This was a busy year in terms of last-minute trades in Major League Baseball. A bunch of teams made a lot of moves ,and the Phillies are among them. They made two significant trades both with the Minnesota Twins. First is closer, Jhoan Duran, who is apparently a very promising young pitcher who has been in the closer role for the Twins. His fastball is at/or over 100 mph consistently. This is good because the Phillies definitely needed some help in the back end of the bullpen.
The part that makes me the most pleased is the fact that the Phillies did not give up any of their top three prospects in the trades. Those prospects are pitcher Andrew Painter, third baseman Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford. The second trade was for outfielder Harrison Bader, who is very good on defense and a decent hitter. The only thing I worry about with him is the fact that he’s been on six teams in three years, so I don’t know what his clubhouse attitude is like.
The New York Mets are definitely better off now as well. They got closer Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals to match the Phillies, and centerfielder Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles have been one of the most disappointing teams this year and that's why they are sellers. Baltimore had made the playoffs the last two years and then they fell apart. In the American League, the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros made some moves too. The Mariners traded with Arizona for third baseman Eugenio Suarez and first baseman Josh Naylor. The Mariners have never won the World Series in their franchise history. They are going for it this year. The Astros brought back their old friend Carlos Correa, also from Minnesota. Carlos was a significant part of the Astros’ 2017 championship team.
Everyone is saying that the Eagles look good in training camp so far, but I’d be curious to know how they come up with their opinion. In football training camps, they don’t actually play many games like spring training baseball. It’s just practice. I haven’t heard of any significant injuries so far, so that's good news.
It would be great news for Eagles fans if the Washington Commanders are forced to trade their talented wide receiver Terry McLaurin. He seems quite disgruntled with his current contract. He officially asked for a trade yesterday. We will see.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
