The ides of June or nigh upon us, and fresh off a discussion of who might be the best SS tandem in the EFL, there are certainly questions reverberating throughout the management chambers in each of our board rooms. Perhaps the most pressing is this:
Which player on our roster is most likely to be traded by MLB teams before July 30, therefore giving us an opportunity to possibly acquire an unexpected gift mid-season? There will certainly be trades this month into next month – but will any of them include EFL players?
Maybe the gift is being freed from an EFL contract that has become cumbersome. Maybe the gift is a hot prospect that would have been in the Rookie draft next year. Maybe the gift is the piece you felt you needed to contend in the final 3 months of the season.
Whatever it might be, who on your roster is most likely to be dealt? Let’s take a look as we run through yesterday’s scores.
EFL Standings for 2021
| EFL | ||||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB | RS | RA |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 45 | 18 | .711 | — | 364.8 | 232.8 |
| Peshastin Pears | 42 | 19 | .691 | 1.6 | 299.2 | 199.2 |
| Haviland Dragons | 42 | 22 | .656 | 3.3 | 297.9 | 217.8 |
| Kaline Drive | 41 | 23 | .648 | 3.8 | 338.0 | 249.6 |
| D.C. Balk | 36 | 18 | .666 | 4.3 | 283.4 | 201.6 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 40 | 23 | .636 | 4.7 | 296.5 | 225.0 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 32 | 22 | .598 | 8 | 296.3 | 245.7 |
| Cottage Cheese | 33 | 29 | .527 | 11.6 | 335.3 | 328.3 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 32 | 30 | .524 | 11.8 | 306.5 | 291.5 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 29 | 32 | .469 | 15.2 | 307.7 | 328.4 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 27 | 35 | .443 | 16.8 | 240.8 | 271.0 |
Old Detroit: DNP, (-7)-(-1); 26PA, 8.7IP
| AVG: 0.174 | OBP: 0.269 | SLG: 0.217 | OPS: 0.487 |
| ERA: 1.03 | WHIP: 0.460 |
The Wolverines lost some runs when they found Adolis Garcia, and their offense yesterday didn’t help matters, either. With 4 hits on the day, 2 of them from Rafael Devers, there wasn’t a lot of good that came at the plate. But the pitching was really good, helping to erase a run allowed. Mike Minor went 7 innings and gave up only one run, while Jonathan Loaisiga gave up 0 runs in nearly two innings. The main trade target on the OD roster for an MLB is Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel is having a quietly good year (.72 ERA in 25IP) on a team that most people think will be sellers this year, and good reliever are always on the move come June and July.
Peshastin: DNP, 0-(-2); 25PA, 17.7IP
| AVG: 0.238 | OBP: 0.320 | SLG: 0.667 | OPS: 0.987 |
| ERA: 3.05 | WHIP: 0.904 |
The Pears made a move yesterday, gaining .6 games on the Wolverines through an all-around good game (well, the didn’t score any runs, which is surprising with a .987 OPS, but they didn’t need to, apparently). Their offense was almost entirely Mitch Haniger (2 for 4 with 2 home runs) and Jazz Chisholm (2 for 4 with 1 home run). The pitchers showed up en force, with Trevor Rogers leading the way (7IP, 2ER). The Pears have a young roster, generally speaking, but there are two who could be on the move. The easiest choice is Chasen Shreve, a 30 year old LOOGY on a Pirates team that will certainly be selling. But Mitch Haniger is a sneaky choice, being under control for two more years with the Mariners, having an excellent season and having a GM whose nickname is Dealin’ DiPoto. Haniger would bring a handsome return, though would be a challenging player for the Pears to lose.
Haviland: W, 10-7; 13PA, 2.3IP
| AVG: 0.700 | OBP: 0.667 | SLG: 1.900 | OPS: 2.567 |
| ERA: 11.74 | WHIP: 1.739 |
It was only over 13 plate appearances, but look at that offensive line! That’s the work of three players – Brendan Rodgers, GIo Urshela, and Nelson Cruz – who combined for 6 hits in 8 at bats, 1 of the 6 a double, 1 of the 6 a triple and 3 of the 6 a home run. It was only over 2.3 innings pitched, but look at that pitching line! Jesus Luzardo was the culprit, surrendering 3 runs in one inning of work. The Dragons moved a half game closer to the Wolverines. There are two sluggers who could be on the move this summer – Joc Pederson and Nelson Cruz. Both of them are power bats in the final year of their contracts. Would they return a lot? Probably not. Would the Dragons like some salary relief down the stretch? I bet they would.
Kaline: “L,” 10-8; 41PA, 1IP
| AVG: 0.361 | OBP: 0.439 | SLG: 0.667 | OPS: 1.106 |
| ERA: 9.00 | WHIP: 1.000 |
DC: W(1), L(-1), 2-(-5); 29PA, 8IP
| AVG: 0.385 | OBP: 0.414 | SLG: 0.500 | OPS: 0.914 |
| ERA: 0.00 | WHIP: 1.000 |
An excellent day propelled the Balk over the Tornadoes in the standings and moved them 1.2 games closer the top of the standings. Jorge Alfaro went 3 for 5, and the unsung SS tandem of Straw and Bogaerts went 4 for 8 with a double. Ian Anderson had an impressive outing, tossing 7 innings of shutout baseball. And Jose Alvarado had an impressive outing of his own, but for a different reason. He gave up 0 hits, but managed to surrender to (unearned) runs on 3 walks. Joey Gallo is the easy choice for the player most likely to be moved. His name has already been mentioned a lot this season as a Yankee and Padre target, and those two teams are never shy when it comes to deadline deals.
Flint Hill: DNP, (-2)-2; 33PA, 6IP
| AVG: 0.233 | OBP: 0.303 | SLG: 0.400 | OPS: 0.703 |
| ERA: 4.50 | WHIP: 1.000 |
Mookie Betts finally had a Betts-like day (he’s having a rough year!), and new Tornado Nick Gordon added two more hits. But that was about it when you remove Enrique Hernandez’s good day, since he is benched this month. Julio Urias tossed a decent game, but it didn’t matter since we lost a couple of runs scored. The most likely player to be dealt on the Tornadoes is German Marquez, a quality pitcher stuck in Colorado. There could be a good return for his services since he has another year on his contract.
Canberra: W(-1), L(1), (-4)-0; 30PA, no pitching
| AVG: 0.214 | OBP: 0.241 | SLG: 0.250 | OPS: 0.491 |
The Roos had a ho-hum day, with light hitting and no pitching. Even so, they managed to inch .1 games closer to OD, which is impressive considering what little they did. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker combined to go 3 for 9 with a double, about the only highlight for the team. The most obvious, and perhaps only real candidate trade candidate, is Javy Baez. On the Cubs, and in the final year of his contract, if he isn’t moved it will be because the Cubs have decided to try for the playoffs, something I think is considerably unlikely. It would be interesting to see what half a season of Baez would fetch. For Ryan, it would mean an extra 8 million for this season and the next two – and that would be difficult to pass up, no matter who came back in return.
Cottage: DNP, (-2)-3; 14PA, 2.7IP
| AVG: 0.231 | OBP: 0.214 | SLG: 0.231 | OPS: 0.445 |
| ERA: 13.33 | WHIP: 2.963 |
The good news for the Cheese is that these bad lines didn’t come with a lot of volume. Losing two runs hurts, but it didn’t amount to any games lost which is surely due to the fact that not a lot of PAs and IPs occurred. The team had three singles, the best day from Alec Bohm who was 1 for 1. ALex Verdugo was the only one of the four to appear to not get a hit. That stinky cheese pitching line belongs to Mitch Keller, who gave up 4 runs in 2.7 innings pitched – 5 hits, 3 walks, and 2 HBPs. It was not a good day for him. The two likeliest players to be traded are both Angels, and so it will depend on how Art Moreno feels as June goes on. Andrew Heaney and Alex Cobb would both be desirable by teams chasing a playoff spot, but will the Angels think they have a shot, and make their own moves to acquire?
Pittsburgh: W, 7-(-3); 34PA, 7.6IP
| AVG: 0.300 | OBP: 0.364 | SLG: 0.500 | OPS: 0.864 |
| ERA: 3.55 | WHIP: 0.921 |
A day after alerting the league to some nefarious statistical omissions, the Alleghenys proved they didn’t need any extra help from anyone (though it was awfully nice, I’m sure, to have things corrected as they should be). Christian Vazquez (3 for 4) and Jose Altuve (2 for 5 with a HR) provided the offensive spark, and the pitchers (Frankie Montas and Bryan Abreu) finished the job for an Allegheny win. Though he just went on the IL, Sonny Gray may be the most likely Allegheny to be traded this summer. If so, it would be a boon to Pittsburgh, most likely, getting something in return for a player they will lose at the end of this season anyway.
Portland: DNP, (-2)-0; 23PA, no pitching
| AVG: 0.350 | OBP: 0.435 | SLG: 0.500 | OPS: 0.935 |
Those excellent hitting numbers, sure to come out once the Rosebuds play a game, were fueled by Andrew Benintendi (2 for 4 with a home run) and several other players collecting singles. With no pitching on the day, the Rosebuds managed to sneak .4 games closer to the top. Many publications think Jon Gray is a likely trade candidate, and I tend to agree. However, I think Jorge Polanco is also a strong possibility, especially for a team like the Padres who need some more production from their IF.
Bellingham: W(-1), L(2), 0-7; 29PA, 1.7IP
| AVG: 0.107 | OBP: 0.138 | SLG: 0.107 | OPS: 0.245 |
| ERA: 5.29 | WHIP: 2.353 |
Well, there’s always tomorrow, right? DJ LeMahieu got 2 hits, which is twice as many as the only other player to get a hit (Corey Dickerson) and an infinite amount more than everyone else. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the most likely player to get traded this summer will be DJLM. The Yankees, come July 15, will realize they are truly out of it, and will blow the team up for prospects. DJ, signed through 2027, will return the Yankees a star pitching prospect in AA, and release them from his contract (though they will agree to pay half of it). Bellingham will gain over 16 million in payroll through 2025, and a prospect to go along with it.
Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2021
| AL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 45 | 18 | .711 | — |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 40 | 23 | .636 | 4.7 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 39 | 24 | .619 | 5.8 |
| Boston Red Sox | 38 | 25 | .603 | 6.8 |
| New York Yankees | 33 | 30 | .524 | 11.8 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 31 | 29 | .517 | 12.3 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 22 | 39 | .361 | 21.8 |
| NL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| D.C. Balk | 36 | 18 | .666 | — |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 32 | 22 | .598 | 3.7 |
| New York Mets | 30 | 24 | .556 | 5.9 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 30 | 31 | .492 | 9.4 |
| Atlanta Braves | 29 | 31 | .483 | 9.9 |
| Miami Marlins | 27 | 35 | .435 | 12.9 |
| Washington Nationals | 25 | 33 | .431 | 12.9 |
| AL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Chicago White Sox | 38 | 24 | .613 | — |
| Cleveland Indians | 32 | 27 | .542 | 4.5 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 32 | 30 | .524 | 5.5 |
| Kansas City Royals | 30 | 31 | .492 | 7.5 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 27 | 35 | .443 | 10.5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 26 | 36 | .419 | 12 |
| Minnesota Twins | 25 | 37 | .403 | 13 |
| NL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 35 | 27 | .565 | — |
| Chicago Cubs | 35 | 27 | .565 | — |
| Cottage Cheese | 33 | 29 | .527 | 2.3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 32 | 30 | .516 | 3 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 29 | 31 | .483 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 23 | 38 | .377 | 11.5 |
| AL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Haviland Dragons | 42 | 22 | .656 | — |
| Kaline Drive | 41 | 23 | .648 | 0.5 |
| Oakland A’s | 37 | 27 | .578 | 5 |
| Houston Astros | 35 | 27 | .565 | 6 |
| Seattle Mariners | 31 | 33 | .484 | 11 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 30 | 32 | .484 | 11 |
| Texas Rangers | 24 | 39 | .381 | 17.5 |
| NL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Peshastin Pears | 42 | 19 | .691 | — |
| San Francisco Giants | 38 | 23 | .623 | 4.1 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 37 | 25 | .597 | 5.6 |
| San Diego Padres | 37 | 27 | .578 | 6.6 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 29 | 32 | .469 | 13.5 |
| Colorado Rockies | 25 | 38 | .397 | 18.1 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 20 | 43 | .317 | 23.1 |