MLB Bullets will give you a Hand

I had something clever to write up here, but then I realized it wasn’t that clever after all. It was just late and I was tired.

• So pretty much everyone has come to the same conclusion as Michael Baumann does. The Manny Machado trade makes the Dodgers the favorite to win the National League this year. Baumann does hedge a bit in a Cubs v. Dodgers matchup, saying that the Cubs are the favorites to make the World Series but the Dodgers would be the favorite if the two teams met in the NLCS again.
• David Schoenfield looks at how Machado fits in with LA and then says the Dodgers are the NL favorites.
• Dan Szymborski examines just how much the numbers say that Machado helps Los Angeles, and in particular in winning the NL West.
• Mike Rosenbaum looks at the talent heading back to Baltimore. By the way, Yusniel Diaz is way better than the 84th-best prospect in baseball at the moment, even accounting for the reality that he’s a pretty divisive player among analysts. Those MLB Pipeline rankings are pretty meaningless at this point in the season. Diaz is more like a top 40 prospect.
• Grant Brisbee notes that no matter whether this was a “good” or “necessary” deal for the Orioles, right now it’s pretty awful to be an O’s fan and it may not get better soon.
• Don’t believe him? Ask Orioles fan Mallory Rubin who says the joy is gone in Baltimore baseball.
• On the other side, Grant Brisbee writes that the future of baseball in Washington, DC is bright, with or without Bryce Harper.
• Buster Olney looks at what’s next for the trade market now that Machado is no longer on it.
• Another big trade that happened yesterday sent relievers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to the Indians in exchange for Francisco Mejia.
• Travis Sawchik writes that Mejia, the Indians top prospect, was a steep price to pay for two relievers but that the Tribe had to address their bullpen issues if they want to return to the World Series in 2018.
• Sawchik notes that the Indians are top-heavy, with some great talent and a lot of holes. In fact, Ben Lindbergh notes that Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are on a pace that would make them the second-greatest pair of teammates according to WAR in history, only behind Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on the 1927 Yankees.
• And Jose Ramirez has a very important question to ask of his new teammate Brad Hand.
• Here’s what the Padres are getting in Mejia.
• R.J. Anderson writes that we may get all the hoopla surrounding the Machado trade again next season as Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is a free agent after the 2019 season.
• Craig Calcaterra evaluated every team’s position in the trade market at the All-Star break. Here’s the American League East.
• The AL Central.
• AL West
• National League East trade positions.
• NL Central
• NL West
• Sam Miller has a “realistic goal” for each MLB team that they need to meet to call their 2018 season a success.
• The Angels responded with an angry press release in response to Commissioner Rob Manfred’s comments about outfielder Mike Trout.
• Nancy Amour says no one should blame Mike Trout for any supposed popularity problems.
• Tim Brown writes that Trout is not what’s wrong with baseball but it would help if Trout would play more than one playoff series in October.
• MLB has ordered Brewers reliever Josh Hader to receive sensitivity training and he’s getting a visit from MLB vice-president Billy Bean on Friday.
• The Brewers will take no additional action against Hader, but he will have to “re-earn the trust” of his teammates, according to Brewers general manager David Stearns.
• Craig Calcaterra explains why just saying you’re sorry isn’t enough, and I’m sure that’s something that Bean will talk to Hader about. (You can also read this piece if you want a take on why “sorry” isn’t enough.)
• The Athletics released reliever Santiago Castilla.
• Connor Grossman talked to MLB All-Stars about what player to they hate to face in the batters box or on the mound?
• Robot umpires wouldn’t have solved this one. This is the worst call in the history of baseball and it took two umpires to get it wrong. The two umpires in the Mexican League have both been suspended for the rest of the season.
• And finally, down in the minors, Peoria Chiefs mascot Homer has been suspended for one game for shooting an umpire with a squirt gun and other mascots are “protesting.”

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