RADIO
The Vacation Rant
Vacation is supposed to be a time we get to spend away from work and stress and the rigors of daily life, right?
For some reason we Americans feel the need to work our lives away and leave ourselves with about 30 minutes a day to actually unplug and relax. If we’re lucky, our jobs “allow” us to take vacation, if approved by the human resources department. Forty-hour-a-week drones work a minimum of 2080 hours a year, all to earn 40-80 hours of vacation in most lines of work. We get away from our daily grind only to end up being subject to “plans” and “itineraries” whilst on holiday. Why can’t a vacation, just once, go unplanned, with no reason or rhyme? There needn't be any "we aren't on time" or "hurry up, were late for the beach." How can you be late for the beach?! You shouldn't want a vacation to end. I went to the beach this weekend and now I am glad to be back to work, and that just seems ludicrous.
And oh, yeah, when we finally do return from a vacation, our bosses act like we've stabbed them in the ribs and twisted the knife. End of rant. Back to baseball.
Heavy trade winds are blowing and teams are shipping players all over the place. We've just about reached the non-waiver trade deadline, and you can expect a few more moves to be made today. The biggest splash so far was announced on Tuesday: a three-player deal between the Red Sox, White Sox and Tigers. The White Sox sent Jake Peavy to the Red Sox with Jose Iglesias going to Detroit with Avisail Garcia winding up in Chicago. Brayan Villarreal will be going to the Red Sox from Detroit. A few minor leaguers were also included, but none have any fantasy relevance at this point. The move bolsters Peavy's value for his owners as he will be pitching for one of the best teams in baseball. Iglesias may see a boost as well with the Tigers, but he’s more of a defensive addition. Avisail Garcia was sent directly to Triple-A but a trade of Rios or De Aza could give him an everyday spot.
AL Hot Shots:
- Dustin Pedroia and Shane Victorino led the Red Sox as Pedroia would go 2-for-4 with a homer and the Flyin' Hawaiian was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored.
- Miguel Cabrera left Tuesday’s game after tweaking his abdominal injury. He will sit out on Wednesday. They’re still calling it a day-to-day thing.
- Brock Holt looks like the stopgap option for the Red Sox with Jose Iglesias being dealt. I would guess that Will Middlebrooks will get the call shortly. Those holding out hope for Xander Bogaerts may have to keep hoping.
- Leonys Martin hit a three-run walk-off home run on Tuesday to push the Rangers to victory in 10 innings. Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win as the game was tied 11-11 at that point.
- Mike Trout was on base six times on Tuesday going 4-for-4 with two walks, an RBI and scored three runs. He’s good.
- Ernesto Frieri blew another save and the Angels will now go with a closer-by-committee approach. These usually last about a week until a favorite emerges. I like Michael Kohn over the other options but Dane De La Rosa will probably get the first crack at the gig.
- Grant Green was traded by the Athletics to the Angels in exchange for Alberto Callaspo. Callaspo gives the A’s a much needed second base option who will hit for an average above his body weight. The A’s just have to hope Green doesn’t pull a Carlos Gonzalez on them. He won't.
- Mike Moustakas has turned the dial to “produce” after a miserable start to the season. He was 2-for-3 with two homers and four RBI on Tuesday. Since George Brett stood in as the hitting coach the Moose has been hitting around .300 and driving in runs. Eric Hosmer has also turned his season around and he was 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and a run. Hoz batted .303 with six homers in June and entered Tuesday hitting .305 with four dingers in July.
- Andre Rienzo will now likely have a rotation spot after the trade of Jake Peavy. Rienzo was very good in his first start going seven innings allowing three unearned runs and striking out six.
NL Hot Shots:
- Yadier Molina will be placed on the 15-day DL with a knee sprain.
- Michael Young would reportedly waive his no-trade clause to go to Boston. The Phillies, no doubt, should aim high and go for Xander Bogaerts. Anything less would be uncivilized.
- Domonic Brown will likely not be ready to return from the seven day concussion DL when eligible.
- Will Venable was 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. His average is poor but he has some power and speed if you need it.
- Hanley Ramirez isn't getting traded, and he also isn't cooling off. He was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI as the Dodgers topped the Yankees on Tuesday. He’s on an 11-game hit streak and should be getting some MVP consideration at this point.
- Juan Lagares was 3-for-3 with two RBI. He’s scorching since the calendar turned to July batting .369 (24-for-65) for the Mets.
- Zack Wheeler took a no-hitter into the seventh inning but ended up with a no-decision against the Marlins on Tuesday after surrendering two runs.
- Jake Arrieta had a promising Chicago debut going six innings allowing just a single run. He got a no decision as the Cubs failed to score. His lone mistake was a solo homer, served up to Juan Francisco.
- Freddie Freeman hit two bombs in a 2-for-4 effort Tuesday. He drove in four giving him 69 RBI on the season.
- Michael Young put the trade rumors behind him as he went 2-for-4 with a homer in the Phillies win over the Giants.
- Brett Pill was 3-for-4 in his first game back with the Giants. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Pill as he’s struggled while sharing time with Brandon Belt in the past.
- A.J. Burnett struck out nine in the front half of the Pirates double header on Tuesday. He was tabbed with a no-decision as the game would be decided in extra innings. Burnett’s had tough luck all season as displayed by his 4 wins, but his 2.86 ERA is tasty.
==========
If you want this article and other high-end fantasy baseball analysis delivered to you on a daily basis, sign up for our daily newsletter. And be sure to check out our 2013 Waiver Wire Watch List (updated daily) for in-depth analysis on gems that you may be able to find sitting on your waiver wire. It’s one of the best fantasy baseball features currently on web!
Follow Shawn Caswell on Twitter, or don’t: @CasKnowsRoto
