MLB Bullets is going back to the future

Good morning. You knew there was no chance that I wouldn’t go with a picture of Dee Gordon in Saturday Night’s “Turn Ahead the Clock” Night uniform, right?

• It’s July 2, which means there are only 30 more shopping days until the trade deadline. On that front, Buster Olney has several thoughts about the current state of the system but in general, he writes that teams are trying to wait out the market and find bargains.
• R.J. Anderson writes that the Marlins and Padres hold the keys to the trade deadline with a large supply of available relievers.
• Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Dodgers are in the market for relief help this month.
• The Phillies and Royals are discussing a possible Mike Moustakas deal.
• The Mariners have talked with the Rangers about a Cole Hamels deal, although the two sides are reportedly not close. Of course not. Seattle is a long way from Texas.
• Jon Heyman reports that the Tigers are unlikely to deal pitcher Michael Fulmer.
• Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado says “I’m tired of coming to the ballpark and losing” and isn’t shy about talking about it. (Here’s him telling Bob Nightengale pretty much the same thing.) Arenado can be a free agent after the 2019 season, so the Rockies have until then to convince him that he can win in Colorado.
• Did I say Nolan Arenado? Maybe I meant that Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom says he’s “frustrated” and “tired of losing.” deGrom seems much more likely to be dealt at the deadline than Arenado, though.
• One quick note on the trade that went through last week that sent outfielder Steve Pearce from Toronto to the Red Sox. With that deal, Pearce became only the sixth player in history to play for every team in a division and the first to do it with the AL East. There is one player who has played for all five NL Central teams. Care to guess who it was? Hint: He played for the Cubs in 2006 and 2007.
• Looking ahead to player moves after the season, Ben Lindbergh notes that the much-anticipated free-agent class of 2018 isn’t looking to be as wonderful as we thought it would be and that could have a major impact on labor relations going forward.
• Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz will be on the market and he says he wants a multi-year deal, writes Jon Heyman.
• Heyman sticks with the Mariners and reports that pitcher Felix Hernandez would like to sign an extension with the team.
• In case you weren’t watching Sunday Night Baseball last night, Red Sox pitcher David Price got hammered for five home runs in just 3.1 innings.
• In doing so, the Yankees set a team record for the most home runs before the All-Star Break and Aaron Hicks became only the third Yankee to have a three-home-run game against Boston.
• The bad news is that for the second time in three months, MLB hitters struck out more often than they had base hits.
• Kenny Ducey hands out grades to the NL Central.
• Assuming you watched the Cubs this weekend, you probably asked at some point “Who is the Twins’ Willians Astudillo?” Good news, because Jeff Sullivan has you covered with an introduction to “the weirdest player in the minors,” who is now in the majors.
• Dayn Perry has an appreciation of Nationals rookie outfielder Juan Soto, especially his strike zone judgement.
• The Rockies sent Opening Day starter Jon Gray down to the minor leagues.
• Padres outfielder Franchy Cordero is out for the season.
• An amazing play by Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez. Velasquez got drilled in his right pitching arm with a comebacker line drive, so he picked the ball up with his left hand and threw the runner out at first. After which, he doubled over in pain and then went on the disabled list.
• More amazing defense as Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar goes above the fence to rob a home run.
• Rays outfielder Mallex Smith did a Bo Jackson-esque “run up the outfield wall” play after a running catch in the outfield. Bo did it better though.
• Rockies outfielder Raimel Tapia turned a routine fly ball into a juggling act and eventually caught the ball in his armpit. (By the way, the commentary on the video in that piece helps to explain why the Rockies broadcast team are quite possibly the worst in the majors. Everyone knows a runner can tag up and leave as soon as a fielder touches the ball. Otherwise, outfielders would juggle the ball back to the infield while trying to prevent a walk-off sacrifice fly.)
• We’ve seen bad first pitches before and this one isn’t even all that bad compared to some others. But this one plonked an innocent passer-by in the noggin, so it gets extra points.
• I’m really sick and tired of tragedy inflicting itself on baseball, but one of the journalists killed in the Capital Gazette massacre was John McNamara, who covered Orioles home games for the paper. The Orioles had a tribute for him in the press box, as well as an moment of silence for all the victims.
• And finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, those Mariners “Turn Ahead the Clock” uniforms. James Dator has the story behind them and Jessica Kleinschmidt has some more photos and details from the evening, including what the Royals wore.

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