Rumors have me being traded to Athletics Nation for a pair of young writers under blog control for the next six seasons. (Honestly, it would be easier for me to cover the A's minor leagues. Heck, I even grew up watching A's minor leaguers.)
- The trade deadline is just eight days away, and the Padres traded Chase Headley to the Yankees.
- This is kind of obvious, but Jonathan Bernhardt points out that the Padres waited too long to trade Headley and ended up dealing him when his value was at its lowest.
- Jack Etkin writes that Headley and Huston Street aren't going to be the only players leaving San Diego this month.
- Mike Axisa believes that the Yankees getting Headley and Brandon McCarthy was a step in the right direction, but not nearly enough.
- McCarthy's wife Amanda decided to drive to Yankee Stadium to see her husband pitch. Yeah. Bad idea. I can save this, though. Based on their Twitter accounts, there needs to be a sitcom based on the lives of Brandon and Amanda McCarthy. This can be the pilot episode.
- In any case, after the win that Amanda missed a good chunk of, McCarthy took a shot at the Diamondbacks for not wanting him to throw the cut fastball. Arizona manager Kirk Gibson gave a pretty snotty response. This can be episode two. Lewis Black can play Kirk Gibson.
- Gibson did take exception to the idea that he was "a disgrace to the uniform" during his playing days in Detroit. He does admit most the other things people said about him were true.
- Gibson and general manager Kevin Towers were given contract extensions before this season. But the deals are only guaranteed through next season.
- Now on to players who are not being traded, or so they say. The Marlins say they are not going to trade Casey McGehee and may try to extend him. McGehee is eligible for arbitration after the season, but he's not a free agent.
- The Phillies are telling everyone they're not going to trade Cole Hamels.
- The Oakland Athletics would like to acquire Nick Franklin, but Seattle may not be interested in trading him to the team they're chasing.
- Grant Brisbee makes the case for and against the Rangers trading Adrian Beltre.
- Roy Halladay really loves Chase Utley. And no, there's nothing wrong with that.
- Jay Jaffe looks at the trade market for each American League team.
- Then he does it for each National League team.
- Let me make it clear that this is an opinion piece from Ken Rosenthal, not actual reporting of anything he's heard. Rosenthal thinks the Cubs should trade a top prospect for David Price. He notes that Price has said that it would be "cool" to pitch for the Cubs.
- After the A's demoted him to Sacramento, Tommy Milone wants to be traded.
- The Athletics and the City of Oakland have agreed to a ten-year lease extension at the Coliseum. The A's have to pay $1.6 million for every season they don't play there if they move and they agreed to make a "good faith" attempt to build a new stadium in Oakland. It seems like I'm talking a lot about Oakland today. You know, just in case.
- Scott Boras has an idea to prevent another Brady Aiken mess. Naturally, MLB wants nothing to do with it since it involves a limited form of free agency for drafted players who fail a physical.
- Troy Tulowitzki went on the DL with a hip flexor strain.
- Ken Rosenthal thinks the Rockies are a mess and they need to clean house.
- The Twins talked to Kurt Suzuki about a contract extension but the two sides are far apart.
- Charles Pierce says everyone in Detroit (except Justin Verlander, it seems) is ready to make a run at the pennant.
- Beyond the Box Score studies just how long a life-span to pitching aces have. Shorter than you might think, on average.
- Geovany Soto lasted three games before he had to go back on the disabled list. So the Rangers will likely turn back to Robinson Chirinos. Help. I'm having 2010 flashbacks.
- Rob Neyer thinks that Jesus Montero has nothing left to prove in Tacoma. Oh, and the Mariners need some offense badly.
- Joel Peralta thinks that he has the chikungunya virus. I mention this just because I wanted to write "chikungunya," but coincidentally, it's actually pretty serious and not something to laugh at.
- Someone we do laugh at a lot is Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow, who is a pretty funny guy. If you're old enough, you can remember him as a young pitcher for the Cubs and maybe you can remember some pretty silly interviews he gave Jack Brickhouse before or after the games. But the sad news is that Krukow has a degenerative muscle disorder that will eventually cost him his ability to walk. But as his doctor told him, while there is no cure for the disease, the good news is that it isn't fatal.
- Cardinals manager Mike Matheny won't start Oscar Tavares and says "we're not in the development business" as he starts a guy with an OPS of .651 this season instead. Do you have to take a stupid pill to manage in Missouri?
- Will Leitch blasts the culture of throwing at hitters in baseball.
- A report says that MLB COO Rob Manfred is the "heavy favorite" to replace Bud Selig.
- Tom Verducci wants to institute an "illegal defense" rule to outlaw defensive shifts.
- Why Stephen Drew doesn't wear glasses anymore.
- Gabe Kapler bemoans the crappy nutritional choices offered to minor leaguers.
- Kapler also examines the sweet swing of Tony Gwynn.
- Rafael Soriano sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber. I guess that's better than his former manager, Davey Johnson, who sleeps in a coffin.
- More Andrelton Simmons fielding porn. You may not want to watch at work. You might get too excited.
- And finally, Cliff Lee wants to be sure the reporters in Philadelphia caught his last "remark." I don't know, Cliff. Most reporters don't travel around with olfactory recording devices.
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.