MLB Bullets calls me Angels in the morning

I covered the big Leonys Martin deal in the article that posted late last night as well as that lesser deal for Justin Verlander. Or Mr. Justin Upton. The other one.

Also, that Taylor Davis video is really exploding, with Davis on ESPN’s SportsCenter yesterday. I also noticed it was on the sports page of the Dutch national broadcaster’s website.

• Speaking of the Tigers player who is actually named Upton and not just engaged to one, outfielder Justin Upton was traded to the Angels for minor-league RHP Grayson Long.
• Jeff Sullivan breaks down the deal and explains that the Angels are all in on 2017.
• In case you needed any more evidence that the Angels are going for it, they also got Brandon Phillips from the Braves for a minor league catcher.
• To make room for Upton, the Angels sent outfielder Cameron Maybin to the Astros on a waiver claim.
• The Angels might be better if they didn’t have the “worst player in baseball,” according to Neil Paine (and WAR), Albert Pujols. Paine notes that no player in baseball history has ever led the majors in WAR one year in their career and been dead last in another.
• Grant Brisbee looks at some alternate histories where Pujols signed with a team other than the Angels, and they all seem to end up with the Cubs not winning the World Series. You know, I go to Brisbee for sober and thoughtful baseball analysis and I get this snark-filled attempt at humor.
• Pujols did hit two home runs on Wednesday which tied him with Jim Thome for seventh on the all-time list.
• Michael Rosenberg wrote that the Tigers are now in full rebuild mode and the hard work is just starting. Rosenberg believes the Tigers need to start thinking about 2021, which is a plan that should sound familiar to Cubs fans.
• The Pirates also placed reliever Juan Nicasio on irrevocable waivers, which is pretty odd since Nicasio has been a solid pitcher this season, as Craig Calcaterra notes.
• The Phillies claimed Nicasio, who were the first team on the waivers list, which makes the decision all the more puzzling. Pirates GM Neal Huntington issued an odd defense of the move.
• Jon Heyman reports that two players failed to clear waivers and will stay with their current teams: Reds shortstop Zack Cozart and Blue Jays pitcher JA Happ.
• Back to the Astros, they will play a doubleheader in Houston on Saturday.
• Bradford Doolittle explains how the Astros want to play in Houston for the fans of Houston.
• The Mariners traded for right-hander Mike Leake from the Cardinals, and David Schoenfield calls the deal a play for 2018 more than 2017.
• Dan Gartland has the ten biggest August trades. He wrote this before the big Martin deal. Also that Verlander deal.
• The White Sox keep cleaning out the clubhouse, sending right-hander Miguel Gonzalez to the Rangers.
• Neil Paine argues that the Rangers are better this season than last but that they were much luckier last year, which explains why their record was so much better last year.
• David Schoenfield calls the Indians, not the Astros, the team to beat in the American League. Again, this was written before the Verlander deal.
• Jonathan Bernhardt has three MLB storylines for September.
• And Wayne Cavadi has five prospects who could make an impact on the pennant races after September callups.
• Will Leitch ranks the past ten Septembers of baseball. 2011 is number one, of course.
• Indians team owner Paul Dolan says that there could be a decision on the continued use of Chief Wahoo “relatively soon, maybe before the start of the 2018 season.” Bye-Bye, racist anachronism.
• Something we’ve always feared about MLB.com seems to have come true as a Richard Justice article critical of the Rangers was altered to make it much less critical. I don’t go to MLB.com looking for articles blasting Bud Selig or Rob Manfred or anything, but I have expected a little more institutional honesty than this. (Having said that, I don’t think it’s so black-and-white that the Rangers were bad guys for not switching dates with the Astros on their series this week.)
• I certainly don’t expect MLB.com to publish an article like this one by Jeff Passan that argues that there needs to be a league-wide policy on DUI violations.
• Jorge L. Ortiz writes that slow-working pitchers know that they will need to speed up next season, but they’re not happy about it. They think they can do it, however.
• Hugh Bronstein writes about how the deteriorating situation in Venezuela is impacting the quality of baseball talent coming out of that country.
• Michael Baumann looks at how Gio Gonzalez has become the best pitcher on the Nationals. Or at least he’s having the best season.
• And Jeff Sullivan notes that just up the road, Orioles Jonathan Schoop has been one of the best second basemen in the majors.
• Mike Lupica is in awe of Giancarlo Stanton and wonders when he’ll ever be able to play in the postseason. He compares Stanton to his manager Don Mattingly, who didn’t play in the playoffs until his final season.
• Jerry Crasnick believes that Rhys Hoskins will become the new face of the Phillies.
• Pete Rose will not return to the Fox baseball telecasts this October. Rose was fired because of court documents in which an unnamed woman alleged that she started a sexual relationship with Rose in 1975 when she was under the age of 16. Rose acknowledged having a sexual relationship with the woman, but explained that he believed that she was 16 at the time, which was the age of consent in Ohio.
• Brewers center fielder Keon Broxton made a terrific game-ending catch, robbing Randal Grichuk of a home run that would have given the Cardinals the lead.
• Reds first baseman Joey Votto hit a home run and when he got to the dugout, he gave his bat and jersey to a kid with cancer. He’s such a jerk.
• A look at an upcoming documentary on Netflix about the man who was acquitted of murder because he was at Dodger Stadium during a game that was being used for filming of an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
• The “Judge’s Chambers” in the Yankees Stadium bleachers got a special guest: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
• Newsman Chris Hayes asked if he got 600 major league at-bats, could he get a major league hit? Eno Sarris researches the question and says “yes.” Dan Haren agrees.
• And finally, I’ve linked to some stories about the seagull problems at the ballparks in California, but even they don’t have it as bad as they do in Japan, where a game got suspended because of flock of seagulls wouldn’t stop harassing the infielders. And not the Flock of Seagulls that sang “I Ran” either. Although that would be cool. I bet they’re still big in Japan.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.