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It’s a glorious day if you’re a baseball fan or baseball writer, because Cole Hamels has finally been traded. Now neither of us has to wonder about where he’s going or what the Phillies plan is, or argue about what his true value is. It turns out that the extremists on both sides -- the ones who suggested Hamels’ contract made him worthless versus the ones who believed nothing short of a basket full of top-15 prospects would get a deal done -- were wrong. The real answer, as it so often is, came in the middle, with the Phillies getting a promising package of raw prospects from the Rangers that they had to use their financial abilities to help shake loose.
So, with Hamels off the market and Johnny Cueto a Royal, the spotlight is squarely on the Tigers and David Price. Following Wednesday’s game, president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said it was time for a “reboot,” making pending free agents Price and Yoenis Cespedes available. Price should return a solid package to Detroit, especially if Ken Rosenthal is right in saying that the only reason Price’s market was limited a year ago was due to the $20 million everyone knew he had coming to him in 2015. On a side note: if you can’t afford one year of David Price at $20 million, please sell your professional baseball team and go away forever.
The Blue Jays, fresh off acquiring Troy Tulowitzki, are one of four teams in on Price. The Dodgers, Giants and Yankees are the other three, and now that Hamels is gone, maybe the Dodgers intensify that push. Price has felt destined to be a Yankee for a long time, however, given his left-handedness will complement that park perfectly, so maybe this is when the Yankees come out of their deadline quiet to make the move that could ensure them the AL East title. We’re going to find out soon, because, as of this writing, there are fewer than 32 hours left before the deadline.
- The win-now, fear-nothing Royals are here, and we can all thank a single moment from last year’s AL Wild Card Game for it.
- Carlos Gomez was headed to the Mets -- it was so real that Wilmer Flores cried while on the field. Flores is still on the Mets, though, and Gomez still on the Brewers. And now, no trade is going to happen.
- The Dodgers used their greatest asset, money, to work a three-team deal with the Marlins and Braves that saw them send international free agent prize Hector Olivera to Atlanta.
- Speaking of Olivera, what exactly are the Braves doing?
- Teams are asking the Orioles about Manny Machado, which is pretty adorable.
- Fernando Rodney is tipping his pitches, but it took the Blue Jays being kind enough to tell the Mariners this was the case for anyone in Seattle to notice.
- Cole Hamels is on the Rangers instead of the Astros thanks to his no-trade clause. See, they aren’t always just for squeezing more money or options out of teams!
- The Indians and Cardinals are believed to be working on a significant trade. Carlos Carrasco has been on the block, but the Cards might be looking for a bat, especially with Matt Holliday hurting once more.
- The Red Sox are looking to call up their two remaining lefty pitchers -- both top-50 prospects -- before too much longer.
- The Troy Tulowitzki trade ruined the timing of this Jeopardy question.
- The Marlins played fart sounds during the Nationals’ batting practice. No additional joke is necessary.
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