With the trade deadline now just six days away, here are four things we'll be looking at around the world of baseball today:
1. Ray will make his Giants debut:
A veteran left-hander Robbie Ray he hasn't arrived more than 18 months after sitting out the start of his 2023 season with a flexor strain that ended up requiring Tommy John surgery. At the time, he was a member of the Mariners, but over the winter Seattle traded Ray to San Francisco for an outfielder. Mitch Haniger and it's okay Anthony DeSclafani. He's continued to rehab with his new team since then, and all that work back on the mound will finally pay off today when Ray makes his first start in a Giants uniform against the Dodgers in LA in a game scheduled for 8:10pm local time. .
Ray will be facing right Tyler Glasnow, who is out of the IL himself but sports a solid 3.47 ERA in 18 starts this year. The Giants will be hoping that Ray, who won the AL Cy Young award in 2021, will provide momentum and stop a potential three-game losing streak. San Francisco has dropped two straight and fallen near the back of the tight NL Wild Card chase. They are now five games out, and five teams separated from the Mets, who currently hold the final Wild Card spot. The Giants' game over the next few days will be crucial in terms of their final path. San Francisco will also need to make a 40-man roster move to unlock Ray.
2. The NL Wild Card scene and its impact at the trade deadline:
As mentioned, the NL Wild Card hunt is in a critical state. The Cardinals and Mets currently hold second and third place, but each of the Padres, D-backs, Pirates, Cubs, Reds, Giants and Nationals is within 5.5 games. The Cubs and Nats both still plan to operate primarily as vendors, but the direction is unclear for everyone in the mix. A streak of three to four straight losses for any of these clubs could have major deadline ramifications. For some clubs, the decision may come sooner. The Reds are already open to moving some of their veteran relievers as they look to navigate the race, but a loss today could put them 5.5 games out of the postseason picture. Every game has an enhanced value right now, creating a less impactful gameplay and resulting in a better view of the scoreboard.
3. Yelich is out with an injury:
Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is in the midst of a resurgent season at the plate, sporting a career-best 18.4% strikeout rate and a career-best .315/.406/.504 slash line (156 wRC+) in 73 games this year. That has been a big part of Milwaukee's success, but now it looks like the team may need to go without a hit for a long time after they came out yesterday against the Cubs because of a tight back. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, manager Pat Murphy told reporters after the game that Yelich is “likely” due to a trip to the injured list. As frustrating as the loss of Yelich would be, the silver lining for the Brewers would be the fact that the club has quality outfield options. Garrett Mitchell, Jackson Chourioagain Sal Frelick all seeing regular playing time yet again Blake Perkins currently in a bench role.
4. Check out today's episode of the MLBTR Podcast!
This week's installment of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is a fun one, as host Darragh McDonald is joined by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco for a two-hour megapod as they discuss the upcoming trade deadline. Discussed internally are not only the league's obvious buyers (Yankees, Orioles) and sellers (Marlins, White Sox), but also other teams facing tough decisions this summer like the Rays and Blue Jays. The episode is currently live on Spotify and Apple Music, and will be posted here on the site later this morning!
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