Every year, the end of July brings with it a lot of wheeling and dealing between Major League baseball teams. With a deadline of July 31st, teams in contention do whatever they can to strengthen their rosters, and loser teams give up some good players with hopes of getting some prospects or cash in return. Many of these players being traded are going to be free agents at the end of the season, so they're being traded solely for the purpose of helping a team get to the World Series and sometimes don't return with that team the following season. It makes things exciting, because most teams wait until the last minute to make their trades, leaving us nerdy fans at the edge of our seats until 3:59 pm (after 4:00 on July 31st, no more trades can be made).
This year was no exception. The day started with the Oakland A's surprisingly getting rid of slugger (and two-time Home Run Derby champ) Yoenis Céspedes in exchange for starting pitcher John Lester and older-than-dirt Jonny Gomes, who has played for more teams than I can count (he's actually only 33, but he has played for 7 different teams, so it seems like he's been around forever). This trade left me going "Huh???" because it doesn't seem to make much sense. While I normally don't question anything that A's General Manager Billy Beane does, I think renting Lester for 2 months (he will be a free agent at the end of the season) at the expense of losing Céspedes was very risky. But Beane has made it very clear that he wants to make it to the World Series this year, so I guess he has the off-season to worry about restructuring his ball club. In the meantime, the Red Sox are going to be hitting home runs left and right with Céspedes and David Ortiz, but will sadly remain in the basement of the AL East.
Another trade worth mentioning involved three teams. Former Cy Young Award winner David Price went to Detroit (a team that now has three Cy Young winners in its rotation), the Tigers' Austin Jackson went to Seattle, and Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin went to Tampa Bay (Smyly was with the Tigers and Franklin was with the Mariners). I know; very confusing! What killed me was that Austin Jackson was removed in the middle of the Tigers' game against the White Sox - manager Brad Ausmus went out to the home plate umpire in the middle of the seventh inning to let him know that Jackson was being removed because he had just been traded. Couldn't they wait for the inning to finish? Poor Jackson looked a little confused, and when he reached the dugout, all his teammates were giving him good-bye hugs. That's when I feel like these guys are treated like cattle, but then I remind myself how much money they're making, and I stop feeling badly. Still - were they going to give Jackson a few minutes to go to his apartment and get his things?
And of course my Washington Nationals couldn't sit there and watch everyone else get traded; they had to get in the game as well, acquiring infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the Cleveland Indians for Zach Walters and some cash. Cabrera will be a welcome addition to the Nats' infield, since third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has a Type 3 hamstring strain that has him on the Disabled List for a long time (in case you were wondering, "Type 3" means his hamstring is so messed up that it's practically hanging by a dental-floss-thin muscle fiber and can roll up like a cheap window shade at the slightest movement). Ryan's absence has me so sad, because he's the quintessential clutch hitter who always came through in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Nationals are trying to fill that void by moving Anthony Rendón from second base to third (his natural position) and putting newly-acquired Cabrera at second base. Problem is, Cabrera is a natural shortstop and hasn't played second base since 2009. Is that an issue? I don't know; I haven't made the transition from shortstop to second base myself, so I can't speak from experience.
Something else that is noteworthy from this past week's baseball action was the appearance of former President George W. Bush when the Texas Rangers hosted the New York Yankees. Bush was there as part of a pre-game ceremony in honor of Derek Jeter (have you heard that he's retiring? I KNOW - I had NO IDEA!) And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Ivan Rodriguez was there too. Anyway, I have always thought that "W" would make a good baseball Commissioner. No, I'm not high; hear me out for a minute. He's a former team owner like current Commissioner Bud Selig was (I'm OK with former owners being Commissioners as long as they know a baseball from a softball), he is a genuine fan, and regardless of my political views, I can admit that he has charisma. He definitely seems more personable than Selig, and he would do a better job at throwing out a first pitch than most people who make that attempt. So if they're not going to offer me the job, the next-best person may just be POTUS #43. Again, my observation has NOTHING to do with my political views!
Alrighty, friends - two more months of regular-season baseball left and two more games for my husband and I to attend. Keep cheering for the Nationals and Orioles (or at least cheer against the Phillies, Braves, and Yankees), and keep an eye on José Abreu of the White Sox, who currently has a 20-game hitting streak going. Gosh, I hope I didn't jinx him by mentioning it!
