<font color=goldenrod>deGrom outduels Greinke and tosses 7.2 scoreless. Then Familia coughs it up in the 9th and the game is tied.

Games like this are why anybody who puts any stock in the Wins stat anymore need to be euthanized.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>Juan Uribe :love:

Good things happen when you have actual Major League players on the bench.</font>

One of the problems with having the MLBTR app open is I think I've gotten 8-10 alerts telling me about the Kelly Johnson Juan Uirbe trade in various manners.

Rangers and Dodgers currently the heavy favorites to get Cole Hammels. A few other teams are also bidding but none are offering anything close than two are for a deal.

<font color=goldenrod>Would be pretty ecstatic if the Mets were able to pry away Joaquin Benoit from the Padres before this series with them wraps up.

Familia's blown both save opportunities since the ASB, and Parnell blew a game last week. Hopefully it's just a bad stretch for them but regardless they could use someone else to help bolster the pen. Mejia has been outstanding since his return, but if the Mets were to somehow make the playoffs he'd be ineligible to participate because of the new suspension rules.</font>

Benoit also comes with a modest $8m option for next year as well so he wouldn't be a one and done rental. A package of Upton and Benoit would be a nice get for you guys.

<font color=goldenrod>Supposedly the Mets have ruled out Upton at this point, citing both sides being too far apart in asking price. Not sure the Mets would pay $8 million for a set-up guy knowing the Wilpons, but I'm sure Sandy and Preller will discuss him a lot this week.

They might also be closing in on a Tyler Clippard deal instead, which I'd be fine with too. I've always liked him.</font>

That'd be a nice get as well. Feel like one more high leverage reliever and bat could put the Mets over in the wildcard hunt.

<font color=goldenrod>They'll also find out tomorrow if there's any chance at all that Jerry Blevins will return. He was so money in the first couple weeks of the season and they haven't had a true LOOGY since he got hurt.

The top 5 guys in the pen being something like Familia, Clippard/Benoit, Mejia, Parnell, and Blevins down the stretch sounds wonderful.

And even in a scenario where they make the playoffs and don't have Mejia...they'd probably pull a Cardinals at that point and toss Syndergaard and Matz into the bullpen so that they're not totally breaking the bank with their innings. Fuck that'd be so fun to watch. May as well dream big.</font>

TRADE NEWS!

Angels get Shane Victorino from the BoSox for Josh Rutledge.

Mets acquire Tyler Clippard and a bag of cash from the A's for Casey Meisner.

<font color=goldenrod>Fuck yeah!!!</font>

Cubs cut Edwin Jackson loose, call up Rafael Soriano.

Adjust your fantasy rosters accordingly.

Seems a bit odd of a deal for the Angels unless they are expecting Victorino to suddenly improve hitting wise this season and pray he doesn't get hurt again. Red Sox had to eat the bulk of his contract to move him but at least Rusney Castillo gets some quality playing time now.

It is an odd move for the angels. Don't know what they're seeing in Victorino.

Think they still go after Carlos Gomez?

Who? The Mets? Mets have the talent in their farm system to acquire virtually any player on the market. Just gonna come down to whether they're willing to part with said talent and of ownership is willing to commit dollars.

In Padres news, Padres and Cubs have been talking Starlin Castro. The Padres are desperately trying to push James Shields, but Cubbies are more interested in Tyson Ross. Personally, I'd stay away from Castro. He's going to increase in salary commitments, and he's been a below average player through this point in his career. Doesn't hit for power, doesn't get on base, can't field. No thanks.

Preller has also been getting a lot of buzz on Kimbrel, especially from Washington, to the point of trying to re acquire ss prospect Trea Turner back, which made me lol. Nonetheless, multiple teams trying to trade for Kimbrel can only be a good thing for my Padres.

Baltimore has apparently inquired on Justin Upton as well as starters Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross. Ross has a bit more value due to having team control through the end of 2017. Cashner walks after next year. Orioles have some decent arms that could facilitate a trade.

Lastly, Yasiel Puig has become available, which is ridiculous to me, however, the Dodgers are open to offers.

<font color=goldenrod>With these standings being so close I've officially gone into scoreboard watching mode. So here's a nice big :fu: to the Rockies for blowing the game to the Cubs in the 9th.

Kinda feel better about the Mets managing to steal the division away from the Nats than I do about them getting a Wild Card, tbh. Expecting 2 of 3 of the Pirates, Giants, and Cubs to play like shit for a long period of time is a pretty tough ask. Dodgers too actually, now that the Giants have nearly drawn even with them in the West. If nothing else this should be a fun final 2 months.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>Meanwhile, the AL East went from a total LOL division where the winner might barely be over .500, to a division that the Yanks are probably going to win in a cakewalk.

A-Rod will always be a massive dickhead but what he's doing this year is pretty ridiculous.</font>

Blue Jays got Tulo for Reyes and minor leaguers from the Rockies.

And King Gertner may have just suffered an imploded penis. Holy shit Toronto. If healthy, Tulo and Donaldson maybe the best left side of the infield in history.

@Damian Rey I meant Gomez to the Angels. I read they were "in play" for him but that was before the Victorino trade.

That is the get of all gets for the Blue Jays. Alex Anthopoulos pretty much MUST deliver a World Series to Toronto within the next few years. Staked his name on it. And we all know what happens to GMs who spend a lot of money, and nothing happens.

Jose Reyes never worked out. Always injury prone. Maybe he can salvage something in Colorado.

They'd better still trade for a starter

BUT, BUT, YOU GOT JOURNEYMAN LATROY HAWKINS IN THE DEAL!

Reyes has been so friggen bad this year. I much would have rather they put Goins at short and acquire a syarter with the young arms they dealt.

Although the thought of a line up featuring Tulo, Encarnacion, Bautista, Donaldson and Martin just makes me giddy.

whoa now

let's see them make the playoffs first aight

But holy shit, Tulo. Huge trade to wake up to. That lineup is filthy.

<font color=goldenrod>As someone who has been dealing with "Tulo to the Mets" rumors for months on end...this feels sorta like a gut punch seeing as the prospects the Rockies got from the Jays sound a whole lot like the Nimmo and Montero types the Mets were reportedly willing to part with for Tulo.

But, this also goes along with what the Rockies had been saying all along. They weren't worried about moving Tulo to shed salary in the short-term. They wanted prospects AND a legitimate big league bat to replace Tulo with because they feel they can still win in the near future with Arenado, Blackmon, CarGo and the like. So while Reyes is a clear downgrade over Tulo, it's not like the Mets had a similar player to offer them. Reyes will be a washout from a salary standpoint but he does free up payroll a couple years down the line, earlier than Tulo would have.</font>

Toronto a joke. They needed a starter, not another bat.

Going to the os game tonight vs the Braves, first game this year

No lefties? KC'S pen will have their way with them.

They'll win games 7-5 rather than 5-3......in the regular season.

I'll be interested to see if this unconventional move pays off but it's been pretty well proven that winning in the playoffs is different from winning in the regular season. Going up against nothing but Frontline starters and dominant bullpen arms may mitigate alot of this offensive power in a playoff series.

<font color=goldenrod>Supposedly Tulowitzki told Rockies ownership very specifically that he did not want to go to the Mets.

Well...that's what having owners with a terrible reputation will do to you.</font>

Still plenty of time. And Reyes being dealt helps their pitching. Reyes has been AWFUL this year. I still want a starting pitcher though.

What's more impressive to me is that they were able to pull the trade off without trading Norris or Sanchez in the process

I have a feeling Norris is going to be gone.

<font color=goldenrod>Zobrist to the Royals</font>

Royals gearing up for another run to the World Series it seems.

Whoa. How do the White Sox have the same winning percentage as the Tigers? Something is wrong.

Nationals-Phillies near a deal for Jon Papelbon where the Nats would get Papelbon and in return the Phillies get a minor league pitcher. Phillies would also cover part of Papelbon's salary for the rest of this season and next season.


MLB Hall of Fame trimming the number of voters eligible by kicking out anyone who hasn't been an active writer for at least 10 years. Those who get removed can rejoin the voters list if they return to writing about the sport and meet a certain requirement.