If you read only one thing…..

As we approach the all-star break, the fantasy world and real word shift their attention to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. I remember when I was a kid, there was only one deadline. It came on August 31st. That deadline was only for teams trying to set their playoff roster. I remember one year where Fred Lynn was dealt right after the deadline. The trade went through, but he could not be added to the playoff roster.

The non-waiver deadline does make some sense. Minor league seasons end at the end of August and most trades involve some minor leaguers. You want those players to get their feet wet in their new organizations. It also forces teams to decide quickly whether they are buyers or sellers. In some respects, it aids the sellers on the market and those teams usually are smaller market teams. Give them a built in advantage by allowing them to acquire more young talent for their veterans. I got it. It makes some sense.

Unfortunately, all changes have unintended consequences. With the addition of a fifth playoff team in each league, more teams feel like they are in it. Coming into play tonight, no American League team was more than ten games under .500. The National League had four such teams to their credit. Only one team is on pace to win more than 100 games. Parity is good in some respects, but it’s serving to stifle movement. As the NBA has shown over the last week, movement breeds drama. Drama breeds attention. Attention breeds more hits and views. Hits and views breed more dollars. Perhaps it’s time to move the deadline. August 15th might be a good compromise. That would give potential sellers two more weeks to assess their chances. Just a thought……

Just as we expected….

We may not have expected the Tigers lineup to produce collectively without Miguel Cabrera, but we have become accustomed to J.D. Martinez producing. He might be the best waiver claim in recent big league history. Ironically, he might have been the best waiver claim from the 2014 season in fantasy baseball. He hit his 25th home run on Friday night to go along with his 59th RBI. Obviously, 2014 wasn’t a fluke.

The Indians might technically be under .500 going into the break (42-44 after Friday), but their starting pitching looks to keep them in the race. Danny Salazar pitched wonderfully again on Friday night to give the Indians four consecutive brilliant outings from their rotation. When you combine Salazar with Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and Carlos Carrasco you have to believe they have the chops to compete for the last wild card.

But we didn’t see this coming….

Detroit Tigers began to shudder when Justin Verlander was compared to CC Sabathia. Sabathia used to be a brilliant pitcher, but he’s turned into a pumpkin and still has a Brinks truck full of cash still owed him. Verlander is beginning the first season of a 100+ million extension that was an overpay the moment the ink dried. He at least turned in a solid start on Friday night that hopefully will jump start his season. The Tigers are still odds on favorites to escape the Central with at least a wild card. Having an effective Verlander will definitely help.

Do you want to hear about an all-star like season going underneath the radar? Prince Fielder is hitting .347 with 14 home runs and 53 RBI after Friday night. Naturally, doubling those numbers is really simplistic, but with that a given we are looking at a player that should approach 100 RBI and an average well over .300.

The Rest of the Details

Save Chances

• Brad Boxberger (converted)
• David Robertson (converted)
• Aroldis Chapman (converted)
• Jeurys Familia (converted)
• Mark Melancon (converted)

Injuries

• Clay Buchholz left his start with elbow tightness

Roster Moves

• Marlins designated Jordany Valdespin

• Dodgers release Brandon League
• Tigers release Joba Chamberlain
• Marlins sign Casey McGehee
• Braves sign Vin Mazzaro
• Cubs designated Donn Roach

Rumors Mill

It appears as if the Marlins are now open for business. Despite their poor record, they still have some valuable trade pieces available. Mat Latos and Dan Haren have been reasonably effective (Haren to a greater degree) and are impending free agents. The Marlins could likely get three or four quality prospects for those two alone. Relievers Brad Hand and Steve Cishek are also drawing some interest as well. They would probably fetch less, but would be good guys to move ahead of the deadline.