Good morning! While yesterday was a travel and rest day for most teams, it certainly was a busy one for front offices around MLB as they scrambled to improve their teams before the 4:00pm trade deadline. While we won’t be going super in-depth on all of the trades throughout baseball in this article, we will touch on a few of the most significant deals to occur during yesterday’s calamity. Here are the best things you missed from Monday!
A.J. Preller and the Chaos of the Trade Deadline
Well, that was exciting. Despite early speculation that this year’s trade deadline would come and go quietly due to 2020’s COVID-shortened season, A.J. Preller lit the stove on fire with an early morning deal Monday for Cleveland ace Mike Clevinger.
Total haul for Cleveland in the Mike Clevinger deal, per sources: RHP Cal Quantrill, LF Josh Naylor, C Austin Hedges, SS Gabriel Arias, LHP Joey Cantillo, SS Owen Miller.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 31, 2020
Clevinger (along with outfielder Greg Allen and a player to be named later) returned a major haul of six players in exchange, as it looked to form the base of its next young core while attempting to stay competitive in the present. Even with the loss of Clevinger, Cleveland still retains one of the strongest pitching staffs in baseball, headlined by Cy Young frontrunner Shane Bieber, as well as strong pitchers in Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale. Clevinger served as the final major upgrade to a Padres team looking for their first playoff appearance since 2006, after San Diego made deals for Mitch Moreland and Austin Nola earlier in the weekend.
Other notable trades to occur Monday included the Diamondbacks sending Starling Marte to the Marlins in exchange for Caleb Smith, Humberto Mejia, and a player to be named later (PTBNL). The D-Backs continued their fire sale by dealing Archie Bradley to the Reds for Stuart Fairchild and Josh VanMeter, and Robbie Ray to the Blue Jays in exchange for reliever Travis Bergen.
Meanwhile, the Rangers, who were expected to sell off ace Lance Lynn and possibly work out a trade for Joey Gallo, instead stood pat, only shedding Mike Minor to the Athletics for two PTBNL.
In addition to picking up Marte, the Marlins also acquired outfielder Griffin Conine from the Blue Jays in exchange for Jonathan Villar.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a trade deadline without a few buzzer-beater deals, and while it wasn’t Zack Greinke this time, the Blue Jays added a solid starting pitcher (and licensed stock broker!) in Ross Stripling in exchange for two PTBNL.
Like I said before, this is not an exhaustive list of all of the deals that went down yesterday, but rather a quick snapshot of some of the major trades around the league. For more trade deadline coverage, as always, keep it locked to Pitcher List.
The Angels Put On A Defensive Clinic
Okay, so maybe that title was the least bit facetious. Regardless, the real winner of Monday’s matchup between the Angels and Mariners was the Sun, which wreaked havoc on infielders and outfielders alike as the afternoon wore on. Over the course of the game, multiple fielders lost fly balls in the bright afternoon sun, which led to a comedy of errors in the field.
It’s been a fun day at Angel Stadium pic.twitter.com/64ca1wHSbm
— Ben Palmer (@benjpalmer) August 31, 2020
Double Rainbows over Philly
We thought you’d all like to know that there is a double rainbow in Philly. pic.twitter.com/6XtNwfAq6W
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 31, 2020
While not exactly hard-hitting news, Citizens Bank Park experienced some whimsical weather during the Phillies’ matchup against the Nationals on Monday. After off-and-on showers and some light rain, the skies briefly cleared to display a gorgeous double-rainbow extending over the park. I was under the impression that such a meteorological event was relatively rare, but I was curious and Mike Trout wasn’t responding to my weather DMs so I was forced to do my own research.
As it turns out, double-rainbows are fairly common, and are created when light is reflected twice within a raindrop. This allows you to see two different reflections from different angles, and results in a cool effect where the colors of the second rainbow are actually reversed from the first rainbow (source). So instead of ROYGBIV, you get… VIBGYOR? I’ll admit, it doesn’t sound as snappy, and while a double-rainbow may not necessarily be rare, it’s still a reminder of some of the natural wonder still left in the world today.
Amed Rosario Finally Walks
It happened.
It's been 157 plate appearances but Amed Rosario has finally walked and the bench is loving it. pic.twitter.com/9wRSp9iUYA
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) August 31, 2020
If a double-rainbow wasn’t enough to convince you Monday was a special day, look no further than Amed Rosario for your daily dose of serendipity. For the first time since September 14, 2019, Rosario drew a base on balls. The small miracle was not lost on the Mets’ bench, who exploded in celebration (okay, maybe exploded is a strong word, but they were excited). Even Rosario gave a small, Jordan-esque shrug at his feat of discipline as he walked down the first base line.
For those keeping track, the walk brought Rosario’s BB% all the way up to 1.0% on the year. It’s not great, but at least he’s trending in the right direction?
Have a beautiful day today, and be kind to one another. We will see you again tomorrow!
(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)