Outside The Confines: How are we feeling, friends?

Well, there’s no easy way to say it, but Friday really sucked for Cubs fans. Obviously, the Cubs weren’t the only team to trade heavily, but it was still an emotionally difficult trade deadline all around. It’s hard to recall a more intense and genuinely wild deadline in recent memory, with huge names moving to teams who are desperate to make a playoff run.

The World Series core of the Cubs roster were all gone. Max Scherzer headed to the Dodgers. And the there were unusual non-moves, like Trevor Story staying put with the Rockies, inexplicably (even to him) and other teams who seemed to leave their phone entirely off the hook.

Much like last week the biggest stories over the weekend were all trade-related, so we’ll go through those first before jumping into some non-trade content.

• We’re going to have a few of these lists but Emma Baccellieri gives us SI’s deadline winners and losers.
• Bradford Doolittle has ESPN’s take on the deadline winners and losers.
• It’s not winners and losers, but The Athletic’s Jim Bowden grades every team on their deadline results. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Ken Rosenthal thinks this might have been the wildest trade deadline ever. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Dan Szymborski rounds up some of the less flashy deadline moves made on Friday.
• Eno Sarris assesses some players who may get their moment to shine now that they’ve been traded. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Jay Jaffe looks at some of the big trade deadline moves made by the Mets, including for some dude named Javier Baez.
• Nick Groke shares that Trevor Story is as confused as the rest of us about why he wasn’t traded last week. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Looks like the Mets aren’t going to make things happen with Kumar Rocker.

• That said, Steve Cohen probably shouldn’t have tweeted about it. Story by Marcus Krum.
• Tim Kurkjian has a lovely little list of baseball oddities from the month of July.
• Ichiro Suzuki... bullpen catcher? Johnny Flores shares what the Seattle Mariners legend is up to with the club these days.
• The Padres are facing some unfortunate injured list woes, writes Nick Selbe.
• Nick Castellanos is now a verb for poorly/perfectly timed home runs.

• White Sox backup catcher Seby Zavala had his first career home run... and second... and third all in one game, shares Joseph Salvador.
• Ian Browne shares that Chris Sale is getting closer to making his 2021 debut.
• The Cleveland Guardians roller derby team has filed a trademark application for their name. Story by Avery Williams.
• Not a bad stretch of games for Joey Votto, who had home runs in seven consecutive games last week, writes Nick Selbe.
• Terrika Foster-Brasby explores the incredible rookie season of Tigers’ outfielder Akil Baddoo.
• Did an Olympic pitcher find the answer to Stickygate? Hannah Keyser shares a potential solution to appeal to pitchers and hitters alike.
• Rob Arthur thinks the aforementioned Stickygate has taken all the oomph out of the high fastball. (Baseball Prospectus Premium required.)
• Is it time for robot umpires yet?

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