Trade Deadline Part 2

By Mark Halpern

So in part one of this series, I talked a lot about certain players rumored to be traded. Those rumors heated up a little today for the likes of Max Scherzer and Kris Bryant as the Tampa Rays have now shown interest. This comes as no surprise that Tampa would try and trade for them as their organization has done well when it comes to wheeling and dealing. Craig Kimbrell has become a name to watch as Boston and Pittsburgh have begun to show some interest. Pittsburgh has also been dealing with the Phillies for Tyler Anderson but is held up as one of the prospects to go to the Phillies has a medical issue. The Houston Astros upgraded their bullpen today by trading with the Mariners. Houston gets Kendell Graveman and Rafael Montero for infielder Abraham Toro and Joe Smith. Looking around the league and the only new rumor is a quote from the Nationals GM “Everyone is available except for Juan Soto, so don’t even inquire about Soto.” Today is only Tuesday, and I expect late tomorrow or early Thursday, we will see plenty of more speculation and possible changes in rumors.

       In part one of my free agency talks, I mentioned the games elite, but they are not the only ones who will possibly move to a new team.  Pitching is a massive category for free agents at the end of the season. Names like Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, Lance Lynn, Kelly Jansen, and Archie Bradly will be seeking new contracts. Syndergaard, who is still recovering from Tommy John Surgery, probably will be staying with the Mets on a 1-year deal to show that he is healthy to pitch and get a more significant contract. Stroman has done ok in New York and will be seeking a new 3–4-year deal. I think there will be several teams in on him, especially the cross-town rivals, the Yankees. Lance Lynn is an interesting one. He is having a fantastic year at 10-3 with a 1.91 era. He has been a solid pitcher for his career, and extensive market teams won’t shy away from offering him a big contract. I see the Mets, Nationals, Yankees, Boston, and Atlanta to be in on him unless the White Sox make him an offer he can’t refuse.

     In the outfield, some big names are Michael Conforto, Tommy Pham, Jackie Bradly Jr, and Nick Castellanos. This is just a sample of some of the available outfielders. Conforto has said he wants an eight-year deal in the range of 250-300 million dollars. He won’t see this unless he starts hitting again. His fielding is impeccable, but he won’t get that even from the Mets if he is hitting at .230 with few home runs and rbis. Tommy Pham, I have always liked. He is a speedster and a good fielder. He won’t warrant a 7–8-year deal, but a solid four-year deal from a club like Boston, Toronto, or even Oakland wouldn’t surprise me. As for Bradley, Jr and Castellanos have had a decent year and could play anywhere in the league. They are in no way big contracts but will be a great addition to whoever decides to sign them, and that is how the old man sees it.

     Check-in for the final part of this series as the trade market heats up and more on available free agents and where Old Ops Guy thinks they will end up.

Trade Deadline Part 1

By Mark Halpern

So with the trade deadline quickly approaching, we hear the rumors of big-name players who will be free agents at the end of this year. When it comes to teams making a trade for this type of player, I call it a rental and can be very costly to teams. The big names being discussed are Kris Bryant, Max Scherzer, Jose Berrios, Trevor Story, and Anthony Rizzo. With this Free Agency there are just a handful of players, and if any of them are to be traded, they will cost teams big-time prospects and starters, all for a few months on the team. We have seen some small moves by the Mets, Padres, and of course, the Tampa Rays. More will happen in the next week.

     Now let’s jump to the end of the season and after the World Series to free Agency. When you look at the players that will either resign or join a new team is a who’s who of stars. However, the average age of these free agents is 34 years old, and the average amount per year they will be seeking is just about $17 million. Some of these big names are Kris Bryant, Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Freddie Freeman, J.D Martinez and Nolan Arenado. This, yet again, is just a sample of the free agents that will be available. The question is, where will they sign?

    J.D Martinez, I believe if Boston wins the series, finishes his career out there but, if not, I think he will stay in the American League, most likely as a DH and possibly with the Angels. Kris Bryant will most likely be leaving the Cubs as they are selling off the players as they are trying to shed payroll. Kris Bryant has been rumored to trade rumors to the Padres and the Mets and both teams who want him to sign an extension if traded. If he stays with the Cubs, I believe he will be a NY Met next season. Max Scherzer is one of the top Pitchers in Baseball and will command a big contract wherever he ends up. Unfortunately, I am not sure any team is going to give him what he wants. I think he will stay in the National League East but not with the Nationals.

I think Atlanta or Philly will make a run at him. Clayton Kershaw is coming to the end of his career and a long-term contract he won’t get. I think he will finish his career in LA. Trevor Story’s time will be the most coveted of all the free agents. The New York Yankees will be the most aggressive with him and can offer him whatever but, I think he could end up with Oakland or Seattle. Zack Greinke is 38 years old and at the end of his career. He might get a 1-year deal to be a back-of-the-end starter and nowhere near the $35 Million he is getting. Freddie Freeman, I see staying in Atlanta and finishing his career there, and that is how the old man sees it. Check in the next blog, where I will be reviewing more players this week.

Power or Small Ball

By Mark Halpern

In today’s baseball game, many teams rely on more players who can hit the long ball than just getting on base and moving runners around to score. The game of baseball has changed so much over the last 100 years.
Teams, when baseball started, didn’t have teams filled with power hitters who could hit 30-40 home runs in a season. Teams relied on singles and doubles and pitching to win games. Homeruns were a rare thing in the beginning. Babe Ruth was the one exception to that rule. He hit more home runs in a season than some team’s entire roster. Small ball was the way baseball was played. Base hits and stolen bases were how the game went. Yes, teams could afford to pay a little more to have a team, but no player was getting $20 million a season to play. Teams weren’t paying their players to hit home runs; they were paying for runs scored.

When baseball became integrated in 1947, the game began to evolve to a game of mixed small ball and players who could hit for power like Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson and Hank Greenberg, and Lou Gehrig. In the 1950’s Mantle, Mays, Matthews, and Aaron, to name a few. Hitting just for singles and doubles had diminished somewhat, and the age of the homerun became vital. However, the need for a small ball was still there. Small teams that couldn’t compete with large ball markets strived by playing small ball but, not for long.
Baseball between the 1960s and 1990s graduated to players who hit for power. Now is the home run a bad thing? Hell, no, it’s not. I love watching a ball go 448 feet in the air and score 3-4 runs in an instant. It’s exciting but, if you have three home runs in a game and another team has 14 hits and moves runners around and score more, you win. The successes of the Athletics, Reds, Mets, Yankees, and Pirates, to name a few, relied on both styles to win the World series.

Let’s fast forward to today. Most teams have players that have 4-5 players who are capable of hitting 25 plus home runs a season. The styles of the small ball don’t exist much anymore. Name me a team that has players all hitting at .275 and above. As we saw in this year’s all-star game (besides Vlad Jr’s Blast), the American League won by minor base hits. That style of the game needs to exist more than it does. Again, I enjoy watching Homeruns fly, but I like seeing hit after hit and seeing stolen bases and runs scored on singles and doubles. The game can’t evolve more than it has now, but we shall see what will happen in the next 10-20 years, and that is how the old man sees it.

Open Match

By Mark Halpern

The Open Championship was held at Royal St George last week, and it was full of top players. If you read my blog, I had picked John Rahm to win it. Looking where he finished at 3rd place was a good standing but, his first round was atrocious. He shot 71 1 over par on the first round, which brought into question what was wrong. The OpenChampionchip was the time for other golfers to set the bar. Rahm did come back the next three rounds, shooting a 64 6under par his second round, a 69 two under par the third round, and a 66 f under par final round good enough for him to secure third. That terrible first-round caused him the chance to contend for first. He was my pick to win it.

Collin Morikawa won the open, finishing with 15 under par to win the open. He had plenty of challenges throughout the weekend, but his consistent accuracy on the fairways and his short game was too hard for others to contend with. He is an exceptionally talented young golfer and tied a record with Tiger Woods with making his last 22 cuts in a row. At 24 years old, he is well on his way to having an insane career and will challenge most PGA events in the years to come.

One golfer who kept on Morikawa’s heels was Jordan Spieth, who started with fire and had a quiet but uneventful third round which kept him in reaching distance of Morikawa but, the final round Spieth who also one of my picks, could not pass Morikawa and finished in second at 13 under for the match. The other golfer who was in contention throughout the match was Louis Oosthuizen. He was in first after the first round in the first round and was at the top of the leader board several times, but his final round of 1 over par had him fall shot and drop to third. Hats off to him and his fantastic play.

Bryson Dechambeau had parted with his caddy the week before and has not been himself since. Pardon my language. He shit the bed in this tournament. The Open Championship is a Major where he should have won and was the favorite to do so. However, he was not the only one who did not show up. Poor Phil Mickelson finished 14 over par and missed the cut. He was predicted to place but, I figured he would have made the cut.
Honorable mentions go out to Brooks Koepka, McKenzie Hughes, and Dylan Frittelli for playing consistent rounds and challenging the leaderboard. In my opinion, Rahm got rammed in that first round and cost him any chance of challenging Morikawa. I am incredibly happy for Morikawa and cannot wait to see Morikawa play more over the next few months, and that is how the old man sees it.

Paul Needs to Ball

By Mark Halpern (Written 7/20/2021 12:00 pm in case this posts after the game)

So, tonight is game six of the NBA finals. The Milwaukee Bucks won a crucial game on the road in Phoenix to bring game six back home. We all know home-court advantage always gives the home team an upper advantage. Can the Suns force a game seven tonight? It’s possible, but only if their star point guard shows up?
Chris Paul is a 16-year veteran in the NBA, has been a leader on any team he has played for, and has played in many big games. In the first two games of this series, he was excellent. Paul created tons of opportunities for other players like Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Jae Crowder. He is one of the best passers in the game, and when he is not dishing, he usually is swishing.

He is a great shooter from in the paint to beyond the arc. Paul has been averaging close to five a game, and while that does not seem like a lot to some people, it means a lot in the game. However, over the last three games, he has been very sloppy. Quietly we do not hear about one stat from him, and that is his turnovers. Each turnover costs the team points. So, you have to figure that are 10 points of missed opportunities. When he last played in Milwaukee, Jrue Holiday played terrific defense against him, and we expect that to be the same tonight.The Suns need to develop a plan to make sure Paul can capitalize on those opportunities, whether it is setting up screens or the old fashion pick and roll. All that matters is that he is given the time to create opportunities so the suns can force a game seven. Paul needs to be the player he was during the first two games of this series, and if he cannot, then the Bucks could end it tonight. I, for one, would love nothing more than to see a game 7 in this series. Both teams are full of talent, and anything can happen. I believe I had picked the Bucks in 6, so I am hoping for it to happen. If Paul does show up, then we will see that game seven in Phoenix later this week, and that is how the old man sees it.

Is The Yankee Season Salvageable ?

By Bill Murphy 

I was born in 1994, so I was around during the golden age of the New York Yankees, seeing them win seven American League Pennants and Five World Series. One of my earliest memories of watching baseball was watching the core four (Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettite).  My  Dad and my uncle always told me, my brother, and my cousin that we were spoiled with the Yankees from seeing their dominance in the late 90s and into the 2000s; they told us they remembered the Yankees of the mid-60s and into the 70s that were always in the last place, Gone were the days of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Joe Dimaggio and Whitey Ford and the Core four were far into the future.  Are we seeing a resurgence of the Yankees of my Dad and uncle’s youth? The 2010s was the first decade since the 1910s that they did not appear in a world series and the first time since the 1980s that they failed to win a World Series. 

Now fast-forwarding to this season, and without sugar-coating it, the Yankees are an absolute disgrace.  As I have said a thousand times on the podcast, they’re falling apart, and as I have said every word in the book while watching them on tv. The Yankees are now 46-43  and are sitting at tied for third in the AL East and eight games behind the first-place Red Sox. Now, what’s the problem? Well, I would have an easier time telling you what isn’t their problem.  I can say that they can’t capitalize on runners in scoring positions and that they have left an average of 3.14 runners on base this year and have an average of .138, with runners in scoring position the worst in the league. The batting is inconsistent. For example, during the subway series, Aaron Judge hits a home run and then strikes out.  The pitching has been showing problems with Luis Severino injured. Corey Kluber shut down, especially Gerrit Cole, who has struggled throughout June but has shown guts in his last start against Houston, pitching a complete game 1-0 shutout.  Aroldis Chapman keeps blowing saves. On the bright side, they are winning the series, but they can’t complete sweeps. They are currently  3-9 when it comes to completing sweeps.

As we approach the second half of the season, what can be done to save the season? Is it worth salvaging at this point? As the trade deadline approaches, The Yankees should improve the pitching rotation if Brain Cashman and Hal Steinberner don’t want to break the bank and go over the luxury tax to obtain Max Scherzer (a rant for a different blog post ). Then we should think about getting  Jose Berrios from the Minnesota Twins or sitting at a 7-3 record with a 3.48 ERA or  German Marquez from the Rockies, who has a 3.36 ERA. When The season ends, the Yankees’ two free agents should try to jump on Joey Gallo from the Rangers and Trevor Story from the Rockies and be the most sought-after free agent once he becomes one in 2022. 

As the second half of the season is now upon us, can the Yankees improve, or are we going to be looking at another dry spell from the youth of my Dad and Uncle’s youth? 

The G.O.A.T or Foolish G.O.A.T

By Mark Halpern

The term G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) is thrown around a lot regarding sports. In the game of Football, however, when we use this term, Tom Brady is currently at the top of the list. As we all know, Tom Brady has almost as many Super Bowl rings as fingers and more Super Bowl M.V.P.s than anyone else in the sport. He is a definite future Hall of Famer and quite possibly will hold certain records (like the M.V.P.’s) that no one will ever break. However, reading particular articles this past week makes me worry.

Those of you who have not read Brady played all last season with a slightly torn MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) in his knee and during the playoffs, and Super Bowl likely tore. Now coming from someone who has had a slightly torn MCL in his life, this is a complex injury to deal with. It generally has swelling and pain, but it really harbors your side-to-side movement, and as a quarterback, a big part of the game is shuffling around. Looking at Brady’s play over last season, we would have never known that he was suffering this injury at all. He threw for an impressive 4633 yards and 40 Touchdowns. It does not seem like someone who had this bad of an injury. This calls into question a lot of speculation.

If Brady was playing with this all season, he could have suffered an even worse injury and possibly lost his full walking capability. Why risk something so much when you are already the best? He has been a true competitor his whole career but, it is time to consider life after Football. It will not suit him well if he is hobbling for the rest of his life. Major MCL surgery takes months, if not a year, to recover from. How did he deal with the pain is another question altogether. Was he receiving pain injections to deal with it? Why was this never on the injury reports that come out weekly? Did the Buccaneers not disclose the information, and by not does this violate many N.F.L. rules? I am sure the N.F.L. will look at this more closely, but I do not see anything coming of it.
I used the word Foolish in my title because I have had many injuries over the last 30 years.

I was a Catcher for 28 years of my life, and at 5’8 175lbs, I was slammed into so many times that I was told to stop playing at 22 years old. I continued to play until 28, when my back started hurting, and at 30 years old, I had the first of 14 surgeries needed to start repairing my back. I was foolish, but I was not the G.O.A.T. by any means. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization should have handled this better. Brady has admitted having complete MCL surgery in the off-season, and this brings this season into question. If he has a bad year, is it because of the surgery probably, and we can no longer call him the G.O.A.T. any of course not? However, there should have been no question in his position then to shut him down last season and treat the injury the right way and not risk his body any more than it needed, and that is how the old man sees it.

Why The Rangers Should Avoid the Big Move

By Mike Rifkin

Three years ago, the New York Rangers front office wrote a letter to their fans about a change of direction for the organization. They decided that it was time for them to rebuild and stock draft picks and prospects. Now they are on the surface of something that could be very special. This offseason, the Rangers have around 22 million dollars in salary-cap space. Two names who have been floated around the Rangers this offseason are Sabres center Jack Eichel and Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko, but the Rangers should be avoiding both.
Let’s start with Eichel.

The former second overall pick played in 21 games last season due to a neck injury. An issue that is yet to be resolved between player and organization is part of Eichel’s reason out of Buffalo. Trading for Eichel will cost a lot financially and player-wise as the 24-year-old makes 10 million dollars per year until 2027. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has said he wants the equivalent of four first-round picks for the former second overall pick. Another issue for teams trading for Eichel is that he has a no-trade clause that kicks in after next season, so essentially you can trade whatever it takes to get him for one season and not get back a significant return because he can dictate where he can be traded to. If the Rangers were to acquire Eichel, it would come at the expense of not having Mika Zibanejad long-term, yes Zibanejad had a down season this season, but he is a key man on the Rangers power play and penalty kill. Eichel is not used on the penalty kill. Zibanejad will be cheaper than 10 million dollars a season.

Tarasenko makes 7.5 million dollars until 2024. Tarasenko has undergone three shoulder surgeries and doesn’t trust the organization to get it right, and reportedly, the Rangers are one of the teams he is willing to go to. Tarasenko was a consistent 30 goal scorer up until the last two seasons, where he scored a total of 7 goals in 34 games played due to injury. Tarasenko is a proven playoff performer scoring 35 goals and 51 points in 78 games played. The shoulder of Tarasenko bothers me because he played a heavy game for the Blues in the playoffs based on their style of play. The Rangers have some young talent on the wing with Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, former second overall pick Kappo Kakko, last year’s first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, and Vitaly Kravtsov. Rangers should also consider bringing back restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich.

Chris Drury has some work to do this offseason, but he shouldn’t be thinking of stars. He should be thinking about players to help this team win. He should resign Zibanejad, and Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox will also need a new deal and some other young players. Financial flexibility is significant to a stable organization, and the Rangers have that currently. Another star doesn’t change this team for the better. The Rangers need to be tougher to play against because they have enough skill but need some grit. The top priority outside of the organization should be either Islanders center Casey Cizikias, Bruins center Sean Kuraly or Phillip Danault of Montreal.

They can center the 4th line, kill penalties, and are very good on faceoffs, a position where the Rangers have struggled. Drury should also call Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, who was recently bought out by the Wild they bring in experience and will come cheap as the Wild will still be paying them. Both are hard-nosed players and will provide some physical play as well. Also, don’t rule out a trade with Vegas Golden Knights because of Gerard Gallant being hired as the new head coach of the Rangers. If I were Drury, I would avoid going extensive game shopping this summer.

Second Half Run

By Mark Halpern

So here we are returning from the All-Star break and looking at how things are going for the Mets are trending up. The Mets, during the first half, had the worst luck with Injuries, rainouts, and some really under performances from some players. Now we look to the second half of baseball, and things are starting to look up.On the injury side of things, the Mets starting lineup will look like the opening day lineup with McNeil, Conforto, Davis, and Nimmo now back in the lineup.

However, we might not see a ton of Davis because Villar has made a name for himself this season. Villar has filled in at various spots on the diamond and has not been disappointed. Kevin Pillar filled in for Nimmo while he was down and did a great job with not only his stellar defense but his bat as well. The addition of Billy McKinney helped fill in for the injured Conforto, and his speed on the basepaths has not disappointed. So, the Mets have a deep group of players that can fill in most positions. The second half also raises the question that if the trade market would heat up, would they move someone to bring a more considerable talent. Currently, the Mets need Starting Pitching.

The Mets are still missing two noticeably big names in the rotation. Starting Pitching has been an issue this season except for Jacob deGrom and Taijan Walker. Noah “Thor” Syndergaard, who was recovering from Tommy John surgery, was doing extended spring training when he began to feel discomfort in that repaired arm. He is currently starting to work his way back, but September is the earliest if he returns this season at all. We could see that lightning come from his arm. Carlos Carrasco has resumed baseball activities as he has recovered from his torn hamstring injury, has been doing simulated games, and will be starting a minor league rehab stint as soon as next week. We could see him by the end of July.

As for my comments at the beginning of underperformers, Francisco Lindor so far has not been himself. He is currently hitting a poor .227 batting average when he has hit close or over .300 most of his career. My take on it is that he is trying to do too much, and NY’s pressure can do that. I am hoping to see a real resurgence from him in the second half. Also, McNeil and Conforto have not caught on as of yet. Both are returning from injury, so hoping they can return to form.

The Mets are currently 47-40 and have a 3-game lead over the Phillies and a 4-game lead over the Braves. With the Mets getting their team back and other vital pieces returning over the next few weeks, I see the Mets making a huge run and winning the NL East by a wide margin. However, the NL East division has many stellar teams, and anything can happen on the diamond, and that is how the old man sees it.

Nobody is perfect. Lets try again

By Mark Halpern

So, my last week’s John Deere event picks went nowhere near what I had predicted. The play from the two youngsters was good. Smalley and Gannon did well but not well enough. I still see bright futures from them, but TPC Deere Run is a course I said in my recent post can eat anyone up. For the first time in as many events, I have seen more withdrawals than any other match in recent months.Now the Open Championship being held at Royal St. George on Thursday will be a great match. John Rahm is the early favorite to win this week.

He has had an up and down season, and his putting has been well off, missing several birdie opportunities, which any golfer will tell you makes you want to throw your putter as far as you can. Rahm has a lot to prove here, and I see him victorious but not without fierce competition. Jordan Spieth, another excellent golfer, has done well in playing non-American golf courses and has not won this one. He has said, “It’s one course he wants to add to the trophy list.” He has been a top golfer for years and has won many big tournaments, and I see him contending in this one.

Rory McIlroy, another name who has won his fair share of tournaments, is in this field. When you look at his recent last few months, you might ask yourself why to mention him. He is arguably one of the best Open Tournament golfers of the last 5-10 years. He is deadly from any course with his long drives and his accurate short game anything is possible when he is on. I see him making a run but will finish in the back end of the top 10.Honorable mentions go out to Bryson Dechambeau, Justin Thomas, Brooks Kopeka, and Dustin Johnson, who all put on a fantastic show. All are excellent golfers, and all have shot to make the cut and make the top 20.
However, there is a name that I have heard about on ESPN. After doing some research, Garrick Higgo is a real underdog, and I have liked what I’ve seen. Unlike my picks Smalley and Logan as underdogs last week, this kid has the potential to qualify and make the cut, even with the caliber of players he is going up against.

The field is filled with stars that I have and have not mentioned, but this kid is special. I look for him to make the cut and turn some heads. If his play is like the last few outing over the last few weeks, this will indicate how he plays. You never know the way that little ball will bounce, and that is how the old man sees it.