With the Major League Baseball All-Star break and trade deadline all happening over the next few weeks, this is one of the most exciting times to be a baseball fan.
While the major moves will likely happen closer to the August 2 deadline, there were already a couple of moves made this week. Let’s take a look at those and other stories from around the league.
Cano Traded To Braves
On Saturday, San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee reported that the San Diego Padres have traded Robinson Cano in exchange for cash considerations.
The 39-year-old Cano had been signed by the Padres after being released by the New York Mets. In 33 at bats with the Padres, he had just three hits and walked once.
Cano’s last productive season was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he hit .316/.352/.544 with ten home runs and 30 runs batted in. Still, the defending World Series champion Braves are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with Cano and see if he can offer support in their quest to repeat.
Cano not only gives the Braves another left-handed bat, but he also serves as insurance given the injury to second baseman Ozzie Albies.
While Cano is far removed from being the lethal hitter he used to be, he did hit .333/.375/.479 in 104 at bats since being sent down to the Padres’ minors.
For the Braves, they currently sit 1.5 games back of the New York Mets in the NL East. They are +110 to win the division and +1000 to win the World Series this season.
Bethancourt Traded To Rays
This offseason, the Oakland A’s moved a good chunk of their roster as they unloaded players like Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, and others. Many expect them to move more players as the deadline approaches, and this week, the first domino fell.
Oakland traded Christian Bethancourt to the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league outfielder Cal Stevenson and pitcher Christian Fernandez.
In 169 at bats with the A’s this season, Bethancourt was hitting .249/.298/.385 with four home runs, 19 runs batted in, 23 runs, and four stolen bases.
For the Rays, Bethancourt offers another option at catcher while having the versatility to play a couple of other positions as well.
At 45-40, the Tampa Bay Rays sit third in the AL East, 15.5 games behind the New York Yankees. Despite their divisional standings, they would actually get one of the Wild Card spots if the season were to end today.
Tampa Bay has the 11th-best odds of winning the World Series this year at +3200.
Pujols And Cabrera Make All-Star Rosters
One interesting aspect of the new collective bargaining agreement is that commissioner Rob Manfred has the ability to select nominees to the All-Star game that are selected based on their careers and contributions to the game.
This year, the commissioner has selected Albert Pujols (National League) and Miguel Cabrera (American League) as those players.
For the 42-year-old Pujols, he returned to the Cardinals this season, the place he called home for the first 11 years of his career. In 126 at bats this season, he is hitting just .198/.291/.333 with four home runs and 18 runs batted in, but over his entire career, he is a .296/.374/.541 hitter with 683 home runs.
At 39 years old, Cabrera has spent the last 15 seasons playing with the Detroit Tigers after playing his first five seasons with the Florida Marlins.
Interestingly, Cabrera has redefined his swing this year, sacrificing his power for average. In 260 at bats, he is hitting .300/.338/.362 with just three home runs and 31 runs batted in. Still, throughout his career, he has 505 home runs and 1,835 runs batted in.
While both of these players’ careers are approaching the end, this is one last opportunity for them to be recognized for their career achievements.
In terms of the All-Star Game, the National League is the slight favorite to win at -118, while the American League’s moneyline sits at -102.
