The Buehrles, animal lovers and supporters of Best Friends Animal Society, started the petition on Change.org after learning that they would be unable to move to the Miami Marlins’ hometown due to breed-specific animal restrictions in the county. Instead, the Buehrle family, along with their pet pit bull Slater, moved to neighboring Broward County.

“Every day that I look at my sweet-natured, certified Canine Good Citizen pit bull, I can’t imagine having to give him up, or even worse, having Slater taken from me based solely on the way he looks,” said Jamie Buehrle, who launched the campaign on Change.org. “Let’s start making owners responsible for their pets regardless of their breed and celebrating all breeds including pit bulls. I am so happy with the response to my petition on Change.org and the thousands of people helping to change the breed discrimination law in Miami-Dade.”

Mark and Jamie Buehrle

News of the online petition campaign’s success is drawing national attention to HB 997 and SB 1322, which would repeal the only county-wide breed specific legislation in Florida. The Buehrles are encouraging baseball fans and dog lovers sign their petition campaign on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing platform for social change.

“Within the first week, thousands of people have already joined the Buehrles’ campaign,” said Change.org Director of Organizing Stephanie Feldstein. “The Buehrle family was affected by Miami-Dade County’s pit bull ban, and even though they were able to keep Slater safe, they decided to start a petition to help other families and their pets stay together. That’s what Change.org is all about – empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them.”

With this week’s acquisition of Mat Latos from the San Diego Padres, Jocketty was able to add a top of the rotation starter in exchange for a package built around prospects Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal and disappointing starter Edinson Volquez.

Latos, who went 9-14 with a 3.47 ERA for the Padres last season, is a shining example of a pitcher whose won-loss record reflects little on how well he pitched a year ago. According to Dave Camewron at Fangraphs.com, not only did Latos have an impressive 2011, but for the last two seasons “has been one of the better pitchers in baseball.”

There aren’t that many pitchers in the sport who can miss bats with the frequency that Latos has established while also pounding the strike zone with regularity. Guys who can live in the zone and still avoid contact are generally the best pitchers in the game. This is the one skillset you want in a pitcher more than any other.

According to the Associated Press, the talent given up to acquire Latos was significant:

Alonso, the seventh overall pick in 2008, didn’t have a place to play with Joey Votto a mainstay at first base. The Reds moved him to left field briefly last season, but he struggled defensively. The 24-year-old Alonso batted .330 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 47 games. Byrnes said he’ll be a leading contender for the starting job.

Volquez was coming off a disappointing season, going 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA. The Reds got him from Texas in the trade for Josh Hamilton in December 2007. Volquez went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA in 2008, when both he and Hamilton made the All-Star teams. Volquez needed reconstructive elbow surgery the following year and has never gotten back into form.

Grandal, the 12th overall pick in 2010, batted .305 with 14 homers and 68 RBIs at Class A, Double-A and Triple-A last season, making a quick rise through the farm system. He was slotted behind catcher Devin Mesoraco, a first-round pick in 2007 who made it to the majors last season and played in 18 games.

Jocketty said Reds were willing to trade Alonso and Grandal because they were stuck behind other players at their positions.

The Reds also gave up right-handed reliever Brad Boxberger, who went 2-4 with 11 saves and a 2.03 ERA last season at Double-A and Triple-A. Jocketty said Boxberger was the final piece in finishing the deal.

“It was very tough giving him up,” Jocketty said. “We feel he was really starting to come into his own in the second half of the year. I don’t think we would have been able to make the deal if he wasn’t part of it.”

On paper, this appears to be a deal that will assist both teams. The Reds traded what Fangraph’s Cameron classified as “redundant prospects” a reclamation project and a RP with some upside for one of the most valuable commodities in all of baseball.

Padres GM Josh Byrnes has taken a huge gamble in trading away a top of the the rotation starter who is just 24 years old, but as San Diego appears to be in yet another rebuilding phase, spreading around depth makes more sense at the moment.

“It was a tough trade to make,” Byrnes told Dan Hayes of the North County Times, “but if you put it (with the trades of Adrian Gonzalez and Mike Adams) we have a huge chunk of talent we have put in the system the last couple of years, and ultimately I think that’s our best path to success.”

The Reds still need a closer, and how they acquire one will bear watching.

***

Not really sure what the Milwaukee Brewers are up to these days.

On one hand, there’s no way I’m giving $200 million bucks to Prince Fielder, especially when I have several holes to fill. On the other, giving $36 million to 33-year old Aramis Ramirez?

Ramirez is a very good offensive player, batting .306 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs in 149 games for the Cubs last season. and is of the top five third baseman in the game. But’s 33, and might be an even worse defensive third baseman than Casey McGehee. The Brewers are also talking about making him their cleanup hitter, and with the possibility of Ryan Braun missing the first 50 games of the season to start 2012, makes this signing a very “all in” type of move. For a team that’s going to lose it’s marquee player, it seems a strange way to go.

***

Jennie Finch is best known for being one of the legends of women’s softball, and is also a tiress advocate for worthy charities like The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  She recently sent all of us here at BD a holiday greeting.

Happy Holidays to you and yours as well, Jenny. For more info on Finch, her charity work and more, please visit JennieFinch.com

***

The Miami Marlins have an MVP-caliber shortstop in Hanley Ramirez. They liked him so much at short that they went out gave $106 million to Jose Reyes. The question I have is this; did the Marlins speak to Ramirez before going after Reyes? If they didn’t, that’s pretty foolish. If they did, then Ramirez is being pretty selfish.

As for Reyes?

“As soon as I have the opportunity, I’m going to talk to (Ramirez), because we are very good friends,” Reyes said. “We’re both here for one reason — to win the World Series. It doesn’t matter where I’m going to play or where he’s going to play.” – AP

Reyes is ok with playing third base? Or second? As for the former, Alex Rodriguez, a superior talent in every way to Derek Jeter, moved to third rather than displace the incumbent Jeter in 2004. As for the latter, moving to second to accommodate Kaz Matsui didn’t exactly work out too well for Reyes. Some people are saying that Reyes should call Hanley and “work things out.”

Greg Stoda, who covers the Marlins for the Palm Beach Post, says that it “absolutely should be up to Reyes, a Marlins free-agent newcomer displacing Ramirez at shortstop, to make the initial contact.”

It’d be a gesture of goodwill, if nothing else. The club certainly shouldn’t have to back-channel things.
It’s understandable if Ramirez, who’ll switch to third base, doesn’t want to make the first move even though it would demonstrate a heretofore lacking leadership quality should he simply reach out to Reyes and welcome him to the team.

Reyes, however, by now should have made the effort to speak to Ramirez, which he hadn’t done as of Friday morning.

I couldn’t disagree more. As the “team leader”, Ramirez should be calling Reyes to welcome him to the team, and quelling any media speculation that he isn’t happy with the acquisition of Reyes, who is a far superior defensive player. His silence is deafening, and another churlish example of how selfish Ramirez has been his entire career.

As for Reyes, c’mon Jose. You haven’t had the “opportunity” to call your “very good friend” for a week or more? You’re not doing yourself any favors with those kinds of quotes.

“New York baseball is feeling a swirl of emotions as Jose Reyes heads south this winter,  We’re giving Mets fans a chance to drown their sorrows — or celebrate — and bid adios to Jose, one of the best and most popular Mets players ever,” said Shaun Clancy, owner of Foley’s, which features 2,500 autographed balls, bats and other baseball memorabilia.  “By doing this, we can have a little fun and donate to clothing drives for people who are less fortunate.”

The former Florida Marlins have already been making a big splash this December with the signing of free agent closer Heath Bell to a three-year, $27 million contract as they prepare for life in their new ballpark.  The Marlins made headlines this weekend for good and bad reasons as well. First the good, Miami and free agent shortstop Jose Reyes, one of the hottest commedities on the free agent market, agreed to a six-year, $106MM deal that is contingent on a physical. It’s a huge deal for the Marlins, who already have an All-Star in Hanley Ramirez at the position ( Ramirez is likely to be asked to be moved to 3rd base according to Marlins beat writer Joe Capozzi, but what if he balks. Ramirez had difficulty with management and faced criticism last year for his work habits.).

But the Marlins may have some choppy waters ahead of them. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that a long overdue investigation by the SEC into the Marlins’ ability to get a new stadium is underway.

“The Security and Exchange Commission on Thursday launched guided warheads at the Marlins, requesting the team’s financial records, communications with MLB officials including commissioner Bud Selig, minutes of meetings with local government leaders and political campaign-contribution information, according to a report in the Miami Herald.

While the subpoenas issued by the SEC do not explicitly detail the purpose of the investigation, the feds’ motives are evident: They want to understand how, exactly, a group of county commissioners agreed to fund 80 percent of the Marlins new stadium, which cost more than $600 million, without ever seeing the team’s financial records – and whether bribes had anything to do with it.”

One does have to wonder what took so long. Passan and others reported on wrong doing back in August when Deadspin.com also revealed the Marlins’ balance sheet.

“Miami-Dade County commissioners nevertheless voted 9-4 in favor of taking out loans that will cost the county $2.4 billion over 40 years to help build the stadium in Little Havana, about two miles west of the city. Critics across south Florida panned the deal, which gives the Marlins all stadium-related revenue and imbued the team with a new attitude entering this offseason.”

A team that supposedly had financial problems is suddenly pouring out money, hand over fist. First came the 34-yr old Bell’s $9MM per year deal and then the nearly $18MM per year for Reyes. And the Marlins aren’t done either. Their are said to be ready to make a serious at Albert Pujols’, to whom they reportedly made a nine-year offer to in November for somewhere between $200MM and $225MM. Whether they were serious or not, one Marlins’ spokesman told reporters the team was hoping to leave the winter meetings with “…4 or 5 new players.”

The question is will the SEC come down hard on the Marlins or simply give them a slap on the wrist. And maybe even more importantly, will the fans, who never came to Marlins’ games in the old stadium, suddenly start attending them in the new digs. While owner Jeffrey Loria may suddenly field a contender, will fans/taxpayers get over being swindled and show up? It’s a question that has no easy answer.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Our featured bloggers that provided us with the in depth Report Card series that has just concluded are back to give everyone an in depth look at what the off season holds for the major league teams they cover.  A look at what each team needs, what each team has already gained and lost, and some of the youth in each team’s system will be examined in these articles.  You can find all of the author’s information at the bottom of the article.

Key Free Agents Leaving the Team:
The Miami Marlins are in relatively good shape in this area. The free agent who played the most for the team last year is third baseman Greg Dobbs. I believe his future with the club depends on the outcome of attempted free agent signing of shortstop Jose Reyes from the Mets. If the Marlins sign Reyes, then the Marlins have the option of moving Handley Ramirez to either third or second. I believe the Marlins will sign Dobbs either way in order to retain him as their pinch hitter and utility infielder.

Key Areas Needing Improvement:
The Marlins need to improve their starting pitching and their bullpen. The rotation needs to be improved and a quality left handed starter is the most valuable piece that is missing. Assuming that ace Josh Johnson is ready for Spring Training as indicated by President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest, the Marlins need to add a couple of dependable starters to follow him. There is talk that the Marlins are willing to make an offer to free agent lefty Mark Buerhle which makes a lot of sense. He is a solid left handed starter and would be reunited with skipper Ozzie Guillen. The Marlins also have a couple of promising arms in Michael Dunn and Brad Hand who will compete for spots in the rotation and bullpen.

Pieces that are in Place:
The Marlins are set with Catcher John Buck who is signed through 2013 as their starter. The outfield looks solid for 2012 with Logan Morrison in left and Mike Stanton in right. The only question mark is who will play in center and that spot should be filled with Emilio Bonifacio if Ramirez is healthy or they sign Jose Reyes. Beinfest has stated that he expects Ramirez to be healthy by the start of the season so that should solidify the Marlins outfield questions regardless of where Reyes signs. Gaby Sanchez appears to be set at first base but if the Marlins land free agent Albert Pujols, his position would need to move or he might be on the trading block.

Possible Trade Pieces:
If the Marlins sign Reyes and not Pujols, third baseman Matt Dominguez might be offered as a trade piece with Pitcher Nolasco to sign a quality starting pitcher should the Marlins not acquire Buerhle in the off season. If Pujols is signed then either Sanchez or Bonifacio could become available as trade pieces depending on where they want to play Sanchez. Bonifacio has proven to be a very flexible player in the field and his offensive skills would make him an attractive incentive to a lot of teams needing speed at the top of their order. Outfielders Bryan Petersen and Marcell Ozuna are two minor league prospects that might be dealt due to the young players in the outfield already with the big club.

Young Player to Watch in 2012:
I would expect to see Steve Chishek see a lot of action in the coming season. The hard throwing reliever was 3 for 3 in save opportunities at the end of the season in 2011 and with the uncertain situation of closer Leo Nunez or Juan Oveido, I would expect Chishek to make the opening day roster. His role will be affected by the legal situation of Oveido for sure and the Marlins may attempt to sign free agent Heath Bell to protect the club in case Oveido doesn’t get clearance from the league or his country to play in 2012. If he is not the closer, I would expect to see him as the set up guy for the 7^th and 8^th innings in this bullpen.

Eddie L. Gilley
@eddiegilley
eddie.gilley@blogspot.com

These report cards were written by twenty nine talented individuals across the internet that keep a close eye on the team they cover.  It was the first of our “Featured Blogger” series.  The second part, an Off-Season Outlook, will be brought to you the remainder of this week.  The same writers will return in the Spring to provide a 2012 Season Preview about the teams.

This year’s Featured Bloggers are listed below along with their website and the link to their Report Card:

American League East
Baltimore Orioles - Austin Gisriel, Seamheads
Boston Red Sox – Michael Lynch, Seamheads
New York Yankees – William Tasker, The Flagrant Fan
Tampa Bay Rays – Yossi Feins, The Rays Rant
Toronto Blue Jays – Peter DeMarco, Some Thoughts On Baseball

American League Central
Chicago White Sox – Terry Keshner, Planet Back
Cleveland Indians – David Henderson, Tribe Cards
Detroit Tigers – Nick Waddell, Seamheads
Kansas City Royals – Todd Fertig, I-70 Baseball
Minnesota Twins – Von Hendry, Seamheads

American League West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Bryan Grosnick, Roto Hardball
Oakland As – Jason Leary, Junk Ball
Seattle Mariners – Nick Waddell, Seamheads
Texas Rangers – Dan Edmonson, Chicken Fried Baseball

National League East
Atlanta Braves – Andrew Martin, Baseball Historian
Florida Marlins – Eddie Gilley, Eddie Gilley Blogspot
New York Mets – AC Wayne, Mets Public Record
Philadelphia Phillies – Matthew Buesing, Fire And Ice Sports
Washington Nationals – Aaron Somers , District On Deck

National League Central
Chicago Cubs – Robert Harris, Blue Batting Helmet
Cincinnati Reds – Gary Schatz, Full Of Schatz
Houston Astros – Michael Barr, Fan Graphs
Milwaukee Brewers – Paul Heinz, Paul Heinz.com
Pittsburgh Pirates – Ryan Sendek, Analysis Around The Horn
St. Louis Cardinals – Daniel Shoptaw , C70 At The Bat

National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks – Patrick Lagreid, Baseball On My Brain
Colorado Rockies – Michelle Hoag, Rockies Woman
Los Angeles Dodgers – Paul F Sullivan, Sully Baseball
San Diego Padres – Michael Metzger, Padres Trail
San Francisco Giants – Julian Levine, Giants Nirvana

Bill Ivie is the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com and the founder of i70baseball.com, an official Baseball Digest website covering the Cardinals and Royals.

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BaseballDigest.com aims to keep up that tradition.  This season, we bring you a Report Card on each team in Major League Baseball from writers that cover that team directly.  At the bottom of each write up, you will find the writer’s name, website, and any other pertinent information.  

The last season for the Florida Marlins was truly a roller coaster ride worthy of some of the theme parks a little farther up the Florida peninsula. After a strong and surprising start, the Marlins were 10 games over .500 and in second place in the division after May. However, a disastrous June derailed the cart and after going 5-23 for the year and losing ace Josh Johnson for the year they were in the basement. Jack McKeon became the second oldest MLB manager after Edwin Rodriguez resigned and rallied the team in July to a 16-10 record. Injuries and inconsistent play in August and September pushed the Marlins down to the basement again and they finished with a record of 72-90 and a third manager as Ozzie Guillen was named the skipper for 2012.

Rotation: D
The loss of ace Josh Johnson early in the season proved to be too much to overcome. When only one of the remaining starters in the rotation has an above .500 win percentage it is hard not to give the entire group an F. We will give them some grace because the loss of the ace forced managers to move guys into the rotation who otherwise would not have started. Who know what might have happened if Johnson had stayed healthy and the rotation didn’t have to change, but it is clear that a 42-60 record for your starters is a recipe for a very bad year.

Bullpen: C
Marlins closer Juan Oviedo, aka Leo Nunez had a pretty good year going 36-6 in save opportunities and rookie Steve Chishek went 3-3 replacing Oviedo/Nunez after he was put on hold with his legal troubles back home. The rest of the bullpen had a 28-30 record for the year with veteran Randy Choate having the best era out of the pen. Clearly the injury to Johnson and the lack of quality starts by the staff contributed to the amount of work needed from the pen and the wins and losses reflect a mediocre outcome at best.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: D
Starting catcher John Buck had a decent year at the player in the power categories with 16 HRS, 15 2B and 1 3B, his .227 average was significantly lower than his last year’s total in Toronto. His fielding percentage was .995 due to 5 errors and 7 passed balls which isn’t all that bad. One stat that does jump out is the .830 SBPCT. He only threw out 17 out of 100 runners on the year. Without seeing all of those attempts it is hard to pin all the blame on Buck. Backup catcher Brett Hayes was able to throw out 7 of 20 attempted base stealers. He also committed no errors and only allowed 3 passed balls albeit in a lot fewer chances than Buck. Hayes hit .231 with 5 HR in about ¼ of the plate appearances of Buck on the year.

Infield: C
The erratic play of SS Hanley Ramirez and his two trips on the DL caused a lot of shifting in the lineup and on defense. Omar Infante who came over from the Braves in the Dan Uggla trade played a solid second base for the Marlins defense. Gaby Sanchez was clearly the anchor of this unit and led the way with a .996 fielding percentage. Greg Dobbs played most of the year at third and Emilio Bonifacio replaced Ramirez when he was on the DL.

At the plate, Bonifacio proved to be the most valuable although he played 60 games in the outfield so his value should really be split between the two groups for this summary. He stole 40 bases and hit .296 mostly in the leadoff spot which should give some hope to Marlins fan for next year. Sanchez was the All-star among the group and led this unit with 19 home runs and 78 RBI. Infante and Dobbs put up respectable numbers batting .276 and .275 with 15 homers between them. Ramirez hit only .243 this year well below his .306 lifetime average. If he can come back healthy and return to his previous form at the plate and in the field, the Marlins have options with Bonifacio and rookie Matt Dominguez who was a late season call up at 3B.

Outfield: A-
The outfield for the Marlins produced the most offense for the team during the year. Mike Stanton is becoming a legitimate power hitter in the league with 34 HR and 87 RBI while hitting for a .262 average. If he can bring his average up, he could become one of the elite outfielders in the NL. Close behind him in the power categories was LF Logan Morrison. He hit only .247 which must improve but his 23 HR and 72 RBI were second and third respectively for the team.

Center field was done by committee as veteran Mike Cameron was released late in the year after splitting time with Scott Cousins and Chris Coghlan. Coghlan led the way at the plate with a .230 batting average which shows how much the Marlins need Ramirez to be healthy so Bonifacio can return to the outfield. If had been able to stay in the outfield all year, the Marlins would have had a solid defensive and offensive outfield trio in Stanton, Bonifacio, and Morrison.

Top Offensive Player
I am going to make this one a co-TOP award. Mike Stanton was clearly the leader in power and RBI numbers. His 34 HR total was fifth in the NL and his 87 RBI was the 18^th highest total in the NL. Emilio Bonifacio was second in the NL in SB with 40 and tied for 17^th in BA at .296. His production at the top of the lineup allowed Stanton, Sanchez and Morrison to post good RBI numbers. If you like the long ball you’d go with Stanton but if speed and hitting for average is your passion, then Bonifacio would be your choice. I can’t decide so I’m going with both!

Top Pitcher
Josh Johnson is clearly the best pitcher on this squad. Although he only appeared in 9 games this year, his absence proved costly to the Marlins as it completely threw off their rotation and caused added stress on the bullpen that faulted in the hot south Florida summer. He was 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA when he went on the disabled list and had he remained healthy there is no reason to think he wouldn’t have won at least 15 games. Those 12 games might have just moved Florida out of the basement at the very least and could have changed the teams attitude and provided more wins than that during those terrible streaks of June and August where the Marlins season unraveled.

Eddie Gilley
eddiegilley@blogspot.com
@eddiegilley

In being named manager, Matheny beat out fellow prospective employees Jose Oquendo, Joe McEwing, Chris Maloney, Ryne Sandberg, and Terry Francona.  Matheny was a tough as nails catcher, who spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, including four years (2000-2003) in St. Louis. His career was cut short due to concussions he had suffered in his career.

Like former player Robin Ventura (Chicago White Sox), Matheny becomes a Major League manager with no managing experience. He had been a minor league instructor in the Cardinals’ organization prior to the hiring.

Next Stop Boston

One job down, two major positions left to go. The Red Sox continued their search this past week by interviewing former White Sox and Pirates’ manager, and current Tigers’ third base coach Gene Lamont.  His last managerial stint was the 2000 season, but he told the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t wanted to.

“I’ve wanted to manage all along,” Lamont said yesterday at Fenway Park [map] after interviewing for the Red Sox [team stats] opening. “I guess I just didn’t toot my horn enough.”

Boston has also spoken with Phillies’ bench coach Pete Mackinin, Torey Luvollo, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Dale Sveum. Other than Sveum’s 12 games as interim manager for the Brewers in 2008, none of the candidates other than Lamont have Major League managing experience.

Whoever the new manager is, he’ll have a new closer as well. Jonathan Papelbon agreed to a four year deal with the Phillies this past week to take over as their closer. Boston thought they had a closer in waiting in Daniel Bard, but the fireballing right-hander struggled in his set up role in 2011 and the Red Sox are not likely to go with such an inexperienced late innings guy.

The Ivy League

The other big job left is, of course, at the ivy covered walls of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Reportedly, the decision is down to four candidates, three of which are major candidates for the Red Sox job- Mackinin, Sveum, and Alomar Jr. Joining them is Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux.

The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan took a look at the competition.

Meanwhile, recently fired manager Mike Quade is a candidate to take over the Twins’ Triple-A team in Rochester, NY.

Moves and Rumors

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported that Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit has received several offers and will sign with a new team by the end of the month. Pittsburgh declined options for 2012 and 2013, which set Doumit free.

Minnesota is expected to sign veteran utility man Jamey Carroll to be their starting shortstop in 2012. The Twins dealt J.J. Hardy prior to the 2011 season and subsequently used a variety of players at the position. The 37-yr old played 146 games for the Dodgers last season, and recorded a .359 OPS. The move is a little odd in that Carroll has only played 224 games at shortstop in his 10 year big league career. In fact, he’s played more games at both third base and second base.

The Marlins met with free agents Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, and reportedly made an official offer to Pujols. His current team, the St. Louis Cardinals, said they will not increase their current offer. SI’s Jon Heyman reported the Cardinals offered Pujols a nine year, $210MM deal prior to the 2011 season.

The Closer

Great news this weekend with the safe recovery of Washington Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos, who had been kidnapped in his native Venezuela.

Sad news though as former big league pitcher Charlie Lea passed away at age 54. The one time Montreal Expo and no-hit pitcher was found dead in his home Friday in Tennessee. He had been a color commentator for the Memphis Redbirds since 2002. Baseball Digest extends condolonces to his friends and family.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Epstein fired manager Mike Quade on Wednesday after just a little over one season in Chicago. The Sun-Times has the story.

Dodgers fans are ecstatic that the McCourts are selling. The LA Times has the full story.

The Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander was the most dominant pitcher in the game en route to 24 wins. Jose Bautista didn’t match his 54 home runs of a year ago, but had another 40+ home run season. Lance Berkman looked like his career was done in 2010, but he hit 30 home runs this season and is an NL MVP candidate. Jacoby Ellsbury was the king of the AL DL a year ago, but this season was a candidate for both the comeback player of the year and AL MVP awards.

Curtis Granderson had a bust out season, topping 40 home runs for the first time in his career. Teammate Derek Jeter picked up his 3,000th hit, while another, Mariano Rivera, broke the all-time record for career saves. Across town, Jose Reyes won his first batting title in what might be his last year as a Met.  Albert Pujols had an “off” year and still hit 35 dingers and Matt Kemp met and exceeded all expectations.  With all of that in mind, the finalists for the individual awards in each league should look something like this…

AL MVP – Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano (NY), Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS), Jose Bautista (TOR), Justin Verlander (DET)

AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander (Det)

AL Rookie of the Year – Jeremy Hellickson (TB), Ivan Nova (NY), Eric Hosmer (KC), Mark Trumbo (LA), J.P. Arencibia (TOR)

AL Manager of the Year – Manny Acta (CLE), Jim Leyland (DET), Ron Washington (TEX), Joe Girardi (NY)

AL Comeback Player of the Year – Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS), Melky Cabrera (KC)

NL MVP – Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder (MIL), Matt Kemp (LA), Lance Berkman (STL), Justin Upton (AZ)

NL Cy Young – Ian Kennedy (AZ), Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee (PHI), Clayton Kershaw (LA)

NL Manager of the Year – Kirk Gibson (AZ), Ron Roenicke (MIL), Clint Hurdle (PIT), Charlie Manuel (PHI)

NL Rookie of the Year – Freddie Freeman and Craig Kimbrel (ATL), Danny Espinosa (WAS), Javy Guerra (LA)

NL Comeback Player of the Year – Carlos Beltran (NY,SF), Lance Berkman (STL)

But baseball isn’t about the individual, it’s about the teams.

Early on the Indians, Royals, and Pirates played beyond expectation. In fact the Indians held first place in the AL Central for 85 days. The three teams would eventually fade, but the Arizona Diamondbacks did just the opposite. They were six games under .500 in mid-May, but played at a torrid pace the rest of the season to win the division title. Meanwhile Boston and Atlanta entered the final month of the season as virtual locks to make the post-season only to be eliminated on the final night of the season.

The LA Dodgers and the Mets had ownership and money issues, the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds were huge disappointments, and the Baltimore Orioles, despite much promise, finished last in the AL East for the fourth straight year. In the end the Yankees, Tigers, Rangers, Phillies, Brewers, and Diamondbacks captured their divisions while the Rays and Cardinals entered the playoffs as wild card entries.

What’s that? How did the Baseball Digest team do at predicting the post-season teams? Let’s take a look.

Well it appears, ahem, one person knew what they were talking about with the AL East. Yes, that would be me. Michael Maher, likewise, was the only one of our bunch who had the insight to pick the Tigers in the AL Central. He was also the only one to pick the Rays to win the AL wild card. Four out of seven dentist, er writers, chose the Rangers correctly in the AL West, while none of us had the Diamondbacks sniffing a title in the NL West.

Bill Ivie stuck his neck out picking the Braves to win the NL East, while everyone else selected the Phillies. Needless to say, his neck hurts. Bill’s beloved Cardinals didn’t win the NL Central as he had selected, but he was brought joy on the night of Game 162 when they made the post-season. Meanwhile Simon Sharkey-Gottlieb, Kirk Verner, and Matt Wilson all correctly chose the Brewers for the Central crown, but just like the NL West, no one got the NL wild card correct either. So the finally tally of correct predictions..drum roll please…four writers with 3 right each. Meanwhile Josh Landsburg, Mark Healey, and Bill Ivie…um, better luck next year. (In fairness, Bill did get 2 playoff teams correct, just in the wrong spots)

Michael Maher 3
Drew Sarver 3
Simon Sharkey-Gottlieb 3
Matt Wilson 3
Shai Kushner 2
Kirk Verner 2
Josh Landsburg 1
Mark Healey 1
Bill Ivie 0

Please check back after the league championship series for updated standings, and be sure to bookmark Baseball Digest to view all of our post-season coverage.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

This season has certainly had its share of surprises: the Diamondbacks dominance in the west, Adam Dunn’s struggles just to get a glimpse of the Mendoza line and Jose Bautista proving that 2010 wasn’t a fluke, just to name a few.  On the other hand, some things have gone as expected: The Yankees and Red Sox will make the postseason, Mariano Rivera is still a dominant closer and Ozzie Guillen’s anger management classes haven’t had much of an effect, just to name a few.  Least surprising of all, though, may be the performance of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Most preseason predictions had the Phillies winning the NL East and it was easy to see why.  The group of starting pitchers was given all sorts of nicknames before even showing up to spring training.  The last time this happened was with the 1995 Mets and Generation K (which we all know didn’t go so well).  The question never seemed to be “would they win” but “how many would they win”.  So it’s easy to understand the lack of noise surrounding the team’s success so far this year.  A situation living up to expectations is rarely newsworthy.  What is surprising, however, is how little noise is being made about how good this team has actually been.

For starters (pun unfortunately intended), four members of the Phillies rotation boast ERA’s under 3 (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Vance Worley).  Halladay and Lee have also amassed over 200 strikeouts already.  Worley is 11-1 with a 2.85 ERA and he’s just a rookie.  Hamels is 14-7 with a 2.60 ERA and also has a WHIP under 1, yet he’s almost an after-thought…a very dangerous after-thought.  So even though veteran Roy Oswalt may not have lived up to what some had hoped for him, the team doesn’t seem to be all that affected.

The bullpen, a seemingly weak area for the Phillies coming into this season, has found a couple truly dependable arms.  Ryan Madson has been an effective closer, saving 29 of his 31 opportunities (through Friday, September 9).  Meanwhile, lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo has gone from specialist to just plain special in his first full major league season.  Bastardo has an ERA under 2, a 0.81 WHIP, 66 K’s in 54.1 innings and has kept opponents to a .119 batting average.

The Phillies are on their way to the best record in franchise history.  After Friday night’s win (their 5th straight) the Phillies have 93 wins, 8 short of the franchise best 101 (1976 & 1977) and there are still 21 games to go.  In other words, the Phillies have never been this dominant in the franchise’s 122 seasons (129 if you include their time as the Philadelphia Quakers).

Perhaps what’s most impressive about this accomplishment is that they’ve done it when virtually every offensive player (not named Shane Victorino) is having an down season.  Furthermore, many important pieces of this team have spent significant time on the disabled list at various points in the season.  Still, the Phillies have been able to sustain their dominance since April.  Credit their pitching.  Credit their manager, Charlie Manuel.  Credit their GM, Ruben Amaro, for making some key moves prior to, and during, the season.  Really though, credit the team as a whole, as they find ways to win on a daily basis.

Once October begins, the Phillies regular season accomplishments will cease to mean a whole lot.  Many teams have coasted through the regular season only to make a quick trip back home to join their lesser counterparts.  All season long though, something special has been going on in Philadelphia and it shouldn’t be ignored.

Around the Division:

Atlanta Braves -  Brandon Beachy’s 142 strikeouts give him the most ever by a Braves rookie pitcher.  Jair Jurrjens was the previous record-holder with 139 K’s in 2008.  More impressively, rookie closer Craig Kimbrel notched his 41st save on 8/31, breaking Neftali Feliz’s record (40) set just last season, for most saves by a rookie.

New York Mets - Johan Santana is getting closer to making an appearance for the Mets this season, just to prove to fans that he does still exist.  Second-year first baseman Ike Davis will not need ankle surgery after all, however Jay Horwitz, the team’s long standing VP of Media Relations, is out indefinitely with a broken ankle of his own (and that WILL require surgery).  Horwitz has been the Mets PR guy for over 30 years, has only missed 3 games during that time and hadn’t missed a game in 21 years.

Washington Nationals - On September 3, rookie Tom Milone became the first pitcher to hit a home run on the first major league pitch he faced since Adam Wainwright did it for the Cardinals in 2006.  Stephen Strasburg looked sensational in dominating the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first major league start since last year’s Tommy John surgery.  Strasburg’s next start is Sunday, 9/11 against the Astros.

Florida Marlins - Hanley Ramirez will be out for the remainder of the season, closing the books on the young shortstop’s most disappointing season to date.  Ramirez will have surgery next week.  According to Larry Beinfest, the Marlins president of Baseball Operations, the surgery will be performed by Dr. James Andrews and will start out as arthroscopic surgery with a possibility that open surgery will be necessary.  Ramirez’s recovery time will depend on the type of surgery he ends up having.

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.

The baseball season is long.  Six months, 162 games, never more than a 3-day break, it’s a lot.  So it’s not surprising that some players lose a bit of focus as the season transitions from pennant race to postseason/offseason preparations.  In the division that houses the two winningest teams in the National League, this point of the season has come a little early.  It would take an epic collapse to keep the Phillies or the Braves from playing October baseball (this is still unlikely even though the 2007 Mets proved that it’s possible) .  Meanwhile, the Mets, Nationals and Marlins probably don’t look at third place as a goal worthy of bragging rights.  With five weeks remaining in the season, players might start wondering what’s in it for them.

Let’s take a look at five pitchers who may still benefit from showing what they can do, even though the standings might not be affected…

Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies – The ups and downs of Lidge’s career would give most people motion sickness.  Lidge has been invincible in some seasons and quite vincible (it’s a real word!) in others.  His perfect 2008 for Philadelphia (48-48 in save opportunities, including the postseason), as well as being the man on the mound when the Phillies won the Word Series has earned him a special place in that city’s heart.  Of course, since that magical year, Lidge has been at best, injured, and at worst, awful.  Now, in his walk year, Lidge has only appeared in 12 games (just 9 innings) as September approaches, and has lost his closer role.  Lidge has performed well in his limited time and will have the postseason to show what’s he’s got left in the tank.  Many teams will be looking for new closers next season, and Lidge’s performance these next few weeks can go a long way in determining whether or not he’s a consideration.

Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves – When the Braves signed Derek Lowe to a 4-year $60 million deal prior to the 2009 season they declared that the had found their ace.  Through the first 2 and a half seasons of that deal, Lowe’s results may not be ace-like, but he has been successful.  Lowe is 39-34 with a 4+ ERA during his tenure in Atlanta.  He is also going to be 39-years old before next year’s All-Star break.  The Braves will likely offer arbitration to two of their young starters, Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson (who may/may not be arbitration eligible), so the $15 million that Lowe will make next year might become an issue.  Atlanta’s decision to hold onto Lowe for the remainder of this season was likely based on his postseason experience and a desire not to shake up the successful flow of their rotation.  However a glut of exciting rookie pitchers (Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Mike Minor, etc.) will make Lowe, and his high salary, expendable coming into next season.  Lowe now has September and the postseason to either convince the Braves to keep him or convince other teams to spend high for his services.

John Lannan, Washington Nationals – Chances are you’ve heard about the Nationals pitching of the future (some of whom are in the present): Stephen Strasburg, Drew Storen, Jordan Zimmermann, Brad Peacock, just to name a few.  But one pitcher, John Lannan, is vying to be a senior member of this exclusive club, and he’s only 26 years-old (27 in a month).  The lefty starter has been consistent since joining the Nationals major league club in 2007.  However, he’s only been consistently mediocre.  This season, however, Lannan is on pace to achieve personal bests in wins and ERA.  As a back of the rotation starter with a $2.75 million contract, Lannan is something of a bargain.  He is arbitration eligible for one more season before becoming a free agent.  If Lannan continues to show improvement, the Nationals may want to consider him as a long-term answer to any #4/#5 starter questions.  However, with so many potential major league arms in the farm system, they may want to consider selling high on Lannan to bring in some offense.  Of course, a poor showing by Lannan will leave the Nationals with few options, and will likely leave Lannan out of the mix for the future excitement in D.C.

Bobby Parnell, New York Mets – While most Mets pitchers could make this list, Parnell may have an integral role in the Mets success next season.  Then again, if his inconsistency remains an issue, he also may not.  It’s not that he doesn’t have the “stuff”.  Parnell sports a mid-to-high 90′s fastball with some sink, as well as a nasty slider.  However, that’s about all that’s nasty about the righty reliever.  As the Mets try to figure out who their closer will be next season, they are looking in house at the young, talented and inexpensive Parnell.  However, for Parnell to take advantage of this opportunity he will to improve his control, his command and his consistency.  He will also have to develop the killer instinct that seems common to successful relievers.  Otherwise he’ll just end up as another name on the list of great throwers who never figured out how to pitch.

Chris Volstad, Florida Marlins – The 6’8″ sinkerballer debuted in July of 2008 and immediately impressed, going 6-4 with a 2.88 ERA that season.  Volstad showed enough in those 15 games (14 starts) to give the Marlins the idea that they had drafted another gem.  Unfortunately, his work since that season has been disappointing.  In 2009, the righty took a big step back, going 9-13 with a 5.21 ERA.  His 2010 season was only slightly better (12-9, 4.58) and this year, his worst so far at 5-11, 5.61.  While Volstad is not necessarily considered a key component to the future of Marlins starting pitching (relative to Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco), the team will need him to improve if they expect to match up with the other starting staffs in the division.

This is a tricky time of year for baseball.  While some of the divisions still have interesting races going on, the NL East has pretty much been decided.  It’s easy for attention to wane.  However, a closer look at some of the interesting story lines within each team reveals plenty to watch for in the seasons final weeks.

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.

There is little doubt that the story in the NL East this season has been pitching.  Eight of the National League’s top pitchers in wins come from this division, four of the top eight in ERA come from this division, four of the top six strikeout leaders come from this division, and in all likelihood the CY Young Award winner will come from this division.

But this may not be the story for long.

Even though many of the division’s most recognized names (like Chipper Jones, Ryan Howard, Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Jayson Werth) might be having down seasons here are a batch of youngsters with whom you might want to get acquainted.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta Braves – The only reason this 21 year-old (almost 22) slugger might not win the NL Rookie of the Year is because his rookie teammate Craig Kimbrel leads the majors in saves.  Freeman leads all National League rookies in: home runs, RBI’s, batting average, slugging pct., OPS, runs scored, and lists of accomplishments.  He also happens to have a stellar glove, a powerful arm and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until he rescues some kids from a burning orphanage.  Chipper Jones has already declared Freeman to be the next face of the Braves franchise.  Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Freeman’s rookie achievements is that he’s done it all after getting off to a terrible start.  In April, Freeman hit just .225 with 3 HR’s, 8 RBI’s and a handful of skeptics.  However, strong showings in May and June erased much of the early-season doubt and a terrific July (.362/6/18) has turned just about everyone into a believer.

Mike Stanton, OF, Florida Marlins – An opposing minor league manager once described Stanton by saying, “He looks like a 15-year-old playing on an 8-year-old’s Little League team.”  Now, this manchild is threatening to lead the National League in home runs in only his second major league season.  Entering Thursday’s games, Stanton had hit a home run in four straight games, giving him 29 on the season and placing him one long ball behind NL leader Albert Pujols.  The 21 year-old (almost 22) outfielder will likely hit at least 35 HR’s this season.  That would put him in a group with Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Frank Robinson, Hal Trosky, Mel Ott and Eddie Mathews as players with 35 HR’s at the age of 21. If he happens to make it to 40 HR’s this season, he would join Hall of Famers Ott and Matthews as the only players to hit that many before turning 22.   Even if Stanton falls short of these accomplishments, he has already done enough in his first 700 major league at-bats to suggest that fans will be enjoying his tape-measure shots for years to come.

Lucas Duda, OF-1B, New York Mets – From the moment Lucas Dude dons his uniform and walks onto the field, he just looks like a pro ballplayer.  His size and his swing look like elements of a slugger that could give opposing pitchers a handful of sleepless nights.  However, his early returns had anyone outside of the Mets organization sleeping easy.  A September callup in 2010, Duda had just 1 hit in his first 33 major league at-bats.  He followed that up, however, with 13 hits, 5 doubles, 3 home runs and 12 RBI’s in his next 37 at-bats.  His 2011 story wasn’t all that different.  Duda started off with just 4 hits in his first 20 at-bats, being used primarily (and unsuccessfully) as a pinch-hitter.  However, as injuries to Ike Davis, Angel Pagan and other Mets starters began to mount, Duda’s opportunities increased.  He took advantage, hitting a solid .283 in June and reaching .300 (with a .912 OPS) for the month of July.  When the Mets traded Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants, the door was open for Duda to audition to be a part of the Mets lineup of the future.  While some may have feared that the added playing time may have exposed some of his weaknesses, Duda has seized the opportunity and shown an impressive ability to make adjustments.  Once deemed by scouts as having 5 o’clock power (power that impresses during batting practice but is gone by gametime), Duda is leading people to believe that he just might be ready for prime time.

Domonic Brown, OF, Philadelphia Phillies – This has been an odd year for the talented rookie outfielder.  The Phillies organization has done a terrific job of building the farm system in the past few years.  However, many of those players found themselves on other teams by the time they made it to the majors, having been dealt for important pieces in the Phillies pennant and postseason pushes.  The one player who has continuously survived that fate has been Domonic Brown.  While the Phillies starting pitching may have been much of the focus coming into this season, the most anticipated member of the everyday lineup could easily have been the rookie.  In an early Spring Training game, Brown broke a bone in his right hand, an injury that would require surgery and delay his ’11 debut until late May.  Brown got off to a pretty hot start but cooled off terribly in June.  In July, Brown began to show the promise and the consistency that had been expected of him, batting .296 with 6 HR’s and 12 RBI’s for the month.  As this year’s trade deadline neared, Brown’s name showed up regularly as potential trade bait.  However, GM Ruben Amaro said repeatedly that he had no intentions of trading the talented youngster.  When the Phillies finally acquired All-Star outfielder Hunter Pence from the Astros they chose to move four of their talented farmhands instead of including Brown in the deal.  While this kept Brown in the organization, it didn’t keep him with the big league club.  Brown was sent down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for Pence.  While this may seem like a demotion, it’s actually an opportunity for Brown to play every day (as opposed to sitting on the Philadelphia bench) while learning how to play left field.  An outfield featuring Brown and Pence in the corner spots with Shane Victorino in center is a scary prospect for the rest of the division.

Wilson Ramos, C, Washington Nationals – Most conversations about the future of the Nationals revolve around their pitching.  Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Brad Peacock and Drew Storen are just a few of the talents giving hope to the historically unsuccessful franchise.  However, the one constant for all of these arms will need to be a dependable battery mate.  In his first full major league season, Wilson Ramos has given reasons to believe that he’ll fit that bill.  His stats may not be as impressive as the other young hitters on this list.  A .246 batting average with 9 HR’s and a .709 OPS is little more than pedestrian, even for a catcher.  But at just 24 years-old, Ramos is described by teammates and coaches as being beyond his years.  Ramos strong arm behind the plate has been evident since his time in the minors.  This year he’s thrown out about 35% of attempted base stealers, an impressive number to begin with, and likely to improve with experience.  Ramos will likely benefit from having catching legend Ivan Rodriguez as a teammate and mentor.

Pitching may be the magic word for the 2011 National East but these young hitters are already making a statement of their own.

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.

Philadelphia Phillies – There are a handful of dates that we celebrate annually: birthdays (ourselves and loved ones), wedding anniversaries, holidays, etc.  For Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., it’s likely that July 29th has reached that level.  For the third straight year, Amaro Jr. pulled off a deal to make a strong Phillies team even stronger.  While there was some talk about the Phillies adding another arm to their oft-injured bullpen, the need for a strong right-handed outfield bat has been apparent since spring training.  By acquiring Hunter Pence from the Astros, the Phillies didn’t just add a talented right-handed hitter for this year’s postseason, they added a young talent who can be under team control through 2013.  Coming into this season the Phillies age was one of their most mentioned drawbacks.  The 28 year-old Pence is a quality response to any aging questions.  Pence didn’t come cheap.  The Phillies had to fork over two of their top minor league pitchers, Jarrod Cosart and Josh Zeid (whose switch to the bullpen made him instantly more effective), as well as their top hitting prospect (albeit in the low minors) Jonathan Singleton.   However, the Phillies were able to improve their team without trading away their prized youngster, rookie Domonic Brown.  While it’s true that Brown’s 2011 season has been short of highlights, he was highly sought after during the trade deadline.  Instead, he will likely be a part of the Phillies outfield of the future.  It’s also worth noting that in the last four years the Phillies have pulled off three trades with the Astros and current GM (and former Phillies GM) Ed Wade.  Some in Philadelphia like to say that Wade has done more for the Phillies organization as the Astros GM than he did as the Phillies GM.

Atlanta Braves – For a little while it seemed like the Braves had missed out on any opportunity to improve their outfield issues.  Beltran was the first to go.  Pence soon went to the rival Phillies.  BJ Upton was BJ Unavailable.  With the trade deadline approaching, all signs pointed to the Braves showing up to the prom dateless.  Then the music faded in, the crowd parted, and the answer that was there all along stood out…Michael Bourn.  In acquiring Bourn the Braves got more than just the majors stolen base leader, they got themselves the center fielder they desperately needed, the leadoff hitter they desperately needed and a potential sparkplug for an offense that had been lacking spark almost all season.  Perhaps even more impressive, the Braves didn’t really give up a whole lot in order to get him.  Outfielder Jordan Schafer was once considered a top prospect in baseball but that was back in 2008.  Since then he’s been suspended for HGH use, undergone wrist surgery, played through a couple disappointing seasons and is currently on the disabled list with a fractured finger.  The other three players received by the Astros, all minor league pitchers were not considered top prospects although they do have some potential upside, if brought along correctly.

New York Mets – The trade deadline was a tricky situation for Mets GM Sandy Alderson to manipulate.  The team had played just well enough to keep fans’ faint hopes alive through the All-Star break.  However, potential free agents Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes, as well as the handcuffing option on Francisco Rodriguez’s contract all had potential to affect the team’s future.  If this were a choose your own adventure book, it’s at this point that the reader would have to decide between keeping the team as is and fighting for the postseason, or giving up on playing in October 2011 for the potential of October baseball in the coming years.  Alderson wisely chose the latter.  He not only kept Reyes but he made known his intentions to keep Reyes in a Mets uniform for years to come.  By trading away Rodriguez and his option, Alderson was less concerned with the two prospects he will get (they will both be chosen from a list of five Brewers minor leaguers sometime in September) than he was with making sure the Mets could focus their money next year on Reyes.  Obviously there are many factors that will determine whether or not Reyes calls Citi Field home next season, but Alderson made sure that Rodriguez was not among them.  The Beltran trade was a challenge as well.  While the Mets didn’t have to get rid of Beltran, the idea of not getting anything aside from memories in return for him when he (likely) signs elsewhere was not ideal.  However, potential trade partners were well aware that Beltran is only a rent-a-player and, while valuable, is likely not someone worth sacrificing the future to acquire.  Reports suggested that the Mets were offered a variety of mid-level prospects from a few teams in exchange for Beltran, but they held out and eventually scored Giants prospect Zach Wheeler.  The tall righty was not only considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Giants organization, he is generally ranked one of the top 40 prospects in all of baseball.

Florida Marlins – The only trade the Marlins made was acquiring veteran outfielder Mike Cameron from the Red Sox for cash or a player to be named later (or a player to be named Cash, I guess).  This is not to suggest that there weren’t players of interest on the Marlins team.  Pitchers Ricky Nolasco, Leo Nunez and Randy Choate, as well as utility player Omar Infante could have fetched the Fish a nice return.  However, the Marlins did not consider themselves buyers or sellers during this trading season.  Instead they intend on keeping their young team in tact as they build for the future (or the near future as they move into a new stadium next season).  While none of the players mentioned are rookies, they are all young enough to be participants in a potential Miami rebirth.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals could be considered sellers these past few weeks, although they were more like garage sale sellers than major vendors.  Over the course of the past few weeks the Nationals traded a couple minor leaguers for Jonny Gomes, who is barely a part of the Nationals present and is unlikely to factor into their future.  Should they choose to offer him arbitration, and should he decline and sign elsewhere, the Nats would get a supplementary draft pick, but other than that this trade doesn’t appear to have much of an impact on anyone aside from the players involved.  Washington did net themselves a couple of talented minor league hitters, outfielder Erik Komatsu and infielder Zachary Walters.  Neither of these players has reached Triple-A yet, but the prices, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Jason Marquis (and his contract) respectively, were not especially steep.  Hariston Jr. and Marquis were most likely not going to play a role in the Nationals future.

Properly evaluating deals involving prospects is not an easy task.  Who knows what Cosart, Wheeler, Komatsu or any of the others will ever achieve, or whether or not they’ll even achieve them with their new teams?  While the deals involving NL East teams ranged from acquiring missing pieces for the postseason, to bringing in potential future stars, to maintaining the core squad, it seems that each of the teams came out ahead at this year’s trade deadline.  Maybe we should revisit this article in a year or two to see how things really panned out.

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.

Let’s face it folks…

The NL East has pretty much found its groove.  The Phillies have been the winning-est team in baseball for quite a while now.  The Braves continue to maintain their Wild Card dominance (which is a really strange term if you think about it).  Meanwhile, the Mets, Marlins and Nationals fight it out for “best of the rest” considerations.  While I will obviously continue to cover the happenings within the division for the rest of the season, beginning with recapping the trade deadline (which I’ll do next week), I’ve decided to take a step back and field a few of the items that I’ve received in my virtual mailbag this year.

Q: What percentage chance would you give to the Mets in re-signing Jose Reyes? (D. Ain, Brooklyn, NY)

A: Right now, I’m putting it at 60%.  Coming into the season the feeling around the league, or at least from those who like to think they’re around the league, was that Reyes was not  a Sandy Alderson-type player (low OBP, dependent on stolen bases, etc.).  By late May, Reyes had pretty much established himself as an any-GM-type player.  In turn, rumors of trading Reyes away quickly faded and rumors of the Mets making moves to free up money to sign him quickly surfaced.  That the Mets traded K-Rod was no surprise, but they traded him when they did in order to make sure that his 2012 option was, well, not an option.  So the Mets have made their intentions quite clear.  The front office wants him, the fans want him, and even a familiar hamstring injury hasn’t scared them off.  But it may have scared off some other teams.  Maybe. Still, there will certainly be plenty of potential suitors.  If Reyes chooses to test the market he will obviously get some lucrative offers from all corners of the league.  The Mets appear ready to stay in the mix for as long as Reyes lets them.

Q: Who are the top 5 prospects of NL East teams? (M. Esquandolas – Burlington, VT.)

A:   1) Bryce Harper, Nationals – I probably don’t have to tell you about this guy.  If you haven’t heard of him, you will.  He’s struggled some since being promoted to double-A Harrisburg, but this means little.  The Nationals didn’t sign him to excel in the minors.  In fact, he’s probably there as much to refine his skills as he is to properly mature before becoming a major leaguer.  While early-season accounts suggest he has a ways to go, it’s probably best to keep in mind that he’s only 18 years-old and barring anything unforeseen, will likely be a part of the sport’s future for years to come.  2) Julio Teheran, Braves - While scouts, and wannabe scouts, may debate Teheran’s ceiling, nobody can deny his talent and minor league results.  In 18 starts with Triple-A Gwinnett this season, Teheran has an 11-1 record, 1.67 ERA, a 1.050 WHIP and 98 K’s in 107.2 innings.  He has a low/mid-90′s fastball (which has registered as high as 97 on occasion), a nasty curve and a dangerous changeup.  Some question his command, others worry about the lack of movement on his fastball.  But, at just 20 years-old, Teheran has given the Braves enough to believe in that they refuse to discuss him in any potential trades (so far, at least).  3) Brad Peacock, Nationals – This 23 year-old righty’s value has definitely jumped from 2006, when he was picked in the 41st round of the draft.  Throughout his minor league career, Peacock has shown the ability to strike batters out, but he’s steadily maintained an unremarkable ERA in the 4′s.  However, after taking some advice from Nationals minor league pitching coordinator Spin Williams and Double-A Harrisburg pitching coach Randy Tomlin, Peacock has made some adjustments to his delivery.  They seem to be working.  Peacock went 10-2 with a 2.01 ERA, 0.861 WHIP and 129 K’s in 98.2 innings with Harrisburg before being called up to Triple-A Syracuse.  While Stephen Strasburg, Drew Storen and Bryce Harper get much of the Nationals-related hype, it seems that Peacock may be just as much a part of their future.  4) Matt Harvey, Mets – The Mets first round draft pick from 2010 has had an impressive pro ball debut.  His 8-2 record, 2.37 ERA and 92 K’s in 76 innings for Single-A St. Lucie was enough to promote him to Double-A Binghamton.  While he hasn’t fared as well since the promotion, he’s shown that he has four reliable pitches (fastball, slider, curve, changeup) which is enough to give hope to many in the Mets organization right now.  5) Zack Wheeler, Mets – Honestly, it really is something of a coincidence that these 2 pitchers rank 4th & 5th on my list; it’s not me trying to be cute.  Since being taken as the 7th overall pick in the 2009 draft, the tall righty has shown plenty of raw talent.  Like the other pitchers on this list, Wheeler has a low/mid-90′s fastball that can be dialed up a little from time to time.  His curveball has reportedly improved somewhat from what it was last year with Single-A Augusta.  The Mets were certainly looking at his ceiling when they acquired him from the Giants in return for Carlos Beltran this past week.  Most reports sum Wheeler up by saying that he’s got great stuff but also has control issues.  In other words, this talent needs to learn how to pitch.  The Mets obviously believe in their organization’s ability to teach and in Wheeler’s ability to learn.

Q: Which NL East stadium is the best? (D. Climent – Weehawken, NJ)

A: This should be fun…

1. Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia) – It’s really a perfect combination of classic and modern, and the prices are manageable, in relative terms.
2. Citi Field (New York) – While the stadium hasn’t seen enough Mets success to take a spot in anyone’s hearts just yet, it’s so nice that even most Yankees fans will concede that it’s the better NY stadium.  Only question, why aren’t the fences blue?
3. Turner Field (Atlanta) – Probably the most technologically advanced of the NL East ballparks, despite being the second-oldest in the division (and it’s only a barely-bar mitzvah’d 14 years-old).  The stadium’s address is 755 Hank Aaron Drive, which is a nice touch.
4. Nationals Stadium (Washington) – The retro-style ballparks are beginning to become as cookie-cutter as the cookie-cutter parks they replaced.  Nationals Stadium is probably the best example of this.  It’s nice, very nice even, but there’s really nothing that makes it stand out.
5. Sun Life Stadium (Florida) – It’s a football stadium that happens to host baseball games.  Always has been.  I could go on, but the Marlins are moving to a new stadium next year, so there’s really no point.

Thank you to all who sent me questions.  Please keep them coming.  I’m sure there will be more opportunities to get to some of other emails I’ve received.  I’ll be getting summing up the NL East’s role in the MLB non-waiver trade deadline once the dust settles.

And of course, thanks for reading.

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.

Done Deals

Boston – Kansas City: The Red Sox have added to their depth by picking up Mike Aviles from the Royals for infielder Yamaico Navarro and pitcher Kendal Vez. In Aviles, the Red Sox get a player who can play 2B, SS, and 3B, all positions that have seen players banged up this season. He also swings a decent stick. Aviles fell victim to the youth movement in KC and was sent to the minors at one point this season. He could face a demotion again when Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie returns from the DL.

Texas – Baltimore: The Rangers spoke with a number of teams about relievers and were hoping to land the Padres’ Heath Bell.  But the asking price was too high for the pitchers that Texas most coveted. So instead, the Rangers went a cheaper route by sending corner infielder Chris Davis and pitcher Tommy Hunter to the Orioles for Koji Uehara.

It’s a low risk move for both teams. Uehera is good, but not outstanding. He’s a strikeout pitcher despite not having overpowering stuff, but also can’t be used on back-to-back days due to his tendency to get banged up. Davis has been a productive hitter in the minor leagues, but hasn’t been able to put it together in “The Show”. He strikes out way too much and can’t hit left-handed pitching. Unless the Orioles deal Derrek Lee, Davis will probably only see occassional playing time at DH and 1B.

Hunter is a #4 starter at best. He pitches to contact and isn’t going to blow anyone away.  The Rangers’ number one pick in 2007, Hunter got off to an 8-o, 2.31 start last season, but went 5-4, 5.07 in his final 14 starts plus one relief appearance. Hunter is also an injury risk and missed a good chunk of this season with a groin injury.

Detroit – Seattle: The Tigers wanted to shore up their starting rotation for the stretch run and feel they did so by picking up Doug Fister from the Mariners. Fister can’t be judged by the 3-12 record he amassed with a bad Mariners club. In 21 starts, Fister allowed less than a hit an inning and walked just two hitters per nine innings while he struck out 5.5 batters. He also allowed just four home runs and had a 2.8 WAR with the Mariners.

Reliever David Pauley accompanied Fister to give the Tigers some depth in their bullpen. In return, Seattle received pitcher Charlie Furbush, outfielder Casper Wells, third baseman Francisco Martinez and a player to be named later.

Furbush is a 25-yr old left-handed strikeout pitcher that was used as both a starter and reliever by the Tigers. No word yet if he’ll replace Fister in the rotation or Pauley in the pen. Wells is a fourth outfielder that can play all three outfield spots, but doesn’t hit much.  Martinez is a highly touted third baseman, but only the second best hot corner man in the Tigers organization. The 20-yr old Venezuelan is still developing his power, but had pretty good splits (.282/.319/.405) for Single-A Erie.

Arizona – Washington: The Diamondbacks added to their rotation by sending infielder Zach Walter, a former 9th round draft pick, to the Nationals for veteran starter Jason Marquis. The soon-to-be 33-yr old joins his sixth organization after 1+ seasons in the Nation’s capital. Marquis was 8-5, 3.95 in 20 starts this season and averaged six innings each time out. With a WHIP over 1.4 and 0.8 WAR, Marquis is a shaky back-end-of-the-rotation starter. He missed most of last season with elbow surgery.

Rumors

Ubaldo Jimenez: The Rockies have reportedly lowered their demands since they have yet to make a deal.  The Red Sox, Reds, and Indians are said to be negotiating the most, while the Yankees are still in play.

Hiroku Kuroda: The Dodgers right-hander really doesn’t want to leave LA, but has reportedly told the cash-strapped team that he’d be willing to accept a trade to the Rangers, Red Sox, or Yankees.

Josh Willingham and Ryan Ludwick: The A’s and Padres outfielders are still being talked about and are expected to be moved at some point this weekend. Right now it appears A’s GM Billy Beane is asking too much for Willingham.

Heath Bell: Unless the Padres lower their demands, the team’s closer won’t be going anywhere.

Denard Span: The Nationals have been working for days to try to land the Twins’ outfielder. A rumor spread earlier this afternoon that the Twins were trying to get the Yankees involved in a possible three-team deal.

Rafael Furcal: The shell-of-himself shortstop is close to being sent from the Dodgers to the Cardinals.

Update 7:20 PM

Hiroki Kuroda has refused to waive his no-trade clause and will remain an LA Dodger. The ramifications of Kuroda off the market is that the Rockies can now boost their asking price back up for Ubaldo Jimenez.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Philadelphia Phillies – Despite having the best record in baseball, a fairly comfortable 5-game division lead and arguably the best starting rotation in the game, the Phillies know they have some holes that could be exploited in a postseason series.  So the need to pick up a right-handed outfield bat and/or a quality bullpen arm is pretty obvious.  How far they’re willing to go to obtain those is not so apparent.  They have been linked to Mets rightfielder Carlos Beltran, Hunter Pence of the Astros, and Royals outfielders Jeff Francouer and Melky Cabrera by various media and quasi-media outlets.  Similarly, there have been reports that the Phillies have been inquiring about various Padres relievers like closer Heath Bell and highly-regarded setup man Mike Adams.  Most of those rumors, however, also suggest that teams in trade talks with the Phillies are asking for rookie outfielder Domonic Brown, impressive rookie pitcher Vance Worley, top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart or the franchise’s highest rated prospect, Single-A first baseman Jonathan Singleton.   Any of these would be a hefty price to pay for what would likely be a rent-a-player (a potential free agent at the end of the season) and only a small cog in the Phillies championship hopes.  However, a missing piece in the bullpen, or a couple of losses to lefty pitchers in the playoffs can be painful topics of discussion in an offseason.  Besides, GM Ruben Amaro has shown a flair for the dramatic when it comes to deadline deals in recent years.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves situation is not all that far off from the Phillies.  They have a comfortable 5-game lead of their own, albeit for the NL Wild Card spot.  Their strong pitching staff has carried their underachieving offense through the first 4 months of the season.  And they too seem to be searching for some outfield help as well as a reliever, possibly.  The need for the outfielder comes from the fact that Martin Prado and his .760 OPS has been the most successful starting outfielder they have.  The front office is fully aware that an outfield of Prado, Nate McLouth/Jordan Schafer and Jason Heyward (whose season-long sophomore slump is rather disappointing) will put that much more pressure on the team’s pitching.  Along those lines, the Braves stellar, but young, bullpen has already logged many innings.  It’s reasonable to wonder whether or not their arms will be able to maintain their effectiveness in the fall.  So the Braves have been linked to many of the same players as the Phillies.  And while the various rumors suggest that they’re not willing to give up any of their pitching prospects (Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Arodys Vizcaino and Mike Minor), they may have to if they want to add an impact player this season.

New York Mets – For a team battling to get to/stay at/not fall too far from the .500 mark, the Mets are threatening to impact the postseason.  Early in the season it was expected that the Mets talk in July would likely center around Jose Reyes.  However, instead of looking for ways to get something for him, the Mets are doing what they can to free up money to keep him.  So at this point, trading him is incredibly unlikely.  They’ve already gotten rid of Francisco Rodriguez, or really they’ve gotten rid of his contract option.  So naturally the focus has shifted to their next most valuable free agent-to-be, Carlos Beltran.  As I wrote previously, the Mets don’t have to get rid of Beltran.  Even though they will not be able to get any compensation should he sign elsewhere, they’re still not going to trade him for the proverbial bag of balls.  As already stated, there are teams interested in Beltran, teams with good-to-great prospects.  By most accounts, Mets GM Sandy Alderson seems fully prepared to hold on to Beltran if nothing worthwhile shows up.  The worst thing that happens is that he plays out the rest of his contract on the Mets, finishes up what’s already been a strong season, and puts himself in good position to sign somewhere (perhaps even back in Queens, a possibility that some reports have suggested).  Another player that has begun showing up in rumors is lefty reliever Tim Byrdak.  Lefty relievers are a valued (sometimes over-valued) commodity, and when the only other one who shows up in rumors is the Methusela-like Arthur Rhodes, chances are some team is willing to pay for Byrdak’s services.

Washington Nationals – Most of the calls that the Nationals have been reportedly receiving have been for pitchers, and with good reason.  Middle reliever Tyler Clippard, the Nats lone All-Star representative, is a standout in the righty reliever market, of which many are available.  He’s a valuable chip to have, and the Nationals would be equally wise to hold on to him as they would be if they received a nice return for him.  Starters Jason Marquis and Livan Hernandez are also pieces of potential trade bait but would likely fetch a much less impressive bounty.  As for their hitters (and I use the term loosely), the only player that seems to be discussed is young shortstop Ian Desmond.  However, while Desmond may be among the tops in potential among the young players in the league, to this point he’s shown little else.  It’s hard to picture him as part of a trade deadline deal, as his impact seems far from immediate.

Florida Marlins – The Marlins are in an interesting position for a team that’s unlikely to make a splash during this period.  After starting out the season showing contender-like promise, an awful beginning to the summer has rendered this team all but mathematically eliminated with August approaching.  However, for the most part, this is a young team with some potent potential.  Furthermore, with a new stadium opening up next season, the Marlins will likely focus on strengthening the team in the offseason instead of making any big moves right now.  That said, closer Leo Nunez, reliever Randy Choate, and starter Ricky Nolasco have both value and interest.  While it’s unlikely that the Marlins move Nolasco, he is the most valuable of the three players mentioned and is also the oldest of the supposed core starters (Nolasco, Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez) of the Marlins future.  At this point, the Marlins are neither buyers nor sellers, however it’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t consider a deal for Nolasco if it would net them a younger starter or a quality third baseman.

Now that teams have played over 100 games in the 2011 season, the true pennant/wild card races have truly begun to take shape, and the separation between contenders and the rest has grown larger.  For teams that already look like their year will end before October, the trade deadline may be the last exciting period of the season.  The National League East contains 2 teams with postseason potential and 3 teams dangling important pieces in front of the rest of the league.  Whether or not any moves come to fruition, this will likely be a more exciting week off the field than it is on the field within this division.

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.

“I was better at baseball than pretty much anything else,” he said.

Lee attended high school Benton High School in Benton, Arkansas, but before then he was already shaping into an athlete.

“I knew at a really young age. It was probably when I was ten or twelve years old,” he thought for a moment, then said. “I was decent at basketball.”

There were surely many kids with talent and desire to play sports, but despite any uncertainty, Lee had a clear sense of direction.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I knew I could then, but I wanted to from a really young age. I feel fortunate that I knew what I wanted to be doing that young. I wanted to do something with it. Deep down inside I always wanted to play professionally for sure.”

Lee set about trying to improve, driven by ambitions and a natural ability. As he continued to excel, he knew baseball was his ticket.

“The older I got the more I realized it was reality and I was at least going to get a chance to get a scholarship and play in college.”

Lee was drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1997, but opted for college at Meridian Community College instead. He was again drafted in 1998 by the Baltimore Orioles but chose to move onto the University of Arkansas.

There was some time spent as a position player when he played the outfield. But once he got to college, his destiny was clear to everyone around him.

“Until I got into college I played outfield and hit, but once I got into college it was just pitching. I was a decent outfielder and hitter too, so I was able to play more positions. But I think it was pretty evident to myself and a lot of my coaches that pitching was probably what got me at least a scholarship and into professional baseball.”

He was drafted again in 2000 by the Montreal Expos in the 4th round. From there, the road to the big leagues for Lee was not a well-traveled one.

“I made it to the big leagues in 2002. So it was pretty quick.”

Before his major league debut in 2002, he spent time at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, going 12-5 with a 3.64 ERA. At Double-A Harrisburg (now the Washington Nationals Double-A affiliate), he went 7-2 and finished with a 3.24 ERA.

Looking back at those days, however, there were plenty of respected veteran baseball men guiding Lee. His cutter, so important to his success, was developed with the help of his A-ball pitching coach, Ace Adams.

“A lot of credit goes to him.”

There were others who saw what he needed to adjust.

“Louie Issac helped me out in Cleveland with a lot of mechanical stuff.  Carl Willis my pitching coach in Cleveland along with Louie helped me a lot. Tommy John was pitching coach in Double-A and he helped me on two-seam fastballs and just how to pitch.”

He knows that minor leaguers battling to make it to the big leagues struggle to stay focused and confident. But he remembers those days. Lee, like any other successful major league player, keeps it simple.

“Nothing comes easy. You have to be blessed with talent, but nothing replaces hard work. Nothing replaces repetition.”

He still recalls his first encounter with a big league veteran that he held in high regard. When he walked into a major league clubhouse for the first time, he needed to know he belonged.

“I walked in the clubhouse and the first person I saw was [former major league pitcher] Terry Mulholland. And he’d been playing forever it seemed like. And just how I was expecting those guys to be way different, I was expecting something out of the ordinary, but they were just regular guys. What jumps out the most is him just sitting there talking to me and welcoming me. I don’t really know how to explain how it felt but it was a very surreal moment for me.”

He goes back to those minor league guys working hard to keep the self-doubt away.

“It’s a one in a million chance, but someone’s got to do it, so why can’t it be you? The game is the same it’s been since Little League, except the guys at this level are more consistent. It’s about taking batting practice, taking ground balls, as long as that’s what you do in Little League, it’s just the same game, but it’s whoever is most consistent and does their repetitions.”

Lee recognizes the shift in the youth of today. Getting a real bat and glove and actually playing cannot be replaced by electronic baseball. The native of Arkansas sees it one way.

“You have to get from behind the computer screen and video games and get out in the yard and play.”

*Photo courtesy of Meridian Community College

The fact that K-Rod is now an ex-Mets closer should come as no surprise.  His 2012 option was an albatross on this team as soon as last season ended.  As a quick recap – all Rodriguez has to do is close out 55 games this season and his option for next year, along with its $17.5 million price tag, will kick in.  That’s roughly $7 million more than his expected market value, should he become a free agent.  Removing K-Rod’s potential contract from the books means more money available to retain Jose Reyes, or if they’re unsuccessful in that, the ability to bring in a few helpful pieces.

The proper use of the closer was an automatic issue for the front office, the manager and even the MLBPA to consider since Opening Day.  After Rodriguez notched his 23rd save and 34th game finished in the Mets 89th game, he was clearly on track to surpass the magic number 55.  More important though, was his performance.  Rodriguez showed that he was still an effective reliever, but not one around which to plan a future, and certainly not one to overpay.  He also showed other teams that he could be a help to their postseason push.  In other words, he made the job of trading him relatively easy for the Mets.

But what kind of a message is sent when a team working to stay relevant in the Wild Card race trades their closer?  While the necessity of a closer is an arguable concept, for the sake of this discussion we’ll move forward as if every contending team needs a closer.  And now the Mets will have to use Bobby Parnell, Jason Isringhausen,  Pedro Beato, or some combination of those.  K-Rod may not be the same pitcher he was a few years ago, but he certainly puts a little more fear in hitters than the others just mentioned.

So it’s easy to see how some would assume that the Mets are moving past this season and focusing on the future.  Furthermore, it makes sense that many expect Carlos Beltran to be the next to go.  But let’s take a deeper look…

As explained, the need to get rid of Rodriguez had more to do with next year’s contract than with obtaining the minor leaguers the Mets are going to get in return.  Unless Rodriguez was a lights out closer, which he wasn’t, there was really no need to forsake the future and keep him.  Beltran is a different story.  Beltran will be a free agent after this season.  He also has a provision in his contract that states the Mets cannot offer him arbitration, thus the Mets will not be able to get any type of compensation when another team signs him.  So it would seem like trading him would be a good idea.  However, unlike K-Rod, Beltran is a difference maker.  He ranks among the top 3 Mets in every important hitting category.  He was the Mets lone All-Star representative.  Especially with the injuries to Jose Reyes, David Wright and Ike Davis, Beltran’s bat is a key to the Mets success.  Furthermore, for the Mets to trade him, they’ll probably have to pay some of the remainder of his rather high salary.  So the only way the Mets trade him is if they get something special in return.  There are few teams out there in need of Beltran’s services who would be willing to pay the hefty price it would take to get him.  The same could be said for many of the other Mets rumored to be on the trading block (Isringhausen, Wright, Mike Pelfrey, etc.).  As long as the Mets stay in a race, Mets GM Sandy Alderson would have to be wowed by an offer in order to get rid of them.

Now if the Mets fall out of postseason contention, the climate changes.  Suddenly they’ll want to get rid of Beltran before they get absolutely nothing for him.  The same could be said about most of the other players in the discussion.  This makes July a tricky month for Alderson.

It’s going to take some magic for the Mets to make the postseason.  Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Mets are 11 games behind the first place Phillies, and 7.5 games behind the Braves, with 4 other teams in between them.  So yeah, magic.  At the same time, the Mets had low expectations coming into the season and were only 5-13 after their first 18 games, and the lack of fans in the Citi Field seats reflected this.  Now, with a winning record at the All-Star break, there seems to be a little life in their season and therefore a modest amount of support from their self-hating fanbase.  Throwing in the towel with a winning record in July would probably lose every fan on the edge, which is where most Mets fans reside.

When Sandy Alderson took over as Mets GM he brought with him a successful track record.  From the moment he arrived, he has been tested.  The fact that the Mets are currently a winning team, have hopes of holding onto Jose Reyes and can still look ahead without losing focus on the present, suggests that Alderson hasn’t lost his touch.  Over the course of the next few weeks, the team’s play will likely dictate Alderson’s direction.  So far though, Alderson has given reason to believe that the Mets may one day wave a championship flag again, no matter how things shake out this season.

Around the Division:

Philadelphia Phillies – Reliever Jose Contreras suffered a setback while recovering from a right forearm injury and his season is now considered “in jeopardy”.  While the rumor mills claim that the Phillies have looked into the availability of Padres relievers Heath Bell, Chad Qualls and Mike Adams, the various injuries to Phillies closers this season have opened the door for Antonio Bastardo to take command of the role.  Then again, if Phillies closers continue to be the baseball version of Spinal Tap drummers, the team might want to get whatever help they can.

Atlanta Braves – Third baseman Chipper Jones and reliever Peter Moylan seem to be on track with their injury rehabs and should be back in time to help the Braves with their postseason push.  Jones (knee surgery) will begin hitting off a tee this week in hopes of returning when he’s eligible to come off the DL (July 24th).  Moylan (back surgery) is aiming to return sometime in mid-August.

Washington Nationals - Jordan Zimmermann, the Nationals most effective starter this season, is on a strict 160 innings pitched limit for the year.  Zimmermann underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2009.  Manager Davey Johnson and pitching coach Steve McCatty are working on a plan to keep the 25 year-old righty involved for the rest of the season without surpassing his innings cap.

Florida Marlins – Despite rumors suggesting otherwise, Marlins GM Larry Beinfest has told reporters that he doesn’t plan on being a seller this year.  Instead it seems that the team will focus on signing starter Anibal Sanchez to an extension.  Sanchez, who is in his last arbitration-eligible year, is considered a core member of the Marlins young staff (along with Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco).

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.

Since the beginning of June, the temperature in Atlanta has been steadily hovering around the 90 degree mark.   For the Braves, that’s nothing.  Following their four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the Braves are now 23-10 since June 1st, baseball’s best record in that time span.  They have also won 14 of their last 17 and 9 of their last 10.  Yeah, hot.  They now head to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the first place Phillies.  This is as close to a “showdown” as there can be prior to the All-Star break.

Coming into the season, many expected the veteran trio of Brian McCann, Chipper Jones and Dan Uggla to lead the Atlanta offense, with some contributions from the team’s youngsters.  While McCann has certainly done his part with an MVP-caliber first half (.901 OPS, 14 Hr’s, 48 RBI’s), rookie Freddie Freeman and sophomore Jason Heyward have been most recently leading the charge.  Freeman went 7-14 with 4 HR’s in the Rockies series and now has 13 homeruns and 42 RBI’s on the season.  Impressive numbers on their own, even more impressive after his rough first month in the majors (.225 batting average, 3 HR’s, 8 RBI’s).  Heyward’s story has been a little more of a roller coaster.  After a respectable April (.840 OPS, 6 HR’s), injuries stopped him from really taking off.  Since returning in June, he’s begun to pick things up and seems poised to take off in the second half of the season.

The offensive output from McCann and Freeman has made up for the remarkably struggling Uggla.  While his power numbers may be intact (14 homeruns, .615 slugging percentage), the sub-.200 average as the break nears is certainly troubling.  Then again, he went 5-9 with 4 extra-base hits in the last 3 games of the Rockies series so maybe it’s the start of something.

Another Braves rookie, closer Craig Kimbrel, made some noise of his own in the sweep.  On Thursday Kimbrel notched his 3rd save of the series, which was his 4th save of July, his 12 save since June 1st, and perhaps most impressive, his 27th save of the season, a new rookie record (most saves by a rookie prior to the All-Star break).

Look at that, four paragraphs in and the Braves starting pitching, their most dangerous component, hasn’t even been mentioned yet.  When the Braves signed Derek Lowe a few years ago he immediately became their ace.  Now he’s their least effective starter, and he’s not even having that bad of a season (5-6, 4.21).  Of course, with Tim Hudson (8-6, 3.57), Tommy Hanson (10-4, 2.52) and Jair Jurrjens (12-3, 1.87!) ahead of him, it’s an understandable spot to be in.

Of course, no writeup of the Braves hot streak would be complete without at least mentioning their bullpen.   All-Star reliever Jonny Venters has put to rest any concerns that arose from his June, which was only very good (compared to his unbelievable April and May).  Venters (1.52 ERA, 0.96 WHIP) and fellow lefties Eric O’Flaherty (1-2, 1.13) and George Sherrill (1-1, 2.35) are way more than specialists.  They form one of the most consistently dominant non-closing relief corps in the majors.

The Braves are going to need all of these pieces to remain hot when they face first-place Philadelphia this weekend.  Of course, with the way they’ve been playing over the last 5 weeks, the heat may just be on the Phillies.

Around the Division:

Philadelphia Phillies – Despite a sprained thumb, centerfielder Shane Victorino was named the 34th (and final) member of the NL All-Star squad in an online vote on MLB.com.  Victorino is the first player to achieve this honor twice in the ten years that MLB has had the All-Star Game Final Vote (Sponsored by Sprint).  The thumb injury has been declared “mild” by the Phillies, but Victorino and the team have yet to determine whether or not he’ll play in the midsummer classic.

New York Mets – A strained left hamstring has landed Jose Reyes on the 15-day DL.  While the injury is listed as a Grade 1 strain (the mildest of all the strain grades), Reyes’ history of injury problems has prompted the team to take it slow with this setback.  The team has called up outfielder Nick Evans to take his place on the roster.  While the injury to Reyes had many thinking Mets doom, the team has responded with 4-straight wins.

Washington Nationals – Each of the Nationals first five wins under new manager Davey Johnson were by one run.  The team is 6th overall in the majors in one-run victories.   Reliever Tyler Clippard (1-0, 1.86 ERA, 0.83 WHIP) will be the Nats lone All-Star representative.  Chien-Ming Wang (remember him?) has made 3 starts for Double-A Harrisburg, the last two being impressive outings.

Florida Marlins – Since “new” manager Jack McKeon took charge of the team on June 20th, shortstop Hanley Ramirez is batting .404 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI’s.  While the Marlins rapid descent to last place makes it hard to picture them challenging for a postseason spot, Ramirez’s sudden resurgence should at least bring a smile to Marlins fans.

Shai Kushner is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com.  Email Shai at: BaseballDigestShai@gmail.com.  Follow Shai on Twitter at: @BD_ShaiKushner.