Plenty of teams see themselves as World Seriers contenders still with multiple deals going down today as we reach the last night before the deadline. First off earlier today the Toronto Blue Jays showed us that Tulowoitzki wasn't going to be their only big acquisition with the addition of ace David Price from the Tigers. Detroit got minor league LHPs Matt Boyd, Jairo Labourt, and the man known for living in a van, Daniel Norris. The Tigers should be really satisfied with the deal, as they now have three arms that could be strong difference makers in their rotation by next season. While the Blue Jays have stacked up and look like a real threat for the wildcard which they are only two games behind after todays victory over Kansas City. The Blue Jays have an incredible amount of power to support their arms, they only need someone such as Chapman or Kimbrel to have a stronger finish to their games. With Price's contract coming to a close at the end of the season, the Jays hope they have him for more than a rental since he is the best arm they have had in their rotation since the days of Roy Halladay. With Donaldson, Martin, Bautista, Encarnacion, and now Tulowitzki providing pop the Blue Jays will be a tough team to keep quiet over the last two months.
The Cardinals put Matt Holliday back on the DL today with his quad injury, so they got busy picking up Brandon Moss from the Indians for minor leaguer Rob Kaminsky. Moss is known for his power, but is not as consistent as Holliday which is why Cleveland was willing to depart with him. Both Moss and Indians admitted he was not living up to expectations. Moss will be a free agent after this season and hopes to have more of an impact to help the Cardinals hold on as they currently lead the NL Central by 5.5 games.
Carlos Gomez was traded again today, but this time it appears to have actually gone through. Two years ago the Astros lost 111 games, but now they are in position to run away with AL West after sweeping the Angels and taking a two game lead in the division. Today they added big bat Carlos Gomez and starter Mike Fiers for four minor leaguers. The Brewers received a top prospect outfielder Domingo Santana, along with Adrian Houser, Josh Hader, and Brett Phillips. Gomez is having a bit of a down 2015 season, but will fill in fine especially in the absence of Springer. Look for the Astros to continue shopping, possibly for another starter such as Tyson Ross or maybe his teammate Craig Kimbrel to close games out. The battle between the Angels and Astros should get intense, as Trout returned to play today but Houston still came out on top with the Jason Castro walk off blast. I guess batting practice with JJ Watt did not pay off for the Angels.
Another pitching deal went down today with the Giants adding Mike Leake to the rotation, giving up minor leaguers Adam Duvall and Keury Mella to the Reds. The Giants struck out in their attempts for Hamels and Price so they stepped down from elite starters and made their deal with Cincinnati. Leake is a rental with his contract ending after this season, but he will be filling in for Tim Hudson who is 6-8 with a 4.80 ERA and has not made it to seven innings since June 3rd. Hudson took home his first title last season and announced his retirement after this season, but he says even if his status is affected he is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team excel. Leake has been hot recently and has a 9-5 record on the season. The Giants sit a half game behind the Dodgers in their NL West fight.
The Pirates added Joakim Soria today giving up minor leaguer JaCoby Jones. Soria has 23 saves on the year, with a 2.85 ERA but he will be taking a setup role with the Pirates getting things ready for Mark Melacon. The Pirates bullpen will now be stronger, as closing games out has been one of their few weaknesses. The Yankees and Mariners made a deal sending two minor leaguers in exchange for utility man Dustin Ackley, but that was not the big news for New York on the day. Michael Pineda was scheduled to make the start today, but he now has been placed on the DL with a forearm strain which could turn out to be a much bigger deal. Sabbathia made the start instead, but he did not have a very good day on the mound and ended up in the hospital due to dehydration. The Yankees have a lead in the AL East they hope the newly built Jays wont be able to recover from. The big three team deal between the Dodgers, Braves, and Marlins was confirmed today sending six players to LA, two of which they have already designated for assignment. The Dodgers are using their resources, or money to get what they want.
Brandon Phillips had a great day at the plate in the Reds 15-5 win over the Pirates today. Phillips launched two long balls, as he went 4-5 with 7 RBIs and two stolen bases, which are numbers no one has been able to put together since the 1920s. The Padres also had an amazing comeback, as Norris stood at the plate in the top of the ninth down 7-5 with two outs when a rain delay was called. After the delay, Familia took the mound again but surrender an 0-2 count single to Norris, who went 5-5 with a grandslam, then a single to Kemp and a three run shot to Justin Upton to give the Padres the 8-7 lead and after another delay the win. Look for those Padres to get busy tomorrow with Kimbrel, Ross, Upton, Venable, Shields, and Kennedy all up for grabs.
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