deadline fast approaching, the 12-15 Milwaukee Brewers find themselves with a dilemma. Should they buy or sell at the deadline?At 11-14, the Brewers are an interesting team to monitor with the trade deadline nine days. Teams that have spoken to Milwaukee say they’re stuck in the middle and that if they do buy, they’re prioritizing players with multiple years of control.— Robert Murray August 22, 2020In a season shortened because of COVID-19, Milwaukee has had it problems over the first 27 games. Lorenzo Cain is no longer in the dugout. The offense has been been consistently bad. Virtually none of the players brought in to fill the voids left by players like Yasmani Grandal, Mike Moustakas, and Eric Thames have approached their impacts on the field or the dugout https://www.laagear.com/jared-walsh-jersey. Maybe the Brewers should come to the conclusion that the 2020 season just is not working out and sell its tradable assets Greg Vaughn Jersey. There are several issues with that line of thinking. With that in mind, I present the case for the Milwaukee Brewers to be buyers at the deadline.Brewers’ have not played to their track record Go to Fangraphs and input the names Omar Narvaez, Avisail Garcia, Justin Smoak, Ryan Braun, and Christian Yelich and you will see huge difference in slash line and wRC+ from the 2020 season and previous years. Keston Hiura has yet to hit consistently. Luis Urias is only now getting his sea legs under him. This team has collectively, all at the same time, not hit. That is bound to change.These players have a track record of performance that suggests they will turn things around. You can already see it happening. Yelich is getting it together. Justin Smoak has had a couple really nice games. Narvaez is seeing the ball much better. Hiura is making more contact, and that contact is normally hard. Things are coming along, and when it does in total, it might be like a swelling dam bursting. Milwaukee’s pitching has been pretty good. If the offense comes along, the Brewers will be tough to handle in, lets say, the month of September. Milwaukee part of a muddled heapThe only team not in realistic contention in the National League right now is the Pittsburgh Pirates. Every other team has a playoff shot, and we are not just talking about being a 7th or 8th seed https://www.fanmb.com/mark-mathias-jersey. There are only four National League teams that are six or more games over .500. With the St. Louis Cardinals sitting two games above .500 and the Cincinnati Reds sitting five games below .500, there are ten teams within seven games of each other. If the playoffs started today, and the Dodgers, Cubs, Braves, and Padres took the top four seeds, the other ten teams would be playing for the other four seeds. The Milwaukee Brewers are in this thing, and there is no way a team with this much talent that is apt to start running on all cylinders should be selling. They should be adding a piece or two. September has yet to arriveThe Milwaukee Brewers have been arguably the best team in baseball in the month of September over the past couple of years. They have done so well that the Milwaukee fanbase affectionately refers to the month as Craigtember. The Brewers have done so well in the last month of the season because of excellent managing of the team, especially the bullpen as well as savvy deadline moves that give the 2018 and 2019 Brewers’ teams the je ne sais quoi needed to make a run. Instead of talking about selling, we should be excited about what David Stearns has up his sleeve.Acquiring a difference maker could put this team in real contentionAs I mentioned in the previous paragraph, David Stearns has made some really nice moves at the trade deadline in past seasons that have brought value. Might there be a move or two this season? It is difficult to speculate what that might be, but there are upgrade opportunities at first and third base as well as the outfield. Bringing in a solid starter or a bullpen piece could be part of the equation too. The market might be a little sparse, but Stearns does have a way of finding valuable pieces to add.The remaining schedule lines up well for a runOver the first 23 games, the Milwaukee Brewers had a pretty tough schedule. They faced the Chicago Cubs seven times, the Minnesota Twins six times, and the Chicago White Sox four times. The remaining games on the schedule come against teams currently with losing records or teams that are within division. The only exception to this is a 3-game series at Cleveland in early September. This puts Milwaukee in a very good spot not just to get one of those four spots in the lower end of the seeding process, but still contend for the NL Central title. They sit just 5.5 games out of the division lead. That is not that much of a lead to overcome with 33 games remaining. It can be done and has been done.

career were cut far too short. Nonetheless, baseball fans in South Florida will always remember his time with the Miami Marlins with fondness. The 2013 National League Rookie of the Year, Fernández would finish his career with a 38-17 record and 2 https://www.mmfanstore.com/adam-duvall-jersey.58 ERA. Fernández set single-season pitching records for Miami and appeared in two All-Star Games. His final All-Star appearance came on this day five years ago. Unlike in 2013 when he shined as a rookie, Fernández didn’t have as great of a showing on July 12 Jesus Sanchez Jersey, 2016 at Petco Park in San Diego. In a contest won by the American League 4-2, Fernandez was the first National League pitcher out of the bullpen. With his team trailing 3-1, Fernández entered with two outs in the second inning and promptly struck out Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to end the frame. Fernández ran into trouble in the third. José Fernández’s reaction to walking David OrtizAfter walking David Ortiz, of the Boston Red Sox, with one out, Fernández gave up a double to Boston’s Xander Bogaerts before allowing an RBI single to Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals Cody Poteet Jersey. Fernández was able to get Boston’s Mookie Betts to hit into a double play to end the inning and his night.As far as the game went, it was actually pitching that dominated. Kris Bryant, of the Chicago Cubs, homered in the first inning to give the National League an early 1-0 lead. Hosmer and Kansas City’s Salvador Pérez homered in the third to put the American League ahead for good, 3-1.Following Hosmer’s RBI single off Fernández, it was a Marlin who would plate the final run of the night. Marcell Ozuna singled home Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants in the top of the fourth to cap the scoring. Although Fernández allowed a run in 1 1⁄3 innings, he still seemed to enjoy himself during his final Midsummer Classic. That appearance came on this day five years ago.

his worst outing of the season on Monday, allowing an earned run in just 5 https://www.nymgear.com/francisco-lindor-jersey.1 innings of work against the Marlins. Despite not having his best stuff, he left the Mets in a position to win the game until the Marlins plated a run against Bobby Parnell in the 9th. The Mets would again take the lead in the 15th Marcus Stroman Jersey, but the Marlins would score a pair in the bottom of the inning to walk away with a win. The full box score available here. The loss wasn't the only bad news for Mets fans on Monday https://www.nymgear.com/pete-alonso-jersey, as David Wright was scratched from the lineup with a sore neck. Wright is currently listed as day to day.Also injured last night was Giancarlo Stanton, who hurt his hamstring running out a play in the 10th. Stanton was placed on the DL after the game, and replaced by Marcell Ozuna.Rob Neyer looked at Matt Harvey's fantastic start to his career, and poured a little cold water on it by comparing him to Brett Myers. It's easy to forget how good a young starter Myers was when he debuted because of his world-class douchebaggery.Yesterday, NBA player Jason Collins announced that he's gay. MLB.com had some reaction from around the baseball world, including a quote from our own David Wright.Many fans weren't thrilled when the Mets Triple-A affiliate shifted from Buffalo to Las Vegas, especially those of us doing minor league recaps early in the morning. There was a huge benefit to that move though, as none of us were forced to read Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News anymore.Yesterday at AAApril 29th in Mets History saw John Franco get both his 1st and 300th career saves.Monday was performance meter day at AA, as we saw hitters, pitchers, and prospects reviewed.We also had This Week in Mets Quotes yesterday.Around BaseballThe Nats and Braves met yesterday, with the Braves extending their division lead with a 3-2 victory. That probably wasn't the worst news of the day for Nats fans either, as Stephen Strasburg is being treated for "forearm tightness".The Braves have been without outfielder Jason Heyward for about a week now, and it looks like they'll be without him for a bit longer. I'm sure there will be some fun criticisms of Heyward from Braves fans because of this.On most nights, a 15-inning game would be the longest game of the evening. Not last night though, as the A's and Angels need 19 innings to find a winner.Remember that time when the Mets needed outfielders? Remember that time when the Mets TRAIDed for a broken J.J. Putz? One of the players involved in that trade is off to a pretty ridiculous start this season.Jon Heyman sent out a tweet yesterday that got quite a reaction from baseball fans, but both BtB and FanGraphs had excellent responses to his query.

playing like the best center fielder in baseball. Among qualified players at the position, the Orioles star leads MLB in batting average (.322), on-base percentage (.395), slugging percentage (.540), stolen bases (12), wRC+ (157), and fWAR (3.3) this season.The two-home-run performance Friday evening on what was his own t-shirt night at Camden Yards serves as just the latest reminder of what a special season Mullins has enjoyed to this point. There is no question that he deserves a spot in Denver at next month’s All-Star Game. In fact, he should be the American League starter.What remains unknown is how this breakout from Mullins will impact the plans of Mike Elias and the Orioles’ front office moving forward. Up until recently, it seemed like much of the team’s roster consisted of stopgap solutions across the diamond with a possible exception for guys like Ryan Mountcastle or Austin Hays, two players that featured on “Top 100 Prospect” lists for years prior to debuting in the bigs.Mullins was never expected to have that type of ceiling, and given his significant struggles early in his big league tenure, it would have been reasonable for the O’s to lump him in with the rest of the players that were positioned to simply take up space until the Adley Rutschman era of prospects arrived on the scene.But Mullins has been so good, is young enough, and remains far enough away from arbitration that the Orioles may need to rethink things a bit. It is now entirely possible that Mullins will be the club’s center fielder for the present and (hopefully competitive) future Trey Mancini Jersey. That’s pretty cool for a former 13th-round pick who was demoted two whole levels just a few seasons ago.LinksMullins strengthens ‘amazing’ All-Star bid | Orioles.comThe Orioles will not be receiving a pity all-star bid this year. Mullins is a stud. Trey Mancini has been great. And John Means is still in the Cy Young discussion. That feels pretty nice.This might be baseball’s newest curse | MLB.comIt’s all John Means’s fault! He made a deal with the baseball devil, trading his near perfect game in exchange for the Orioles’ ability to win on the road. Honestly, in 2021, I make that deal too.Hyde on Zimmermann: “He is progressing and he should be fine” | School of RochBe honest, when you learned that Bruce Zimmermann’s start was going to be replaced by Thomas Eshelman you were less than enthused. But Eshelman turned in a solid performance, and it sounds like Zimmermann will be back in short order.As Orioles top prospect Adley Rutschman grows in Bowie, his star potential is clear: ‘You’re awed every day’ | The Baltimore SunRutschman is the best catcher in the entire Orioles organization, big league roster included. It would be cool to see him in Baltimore at some point this season, and the argument for that not happening will be almost impossible to back up if he continues to hit the way he has thus far in Double-A Bowie.Oh no, we suck again (Ep. 73) | The Warehouse PodcastThis past week may have been the worst of all for a team that has had quite a few bad weeks. You can hear me and my pal Eli discuss the misery if you would like.Orioles birthdays Is it your birthday? Happy birthday! Logan Verrett turns 31 today. The right-handed pitcher appeared in four games for the 2017 Orioles, tossing 10.2 innings in total.Val Majewski celebrates his 40th birthday. The outfielder made his way into nine games with the 2004 O’s, which represented the entirety of his MLB experience.Bruce Chen is 44 years old today. The 17-season MLB veteran spent three seasons with the Orioles from 2004 through 2006, accumulating a 4.61 ERA over 343.2 total innings.Willis Roberts turns 46 today. He was a right-handed pitcher for the O’s from 2001 through 2003 John Means Jersey.Butch Davis is 63. The outfielder played in 18 games with the Orioles between 1988 and ‘89. He went 7-for-31 during his brief stay in Baltimore.Happy 92nd birthday to Don Ferrarese. The southpaw pitched in 50 games with the Orioles between 1955 and ‘57 Jayson Aquino Jersey, his longest run with any one club over his nine years in the big leagues.This day in history2010 - Orioles “ace” Kevin Millwood records his first win of the season in his 15th start. He gone 0-8 in the previous 14 and would win just four decisions all season long.

them as things that will happen. These particular predictions aren't going to happen, that much I can assure you, for if I could assure you, I'd be making enough bank off of them to not be wasting my time hammering them into a keyboard for you to read.That isn't to say that predictions aren't some semi-logical collision between should and could. That's exactly what they are, almost-assertions that have both nothing riding on them and just enough of a boozy backing to be interesting enough to maybe remember down the line. And, of course, these are dumb predictions, the misanthropic younger sibling of educated guesses, something right up the alley of our specific baseball bloghole world.We've done them before. Last year, the 162 game thunderstorm that was Major League Baseball smashed into my predictions with full-force, and while it managed to hurl a tree into their garage and knock out the power for a few days, their roof held up and the foundation stayed set. That is to say, I didn’t completely fall on my face with those predictions https://www.crfanshop.com/nick-castellanos-jersey, and at least the dumbness I displayed showed reasonable enough thought so that maybe, just maybe, you’ll read this year’s edition, too.Today is Opening Day - the real version. Today, the Cincinnati Reds will pick up the pieces from the previous rough seasons and attempt to both win a few games and provide us with enough tangible substance so we can again be optimistic about them going forward. With that in mind, here are Five Dumb Predictions about the upcoming Reds’ season.1) Jose Peraza out-WARs Todd Frazier in 2017 Last year, Todd Frazier posted a 2.4 fWAR, 3.4 bWAR season.Last year, Jose Peraza posted a 0.7 fWAR, 0.1 bWAR season.Last year, I didn't really step too far out on any limbs with any of my Five Dumb Predictions, and it's high time I rectified that situation for the benefit of all of us.My theory has some roots, however. Frazier's defensive marks were largely the worst he'd posted in any full season since becoming a full-time player back in 2012, and at age 31 there's at least a half-decent chance that he's not the solid 3B he was during his peak, 5 WAR days with the Cincinnati Reds. Peraza, meanwhile, was limited to barely 1/3rd of a full-season's worth of PAs, and got those while moving around the field so often that his defensive metrics took a beating despite the eye-test showing he's got the chops to be a plus defender in the middle infield.Well, with Brandon Phillips gone, Peraza won't just be getting a full-season of PAs, he'll also be getting them primarily at 2B, a position where his plus defensive ability won't get discounted by LF starts just to get his bat in the lineup. I don't think a 3+ WAR season is out of the cards with a solid defensive showing by Peraza as the everyday 2B, and that coupled with the trade rumors surrounding Frazier with the Chicago White Sox just might make this here prediction rather undumbly come November.2) Raisel Iglesias is front page news come the July 31st trade deadlineThere will be at least two to eleven of you who will comment on this Facebook post that yore done with the Reds and that they should fire Walt Jokerty while not even opening and reading the article. There will be an additional two to nine of you who will actually read this particular prediction...and then make the same comment.However, if Day Before Actual Opening Day was any indication, the necessity for teams to add impact bullpen arms will remain as insatiable this year as it has ever been, and the Reds have one of the absolute best in the game in Iglesias.Francisco Rodney looked awful, and is (old)^old. Mark Melancon continued the curse of last year's San Francisco Giants bullpen with a botch-job in his first outing after signing a $62 million deal. Greg Holland is a completely nebulous elbow entity at the moment, Seung-hwan Oh blew a primetime lead, and Pedro Strop was again shaky.This prediction is less about Iglesias being an obvious talent, however, and is more rooted in him being fully healthy and dominant as a full-time reliever, and that'll have teams in contention drooling over adding him come July.I think we tend to overlook that he's already 27 years old and while his contract isn't outlandish https://www.crfanshop.com/jesse-winker-jersey, he's still owed nearly $21 million over the next four seasons (with team control over his 2021 season, too). Since teams who aren't currently winning aren't necessarily 'in-need' of traditional 'closers,' Iglesias is a luxury to any rebuilding team, and four months of dominance, good health, and a spotlight while in the same role everyday will have him on everyone's radar, and if the Reds can coax a deal like the ones used to acquire, say, Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman (the other one, damnit), it'll be worth kicking around. 3) Joey Votto wins his first career Silver Slugger AwardJoey Votto has never won a Silver Slugger Award.According to Wikipedia:The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball (MLB).Joey Votto is the best gawdamn 1B on the planet, much less in the NL. That he's gone 10 years of being Joey Votto without winning one should be a larger surprise than this prediction being correct. 4) Jesse Winker steals Adam Duvall's OF job, not Scott Schebler's Winker posted a .402 OBP in the minors in 2016, with a complete evaporation of his power numbers the only thing you could knock about a season spent largely with AAA Louisville. If you're inclined to believe the power outage was a direct byproduct of the wrist injury he'd been battling, his mere .402 slugging percentage becomes that much less worrisome.I'm in that camp, and am both convinced his bat is ready for the big leagues and am convinced his defense will ultimately make him a LF, not a RF. That's only half of this prediction, however https://www.crfanshop.com/jesse-winker-jersey.Last year, it was Duvall's hot start that coincided with Schebler's cold beginning to the year when the two were, in essence, battling for the corner OF spot not occupied by Jay Bruce. It was Schebler's finish to the season, however, that looked far more impressive than Duvall's, and when push comes to shove in 2017, I think it'll be Schebler who shows the more well-rounded OF repertoire - both for now and going forward.What that means for Duvall, I do not know. Do not call me now for your free Tarot readings. All I know is that when Winker knocks down that door - and I'm saying that I believe he will - I think it'll be Duvall who will ultimately cede playing time, either to an IF/OF utility role or to the trade market. 5) Amir Garrett wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award A quick glance at the picks to win the NL ROY from around the baseball media yields a pile of recognizable, yet not star-studded names. Dansby Swanson pops up often, but behind him come a series of solid names that don't exactly carry the reputation of future franchise carriers on their shoulders.The point? There's no Kris Bryant or Corey Seager as the clear ROY waiting in the wings this year, and historically, ROY awards have gone to not just talented rookies, but to ones who have the clear path to full-time playing time. Garrett has them both, and since his 2017 season will be his age 25 season, I don't suspect the Reds will get tricky with his service time if he takes the job he's been given on Opening Day and runs with it.That also assumes his performance will be good enough, and it's there where I jump on board. I think he'll take the opportunity given to him from the outset of the season in a similar way to how Brandon Finnegan did in 2016, except I think he'll end up with a bit better overall results.His comfortable delivery is what every GM looks for, his stuff has been there to match through the minors since he dropped basketball to focus on baseball full-time, and the reality is that I make these Dumb Predictions based on the beers in my gut in times like these.Garrett's going to shine this year, and a full year of big league starts will be enough for all eyes to see it happen. The votes will follow suit.Go Reds.

- Gregor Blanco finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and scored twice to back a complete-game effort from Bruce Chen, as Kansas City toppled Tampa Bay, 7-0, in the second of four between the clubs at Kauffman Stadium.Billy Butler collected two hits, scored twice and drove in a run for the Royals, who have won four of five including the first two in the series.Alex Gordon also knocked in a run, while Jarrod Dyson hit safely twice and scored two runs.Chen (12-7) allowed just two hits while fanning seven and issuing two walks to post his fourth straight positive decision. It was the 33-year-old journeyman's first complete-game effort since 2005 with Baltimore and marked only the third time in his career he's finished a start Dan Quisenberry Jersey. It was also his first shutout.B.J. Upton and Sean Rodriguez posted the lone hits for the Rays, who dropped their fifth game in the last six and fell a half-game behind the Yankees in the AL East Frank White Jersey. The Yankees-Red Sox game was postponed due to rain and will be played as a doubleheader on Saturday.James Shields (13-15) was charged in defeat for 12 hits and seven runs -- six earned -- over five-plus innings.The Royals picked up a first-inning run on a bunt single, walk, and run- scoring groundout from Butler.KC tacked on three more in the third. Dyson led off with a triple and scored on Blanco's triple. Two batters later, Butler plated Blanco then after a walk to Kila Ka'aihue and Josh Fields single, Gordon's base hit made it 4-0. Yuniesky Betancourt's double-play grounder ended the rally.In the fifth, the home team moved ahead by five runs as Butler led off with a double and later scored when Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett threw away a Gordon grounder. The lead grew to 7-0 in the sixth after Blanco's two-run single.Meanwhile, Chen was nearly unhittable. He retired seven of the first eight batters he faced, then after Shoppach's one-out bunt single in the third, set down nine in a row until a one-out double from Upton in the sixth.From there, the only blemish on Chen's record was a two-out base on balls to Ben Zobrist in the seventh. Rocco Baldelli was retired on a fielder's choice to end the frame Kansas City Royals Custom Jersey, and Chen finished off his start by inducing a line out by Willy Aybar.The Royals have won four of the six games in the season series...Chen last went the distance on April 25, 2005 at Camden Yards against the Yankees in an 8-1 victory...His only other complete game occurred on September 13, 2004 at Toronto, a 9-1 decision where he allowed five hits, fanned five without walking a batter.

Trey Sweeney in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft. When his name was called, he couldn’t believe it. “It’s absolutely surreal,” Sweeney told MLB Network. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid. I’ve been watching this every year on TV and to be in this position is unbelievable https://www.nyygear.com/gerrit-cole-jersey.” The Yankees are very excited to have him and believe he has impact player potential.SNY | Ryan Morik: Jasson Dominguez played in the Future’s Game on Sunday. The Yankees’ top prospect didn’t record a hit in three at-bats, but he did smash a ball to third base at 106 mph. When asked when he would plan to make his major league debut Rougned Odor Jersey, Dominguez said he’d hope to be there in about “three or four years.”New York Post | Ken Davidoff: After his complete game shutout against the Houston Astros, Gerrit Cole says he’s feeling just fine, but still won’t pitch in the All-Star Game. “I feel pretty good,” Cole said https://www.nyygear.com/clarke-schmidt-jersey. “But I think everybody’s a little more comfortable if we just waited until the weekend to fire the engine back up.” Cole still went to Colorado for the festivities.Pinstripe Alley’s coverage of the 2021 MLB Draft: In case you missed any of our coverage of the 2021 MLB Draft, don’t worry! Here’s everything you need to know, including draft grades and some background on each of New York’s picks!