The Weekly Rundown: 7/30/23 - 8/5/23

Trade deadline recap, what's going on in the Bronx? Tim Anderson vs. Jose Ramirez and more.

Good morning! Another week, another rundown coming at ya.

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Thanks! Now we’ve got a lot to get to after trade deadline week. Let’s jump in.

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Deadline Deals

Here are the noteworthy trade deadline deals that went down from July 30-Aug. 1. For the previous week’s trades, go here.

• The Rangers acquired ace Max Scherzer from the Mets for prospect Luisangel Acuña. The Mets are paying down all but $22.5 million of the remaining money left on Scherzer’s contract.

• The Blue Jays acquired hard-throwing right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals in exchange for Double-A right-handers Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein.

• The Braves acquired infielder Nicky Lopez from the Royals for left-hander Taylor Hearn.

• The Rangers acquired starter Jordan Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton from the Cardinals for reliever John King, infield prospect Thomas Saggese, and pitching prospect Tekoah Roby.

• The Rays acquired right-hander Aaron Civale from the Guardians for top first base prospect Kyle Manzardo.

• The Cubs acquired switch-hitting third baseman Jeimer Candelario from the Nationals for prospects DJ Herz and Kevin Made.

• The Reds acquired left-hander Sam Moll from the Athletics for pitching prospect Joe Boyle.

• The Angels acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from the Rockies for righty Jake Madden and lefty Mason Albright.

• The Diamondbacks acquired closer Paul Sewald from the Mariners for Josh Rojas, rookie outfielder Dominic Canzone and infield prospect Ryan Bliss.

• The Giants acquired outfielder AJ Pollock and utility man from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash.

• The Brewers acquired first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha from the Mets, with pitching prospect Justin Jarvis.

• The Orioles acquired right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals for infielder César Prieto, left-hander Drew Rom and right-hander Zack Showalter.

• The Yankees acquired reliever Keynan Middleton from the White Sox for righty Juan Carela.

• The Phillies sent lefty Bailey Falter to the Pirates for infielder Rodolfo Castro.

• The Blue Jays acquired shortstop Paul DeJong from the Cardinals for minor-league righty Matt Svanson.

• The Marlins acquired infielder Jake Burger from the White Sox for left-handed pitching prospect Jake Eder.

• The Padres acquired veteran left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the Pirates for minor leaguers Jackson Wolf, Estuar Suero, and Alfonso Rivas.

• The Astros brought back reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander in a deal with the Mets. They sent outfield prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford to New York in the blockbuster trade.

• The Braves acquired veteran reliever Brad Hand from the Rockies for minor-league reliever Alec Barger.

• The Phillies acquired right-hander Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers for infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee.

• The Rangers sent international bonus space to the Pirates to acquire catcher Austin Hedges.

• The Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Tommy Pham from the Mets for minor-league infielder Jeremy Rodriguez.

• The Padres acquired first baseman Garrett Cooper and minor-league lefty Sean Reynolds from the Marlins in exchange for southpaw Ryan Weathers.

• The Padres acquired reliever Scott Barlow from the Royals for prospects Jesus Rios and Henry Williams.

• The Dodgers acquired southpaw Ryan Yarbrough from the Royals for minor-league infielders Devin Mann and Derlin Figueroa

• The Marlins landed first baseman Josh Bell in a trade with the Guardians. They sent Jean Segura — who was later released — to Cleveland along with infield prospect Kahlil Watson.

• The Red Sox acquired infielder Luis Urías from the Brewers for minor-league righty Bradley Blalock.

• The Angels acquired righty Dominic Leone from the Mets for infield prospect Jeremiah Jackson.

• The Brewers acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks in exchange for right-hander Peter Strzelecki.

E-Rod Dodges L.A.

Eduardo Rodriguez was close to landing on the list above. The Tigers agreed on a deal that would have sent the southpaw to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he invoked the no-trade clause in his contract.

Here’s what Rodriguez’s agent, Gene Mato, had to say about the matter:

“I negotiated a no-trade clause in his contract for a reason,” Mato wrote in a statement. “With all of the money, glamor and fame that comes with being a professional athlete there is also a very difficult, personal side. … Eduardo is one of the best left-handed starting pitchers in baseball but he is also a human being who wants stability for his family. They are comfortable living in the Detroit area and have adjusted well.

As for the Dodgers in particular, once I was granted permission to speak with them regarding the trade, we did our best to come up with a way to make it happen where everyone was comfortable with the outcome. We just ran out of time.”

Rodriguez echoed what his agent said about wanting to stay close to where his family has settled.

“It’s nothing against the Dodgers or the West Coast or whatever,” he said. “It’s just about the details to go out there and where my family is. My future is where they’re happy and I’m happy, and that’s why I decided to stay here. It has nothing to do with the Dodgers.”

Can’t blame a guy for wanting to do what’s best for his family. It’s been a bizarre couple of years for Rodriguez between this and sitting out almost all of last season due to personal reasons. It’s undeniably a weird move to choose Detroit over L.A., but it’s clearly for a good reason.

E-Rod would have been a great addition to the Dodgers staff. Through 16 starts, the 2018 World Series champion has a 2.96 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.

What’s going on in the Bronx?

The Yankees organization has been a dumpster fire as of late.

Let’s start with pitcher Domingo German. On Wednesday, German was placed on the restricted list after voluntarily submitting to inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman called it a “serious” situation and confirmed German would not return this season.

We’ve since learned more about what preceded German’s placement on the restricted list, courtesy of The Wall Street Journal’s Lindsey Adler:

“The next afternoon, Germán arrived at the ballpark and appeared intoxicated, according to multiple people who interacted with him that afternoon. He entered the clubhouse and argued with teammates. He flipped at least one couch while teammates and staff tried to get him to calm down. 

“During the outburst, Germán verbally lashed out at (Aaron) Boone, along with others. Boone declined to comment on his interactions with Germán on Tuesday.

“The team, in an effort to get Germán to contain the situation, briefly sent him into a sauna in an attempt to sweat out the alcohol, according to people who were present. Eventually, Germán was held in the team’s nap room while his teammates prepared for Tuesday night’s game. Team security was stationed outside of the room while Germán recuperated.

“It is unclear what time Germán left the ballpark, but the Yankees worked with the MLBPA to get assistance for him that evening.”

This incident is especially concerning given German’s history. He was suspended for 81 games between 2019 and 2020 for a domestic violence incident.

It at least seems like the Yankees are handling that situation correctly. The same cannot be said for how they’ve handled Anthony Rizzo.

Rizzo was placed on the injured list with a “likely concussion” that occurred MORE THAN TWO MONTHS AGO when he took a Fernando Tatis Jr. hip to the head.

Rizzo missed a few games after taking that hit and was not the same player when he returned.

Stats before the concussion: 11 HR, .304/.376/.505
Stats after the concussion: 1 HR, .172/.271/.225

“You wake up some days feeling not very good; some days, you feel better,” Rizzo said. “That’s kind of normal throughout the year. It was more walking back and saying, ‘Man, I don’t understand how I missed that pitch.’ I would swing at a pitch middle-away, and I thought it was three feet off the plate. Things like that really started making me concerned.”

This man played a professional sport for more than two months not knowing what planet he was on. So I ask again, what the hell is going on in the Bronx?

Framber No-No

On the same day the Astros brought back Justin Verlander, their ace Framber Valdez tossed a no-hitter against the Guardians.

It was the 16th no-hitter in Astros history, the 321st in MLB history, and the third of the 2023 season.

Valdez only allowed one baserunner on a walk in the fifth inning. He still managed to face the minimum 27 batters thanks to a double play in that frame.

His 93 pitches thrown marked the fewest in a no-hitter or perfect game since 1988.

Anderson vs. Ramirez

Who needs Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz when you have Tim Anderson vs. Jose Ramirez?

Saturday night, we had the best baseball fight since the infamous Jose Bautista-Rougned Odor brawl in 2016. Ramirez slid into second, took exception to Anderson standing over him, and it was on. The two squared up and the umpire got the hell out of the way.

Ramirez wins by first-round KO. Still, the umpire is the MVP of this fight in my book.

It’ll never happen, but count me in on allowing hockey-like fights like this one. Keep the same suspensions — even lengthen them if you’d like — but enough of the “hold me back” crap we see in almost every other baseball brawl. If you want to fight, you better be prepared to get dropped like Anderson did. He learned the hard way.

The IL

Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, Texas Rangers

Eovaldi was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain.

Taylor Ward, OF, Los Angeles Angels

The Angels moved Ward from the 10-day to the 60-day IL. Ward suffered facial fractures after being hit in the face by an Alek Manoah pitch.

Anthony DeSclafani, RHP, San Francisco Giants

DeSclafani was placed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow flexor strain.

Jonathan India, 2B, Cincinnati Reds

India is on the 10-day IL due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

Bichette was placed on the 10-day IL due to right patellar tendinitis.

Marcus Stroman, RHP, Chicago Cubs

Stroman landed on the 15-day IL with right hip inflammation.

Joe Ryan, RHP, Minnesota Twins

Ryan was placed on the 15-day IL with a groin strain.

Anthony Rizzo, 1B, New York Yankees

Rizzo was placed on the 10-day IL with a "likely concussion.”

Shane McClanahan, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays

McClanahan was placed on the 15-day IL with forearm soreness.

Joe Musgrove, RHP, San Diego Padres

Musgrove has been shut down for three weeks after an MRI revealed inflammation in the capsule of his throwing shoulder. He’s on the 15-day IL.

Josh Naylor, 1B, Cleveland Guardians

Naylor is on the 10-day IL with a strained oblique.

Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins

The Twins placed Buxton on the 10-day IL with a strained right hamstring.

Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels

Neto was placed on the 10-day IL with lower back inflammation.

Dominant On The Bump

Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners

6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay Rays

7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 2 BB vs. New York Yankees

Framber Valdez, Houston Astros

9.0 IP (CG), 0 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Cleveland Guardians

Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers

6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 0 BB vs. Chicago White Sox

Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Dane Dunning, Texas Rangers

7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 1 BB vs. Chicago White Sox

Brady Singer, Kansas City Royals

8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 0 BB vs. New York Mets

Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks

7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. San Francisco Giants

Max Fried, RHP, Atlanta Braves

6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 0 BB vs. Chicago Cubs

Big Bombs

Shohei Ohtani is the first player to 40 homers this year.

Mariners rookie Cade Marlowe hit a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning vs. the Angels.

Astros star Jose Altuve tallied career homer No. 200 (3:40 mark below).

Web Gem Of The Week

Orioles outfielder Austin Hays made an incredible game-saving diving grab against the Blue Jays.

Welcome To The Show

Rays prospect Curtis Mead collected his first big-league hit on the first pitch he saw on Friday.

Blue Jays prospect Davis Schneider homered in his first career at-bat on Friday vs. the Red Sox.

A’s top prospect Tyler Soderstrom recorded his first MLB homer.

Quick Takeaways

• The Braves are the first team to reach 70 wins on the season. They should enter October as the heavy World Series favorite.

• Braves-Orioles World Series? Sign me up.

• So far, not so good for the Angels’ “going for it” approach. They’re 0-5 since the trade deadline, when they chose not to get a haul for Shohei Ohtani and instead acquired Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, C.J. Cron, and Randal Grichuk. They’re now six games out of the third wild-card spot.

• The NL Wild Card race is going to be a blast to watch over these last couple of months.

• I love the Rangers being all in. That fight with the Astros for the AL West title might be the most intriguing storyline right now. Verlander to Houston and Scherzer to Texas only adds more fuel to the fire. Scherzer looked good in his Rangers debut after a sluggish start: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 9 K, 2 BB. Jordan Montgomery looked great too, as did Verlander in his return to Houston.

• I have no idea how the Giants are only three games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, but good for them. Maybe the sneakiest team right now.

• I can’t wrap my head around the Red Sox doing virtually nothing at the deadline. I get that the prices for top-tier pitching were high. But when your team is in it, and the Red Sox are very much in it, sometimes you just have to pay up. There’s no reason they couldn’t have gotten a guy like Jack Flaherty (traded to Orioles) or Michael Lorenzen (Phillies) to help them for this stretch run.

Rapid Fire

• The Mariners released second baseman Kolten Wong after designating him for assignment earlier in the week. Over 67 games with Seattle, he hit .165/.241/.227 with only two homers.

• The Phillies DFA’d utility man Josh Harrison for assignment. He’s slashing .204/.263/.291 this season.

• The Cubs DFA’d and later released veteran first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini. He hit .234/.299/.336 with four homers with Chicago.

• The Red Sox DFA’d second baseman Christian Arroyo after activating Luis Urias, who they acquired from the Brewers before the deadline. Arroyo hit .241/.268/.369 with three homers in 66 games. He spent the last three-and-a-half seasons in Boston.

• Outfielder Ramon Laureano was DFA’d by the A’s. Laureano has slashed .213/.280/.364 with six homers this season.

• With Reese McGuire off the IL, the Red Sox DFA’d catcher Jorge Alfaro.

• Former Phillies ace Cole Hamels officially announced his retirement.

• Luke Voit is a free agent after opting out of his Mets contract.

• White Sox closer Liam Hendriks underwent Tommy John surgery. He has been on the IL since the second week of June.

• Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan underwent season-ending surgery to repair the flexor strain in his right arm.

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That’s it for this week. Quick note: next week’s rundown will come later than usual, either Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Have a great week, everyone!