lineup before the regular season concludes.
Will Bregman be the same guy he was prior to the injury? That remains to be seen. But as things stand right now, it seems like he'll at the very least be ready to go for the Cubs' first postseason game next week, and that's a huge sigh of relief.
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