TRADE DEADLINE:
Generally speaking I don’t like trades this time of the year. Trades between weak and strong teams are by their very nature bad for the weaker team and good for the stronger one. This affects a teams ability to act as a spoiler in the pennant race, and puts added distance between teams at the top, decimating good pennant races.
Teams should always be looking toward building for the future, and while a given player may not help you win a championship this year, he might in the years to come. Tiers would add something to team building, as finishing in the 1st Tier is a good intermediary goal before making it to the top.
Finally, with all the talk of the need to increase attendance, how can a team attract and retain fans when they are constantly trading off their best players? There needs to be a salary floor; and the lesser team needs to spend revenuing sharing and luxury tax money on player development and acquisition.
Yesterday’s Results:
TB 3 NY 2 (East); TOR 8 CLE 1 (East); DET 6 BOS 5 (East); CHI 6 OAK 1 (West); MIN 5 SEA 3 (West); KC 7 BAL 5 (East); LA 9 TEX 7 (West)
ARI 9 NY 6 (2nd Tier); WAS 8 PHI 1 (East); ATL 6 CIN 4 (East); COL 17 CHI 2 (West); SF 6 LA 5 (West); HOU 5 MIL 0 (Not Tier Schedule); STL 1 PIT 0 (10) (Not Tier); FLA 4 SD 2 (NT)
East W L GB
- Tampa Bay 44 21 —
- New York 42 24 2.5
- Toronto 36 30 8.5
- Boston 38 32 8.5
- Kansas City 22 23 12
- Detroit 23 27 13.5
- Cleveland 24 31 15
- Baltimore 15 49 28.5
West W L GB
- Minnesota 24 17 —
- Texas 30 24 .5
- Oakland 26 24 2.5
- Chicago 26 25 3
- Los Angeles 30 34 5.5
- Seattle 18 36 12.5
East W L GB
- Atlanta 34 28 —
- Cincinnati 31 27 1
- Philadelphia 32 31 2.5
- Florida 33 33 3
- Washington 33 33 3
- New York 27 34 6.5
- Houston 19 27 7
- Pittsburgh 15 31 11
West W L GB
- San Diego 40 25 —
- Los Angeles 38 27 2
- San Francisco 33 26 4
- St. Louis 30 25 5
- Colorado 34 32 6.5
- Chicago 29 28 7
- Milwaukee 27 27 7.5
- Arizona 23 45 18.5