Oh what a week it has been for Major League Baseball! First was the Home Run Derby at Nationals Park, where hometown-favorite Bryce Harper had a fairytale of a day. His "Pops" was pitching to him, his bat had the stars and stripes painted on it, and instead of wearing a ballcap, he chose to accessorize his "perfectly coiffed" hair with a headband that had the flag of Washington, DC on it (and is currently flying off store shelves). While I was happy to see a Nationals player win the Home Run Derby, it was a little bittersweet, because all of us who have watched Bryce grow up in front of our eyes know that he will not be a Nat next year, since he'll be a free agent at the end of this season. And really - does hitting 45 home runs in one night negate Harper's current .214 batting average? In the grand scheme of things, he's still in the biggest slump of his career. And I'm not being a "Negative Nellie" because I'm bitter about not having gone to the Derby or the All-Star Game; I'm just telling it like it is - Harper better improve his hitting, or no one will want him next year (especially for the salary that his agent, Scott Boras, will be asking).
Then there was the All-Star Game. I didn't dwell too much on the fact that it was being played just an hour's drive away from my comfortable sofa, because I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going way over a year ago. So I was happy to sit in front of the TV and watch a game in the familiar ballpark that now everyone across the country was going to be able to enjoy. And my boy, Max Scherzer, was going to be the starting pitcher for the National League for the second year in a row, so of course I was excited. The player introductions were enjoyable to watch as always (especially since former Nationals players Blake Treinen, now with the A's, and Wilson Ramos, now with the Rays, received such enthusiastic applause), the National Anthem didn't bore me (it was an excellent rendition both vocally and visually), and Scherzer struck out four players in the two innings that he pitched (we'll ignore the home run he gave up to Aaron Judge). The American League ended up winning the game 8-6 in 10 innings, and it didn't end up raining like they had predicted. So overall, the All-Star Game was a success and all the players seemed legitimately excited to be there.
Then came the post-ASG trades, the most notable one being the Orioles sending shortstop Manny Machado to the Dodgers for five prospects. Now, I know I had predicted that Manny would go to the Diamondbacks, but then Corey Seager ended up needing Tommy John surgery (it's not just pitchers who get that done!) and the Dodgers were really in need of a reliable shortstop. Now, I also wondered if the Dodgers would try to get an outfielder since Yasiel Puig suffered a rib injury (I joked with my husband that the Dodgers should try to get Bryce Harper from the Nationals), but I guess the need for a shortstop was more urgent (because outfielders are a dime a dozen). So for the next three months, Manny Machado will have Magic Johnson as his boss, will help get the Dodgers to the playoffs, and then will end up with another team as a free agent. Does this bother me because it makes baseball players seem like cattle being taken to the auction block? It used to, but then I realized that teams really have to do whatever they can to make it to the playoffs (especially if they're paying a hefty luxury tax, like the Red Sox and Nationals are predicted to this year), and mid-season trades that involve free-agents-to-be only displace a player for a couple of months. Once the off-season comes and they sign with a new team, they can then move their families and get settled in a new city. I'm not trying to be heartless; it's just one of those "gazillionnaire problems" athletes have to deal with. I don't pity them (just their families).
And what about the Orioles? Who do they get in return for giving up Machado? They get outfielder Yusniel Díaz (Dodgers No. 4 prospect coming into this season), third baseman Rylan Bannon (Dodgers No. 27 prospect), right-hander Dean Kremer (Dodgers No. 28 prospect), right-hander Zach Pop, and infielder Breyvic Valera. I don't know anything about these guys other than what's on paper, but when you suck as badly as the Orioles have this year, anything short of a Cal Ripken, Jr. comeback would definitely be an improvement over the current situation. And if these prospects are as good as they seem to be, the Orioles should be really really good in the next few years (unless their inept owners screw that up, which wouldn't surprise me).
So now what? Well the Cleveland Indians, who are currently leading the American League Central, just acquired pitchers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the San Diego Padres for catcher Francisco Mejía. And of course there's talk of Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom being traded as well (maybe he can go to the Dodgers too, since Clayton Kershaw is having an "off" year). So there is still a lot of wheeling and dealing to be done before the July 31st trade deadline; it will be interesting to see what happens between now and then. My Nationals may be somewhat out of it at this point (we'll see how the weekend series against the Atlanta Braves goes), but I am still excited about the next few months - lots of trades, expanded rosters, and tons of exciting playoff baseball. Stay tuned!
