Chips on the Block: The 10 Most Valued Commodities at the July 31st Deadline

By: Blake Hopper

     Matt Garza, Cubs   

Garza tops my list of the best available trade pieces for

two reasons:  He can remain under club control through 2013,

and I like what I have seen out of him in the playoffs.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  60%

·      Potential Suitors:  Yankees, Braves, Red Sox, Rangers, Dodgers

·      Prediction:  Traded to Yankees

    Zack Greinke, Brewers

Greinke comes in a close second on this list.  His physical

abilities are comparable to Garza’s.  But, he will demand a

$100 million dollar plus contract in the offseason and I have

concerns as to how he will perform in October. 

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  80%

·      Potential Suitors:  Braves, Dodgers, Rangers

·      Prediction:  Traded to Rangers

       Fransisco Liriano,  Twins

Most people would disagree with valuing Liriano this high,

but has anyone watched him pitch for the last month? 

He has a very friendly contract and is the perfect low-risk,

high-reward guy on which to take a gamble.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  70%

·      Potential Suitors:  Braves, Yankees, Dodgers,

·      Prediction:  Traded to Braves

     Carlos Quentin, Padres

Quentin is the best hitter likely to be available.  If there

weren’t such a shortage of pitching, he would rank higher on the list.  His power is off the charts, and on a half season rental, his history of injuries shouldn’t scare teams.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  55%

·      Potential Suitors:  Phillies, Pirates, Indians, Tigers

·      Prediction:  Traded to Phillies

  Fransisco Rodriguez, Brewers

Teams are always in need of relief help at the deadline

and Rodriguez has all the experience necessary to perform

in crunch-time.  He helped lead the Angels to their 2002

World Series win and pitched with Milwaukee in the playoffs

last year.  He is the best reliever available.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  60%

·      Potential Suitors:  Angels, Red Sox, Tigers,

·      Prediction:  Traded to Angels

       Ryan Dempster, Cubs

Dempster may have ranked higher on the list if he hadn’t

landed on the disabled list.  Also, his first-half numbers

indicate that some regression is due in the second-half

of the season.  Still, an established veteran who could provide

solid value as a 3^rd or 4^th starter.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  70%

·      Potential Suitors:  Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Tigers

·      Prediction:  Traded to Dodgers

      Matt Capps, Twins

Capps will likely be the 2^nd best reliever available on the market,

and as always, teams will be searching for help at the deadline.

No team should try and acquire Capps in hopes of finding their closer,

but he would be a major help in a setup role.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  70%

·      Potential Suitors:  Yankees, Tigers, Reds, Phillies

·      Prediction:  Traded to Tigers

     Todd Helton, Rockies

       Although it may be considered blasphemy in Denver, Colorado

       should certainly explore dealing the lifetime Rockie.  With a weak

       market of hitters available, teams should be lining up to

       acquire the services of the proven veteran.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  5%

·      Potential Suitors:  Rangers, Pirates, Indians

·      Prediction:  Stays with Rockies

      Jeff Francoeur, Royals

Francoeur makes the list for one simple reason:  Royals’ farmhand

Wil Myers.  It is possible that Kansas City could jump back into the

division race in the weak A.L. Central, but with Myers performing

so well in Omaha, Francoeur has one foot out of the door already.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  40%

·      Potential Suitors:  Pirates, Indians, Phillies, Dodgers

·      Prediction:  Stays with Royals

1  Wandy Rodriguez, Astros

I waffled back and forth here between Rodriguez and the Mariners’

Jason Vargas as to which left-hander was a more valuable commodity.

I settled with Rodriguez due to the fact that the two players’ statistics

are nearly the same, but Vargas pitches in a much more pitcher friendly

environment.  Therefore, Wandy is the choice.

·      Likelihood of Being Traded:  75%

·      Potential Suitors:  Yankees, Dodgers, Tigers, Rangers

·      Prediction:  Traded to Tigers

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout

                                                                               

Read More

NHL Northeast Division Checklist

By: Chad Smith

Northeast Division Checklist

With the draft over and free agency right underway here is a checklist for the Northeast Division.

Boston Bruins

1.       Trade Tim Thomas. Never in the history of sports has an athlete gone from no name, to king of a city, to a villain as quickly as this guy. After winning the Stanley Cup with the Bruins on his back he rose to fame. He used that fame as a platform to project his thoughts, which made people look at him funny. Now he is taking the year off and being a typical arrogant athlete. So with that said the Bruins need to trade him for a puck and get rid of his $5 million cap hit. This should be fairly easy as teams near the bottom of the salary floor will want the cap hit but not have to pay him.

2.       Lock Tuukka Rask up long term. I say this with a grain of salt because I have a massive man crush on Tuukka. As the old saying goes, two U’s two K’s two points. This kid is the real deal and is solid in net. He will be a top 5 goalie in the NHL within the next 3 years and he’s only 25 years old. Once Thomas is off the books you shift some of that money over to Rask. Rask has been waiting years to be the number one guy in Boston and now the crease is going to be all his for the next 10-15 years.

3.       Add a top 6 forward. This is a bit of a stretch but put Savard on long term injury (this will happen) then go after Zach Parise. With Horton uncertain for the start of the season the Bruins might as well go after the biggest prize on the free agency market. If this doesn’t happen the Bruins will have some cap room so they need to sign a top 6 forward to replace Horton.

Ottawa Senators

1.       Add a top 6 forward. After making the playoffs and losing to the Rangers in the first round the Senators are in a good place but need to add a top 6 forward to help out with the scoring up front. The Senators have a solid defense core which helped them take the Rangers to a seventh game.

2.       Get a goalie. Craig Anderson is a good goalie, but I do not think he will lead a team to the cup. Roberto Luongo is available via trade and the Senators should kick the tires on him along with what else is out there on the trade market.

3.       Look into trading Daniel Alferdsson. I know it sounds a bit crazy to trade the captain but the guy is 39 years old and the Senators are not close to winning a Cup. The Senators should trade him for a few prospects and give him a chance to win a Cup. The Senators have been in rebuild/stay the course mode. The Sens need to load up or start rebuilding around their young defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Buffalo Sabres

1.       Get a top 6 forward. They might even need to get two but this has to get done immediately. They can’t win games 0-0 and rely on Ryan Miller to bail them out every game. He has been one of the best goalies in the NHL for the past few years but he gets no help from his offense. The Sabres need to get some scoring. They wasted Hasak’s career by not putting guys around him. You’re supposed to learn from your mistakes, not repeat them and that’s what they are doing with Miller. Please don’t waste another great goalie’s career.

2.       Get a top 4 defenseman. Tyler Myers is a great young defenseman but they need to put someone around him. The Sabres need someone who can make defensive plays and get the puck out of the zone away from Miller.

3.       Add role players. If the Sabres can add some depth along with the two points mentioned above they can be a contender for the Cup. The Sabres need guys on their 3^rd and 4^th lines who can get hot and pop a couple goals and not turn the puck over. They have one of the best goalies in the world and he can carry a team on his back, he just needs a team to carry.

Toronto Maple Leafs

1.       Get a goalie. Roberto Luongo is an overrated goalie but he is better than anything the Leafs have. They need to make this trade happen. It’s rumored that Luongo wants to stay in Canada and would be willing to go to the Leafs.

2.       Get a defenseman. After trading Luke Schenn to the Flyers for JVR the Leafs need to get a defenseman who can move the puck. The Leafs are stacked up front and are going to light up the score board, but that won’t matter much if your defensemen are turnstiles who can’t get the puck out of their zone.

3.       Progress the young guys. This team is young and if they can come together they are going to be fun to watch. Since Brian Burke took over as GM the Leafs have been in rebuilding mode and have brought in some talented guys. If this team doesn’t make the playoffs this season Burke could be out of a job and Toronto could be going through some more years in the hockey cellar.

Montreal Canadians

1.       Give Carry Price a long term deal. Carry Price is slightly a head case so why not give the guy a long term contract? Then that’s one thing that’s not in his head while he’s trying to stop pucks. He proved he can take a team into the playoffs and go shot for shot with the other goalie 2 years ago against Boston.

2.       Get their heads on straight. This team had a serious case of Cranius Rectus (heads up their asses) last season and was never able to get it going. Maybe new coach Michael Therrien can get this team to move in the right direction. If he can do that they have a talented team who can make a run.

3.       Stop signing and taking on bad contracts. The Canadiens for years have been the Yankees of hockey. They need stop spending on overrated players and start making hockey moves. Marc Bergevin can change that culture this off season by making smart hockey decisions.

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout

Read More

Pick of the Day - HIATUS

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 53-35-2

Yesterday was my last Pick of the Day until the end of August or the beginning of September. Simply put, my performance as of late has not lived up to my own standards. Since I started Pick of the Day with the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, Pick of the Day has been 66% accurate not including two pushes. That is better than most sites that charge money to reveal their picks. Studying for two bar exams has proved overwhelming and I have to take a hiatus. After that I will be traveling through Asia in August on a much deserved vacation. Looking forward to my return in September though as football is my best sport. Until then, conserve, be smart, and we will make our run in September!

Read More

Pick of the Day - July 4th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 53-34-2

Month: 1-2

Week: 1-1

Cincinnati Reds (AWAY) (Leake) (-120) OVER Los Angeles Dodgers (HOME) (Harang)

Happy 4th of July!

Leake is 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA over his past nine starts. Harang, facing his former team for the first time since he left in 2010, is 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA over his past three starts. Ryan Ludwick is a career 14 for 33 with 3 HR against Harang. While the Dodgers have now taken two of three after losing fourteen of eighteen, they are still without all of their big bats (Kemp, Ethier, Ellis). Take the Reds.

Read More

Pick of the Day - July 3rd

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 53-33-2

Month: 1-1

Week: 1-0

New York Yankees (AWAY) (Nova) (-120) OVER Tampa Bay Rays (HOME) (Shields)

Despite the Yankees losing eight straight at Tampa, Nova is 12-0 with a 3.17 ERA in his last 16 road outings, going 6-0 with a 3.44 ERA in eight this year. He's also 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his last seven starts overall. The Yankees have won all six starts by Nova against the Rays, going 4-0 with a 2.82 ERA. That includes a 2-0 mark and 1.80 ERA in two this year. Shields meanwhile is 5-13 with a 4.55 in 23 starts against the Yankees, including 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA against them in three starts this season. Take the Yankees.

Read More

MLB Power Rankings: Week 14

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Texas Rangers	1
	The Rangers are this year's first major league team to reach 50 wins, and have won 16 of their last 19 games. They have a major league best +102 point run differential.
	2	New York Yankees	2
	CC Sabathia and Andy Pettite landed on the DL, and Hiroki Kuroda responded with an 11 strikeout shutout. The Yankees are possibly the most resilient team in baseball. This has helped them create a commanding 6 game lead in the AL East.
	3	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	3
	Despite spending the first 20 games of the season in the minors, Mike Trout now leads the American League in WAR. He is on pace to post the highest single season WAR total by a rookie position player since Dick Allen in 1964
	4	Washington Nationals	4
	Arguably the worst starting pitcher on the Nationals this season has been Ross Detwiler, who still has a 3.30 ERA in 11 starts.
	5	San Francisco Giants +3	8
	Giants fans pulled together in the All Star voting to put Melky Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, and Buster Posey in the starting lineup. The Giants are now 1.5 games out in front of the Dodgers for the NL West lead after winning 7 of their last 10.
	6	Cincinatti Reds -1	5
	Joey Votto has a commanding lead in the NL MVP argument. His 4.8 WAR lead and 1.103 OPS lead baseball.
	7	Chicago White Sox +4	11
	Chris Sale has arguably been the most effective starter in the AL this season. He ranks 3rd in baseball with a 3.2 WAR and his 2.27 ERA leads the American League.
	8	Boston Red Sox +2	10
	Boston has been playing great since their disappointing start to the season. The offense ranks 2nd in baseball in runs scored and Felix Doubront has emerged to put up strong numbers on the pitching side of things.
	9	New York Mets +4	13
	Lucas Duda has been one of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball this season. His -11 defensive runs saved ranks 2nd to last in front of only Carlos Gonzalez.
	10	St. Louis Cardinals -1	9
	The Cardinals have an outstanding run differential of +57 and their offense ranks among the top 5 in nearly every offensive category. Unfortunately the pitching staff has struggled a little bit this season. Among them is former ace, Adam Wainwright, who has a 4.75 ERA.
	11	Atlanta Braves +4	15
	Shortstop Andrelton Simmons has a remarkable 10 defensive runs saved this season despite playing in just 25 games.
	12	Los Angeles Dodgers -6	6
	The Dodgers offense without Kemp and Ethier is extraordinarily bad right now, and it is responsible for their recent slide. the Dodgers have won just one of their last 12 games, and have been shut out 6 times in that span.

	13	Tampa Bay Rays -6	7
	The Rays offense is struggling to score as the team has lost 9 of its last 12 games. In their past 7 games, they were swept by the Royals and took 1 of 4 from the struggling Detroit Tigers.

	14	Pittsburgh Pirates	14
	Pedro Alvarez continues to hit. He has raised his batting average by over 40 points since June 16th. His 113 OPS+ is 2nd only to Andrew McCutchen among Pirate regulars.
	15	Baltimore Orioles -3	12
	The Orioles are suddenly starting to come back to earth, losing 7 of their last 10 games. Despite that, they are still in 2nd place in the AL East. This team is due for regression, with pitching being their obvious weakness. They are one of just 3 teams with a negative run differential and a winning record.
	16	Toronto Blue Jays	16
	It's amazing how deep the AL East is. The Jays have a record above .500, yet are still 8.5 games out of first place. The offense has been great, ranking 4th in the majors in runs scored, but the rotation has been depleted by injuries.
	17	Arizona Diamondbacks +1	18
	With the Dodgers free fall, the D-backs are now just 5 back in the NL West. The offense has begun to pickup steam, but the rotation is somewhat of a mess right now.
	18	Detroit Tigers +1	19
	No team has been a bigger disappointment than the Tigers this season, but they still sit just 3 games out of first place in an extremely weak division.
	19	Cleveland Indians -2	17
	On Saturday, Shin-Soo Choo, Lou Marson, and Jose Lopez combined for 13 hits. This was the first time a trio of Indians had 13 hits in a 9 inning game since 1987.
	20	Milwaukee Brewers +2	22
	Zack Grienke may be one of this year's biggest all star snubs. His 3.6 wins above replacement is tied for 1st in the majors with Justin Verlander.
	21	Oakland Athletics	21
	Ryan Cook has quietly been one of the best relievers in baseball this season. He has 37 strikeouts in 24 innings to go along with a miniscule 1.59 ERA.
	22	Miami Marlins +3	25
	Heath Bell is a great example of why saves are irrelevant. He ranks 6th in the NL in saves with 17, but has a 5.93 ERA.
	23	Philiadelphia Phillies -3	20
	The Phillies have lost 5 straight, and are now 11 games back in the NL East. The addition of Chase Utley may be pivotal, as he has hit .385 in his last 4 games since returning to the Phillies.

	24	Kansas City Royals -1	23
	Despite being 7 games under .500, the Royals are still just 6 games out of first place in their division.

	25	Seattle Mariners -1	24
	1st Baseman Justin Smoak has hit 11 home runs this season, but just 4 doubles. His .336 slugging percentage ranks last among all major leaguers who have hit at least 10 home runs this season.
	26	Houston Astros	26
	Unfortunately for the Astros, Carlos Lee vetoed a trade to the Dodgers over the weekend. Lee has the best strikeout rate in the majors, punching out just 6.5% of the time.
	27	Minnesota Twins +1	28
	Going into monday, Joe Mauer has a 9 game hitting streak. He is hitting .390 since the start of June.
	28	Colorado Rockies -1	27
	The Rockies rank 3rd in the majors in runs scored, batting average, and OPS. However, their pitching ranks dead last in the majors in nearly every category. They have already used 22 different pitchers this season, and none of them qualify for the ERA title.
	29	Chicago Cubs	29
	Starting Pitcher, Jeff Samardzija had a 3.13 ERA through his first 11 starts. In his last 4 starts alone, he has given up a total of 25 runs, vaulting his ERA to 5.05.
	30	San Diego Padres	30
	The Padres offense has scored double digits runs in just one game this season.

Biggest Jump: Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Chicago White Sox +4

Biggest Drop: Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers -6

You can follow Justin Millar on twitter at @justinmillar1, or email him atJustinmillar1@gmail.com. Comment below to join the discussion.

Read More

Pick of the Day - July 2nd

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 52-33-2

Month: 0-1

Last Week: 4-3

Cincinnati Reds (AWAY) (Bailey) (-120) OVER Los Angeles Dodgers (HOME) (Billingsley)

Despite a win yesterday, the Dodgers have still lost eight of ten games. Over a season high seven game losing streak, the Dodgers managed to score just five total runs. They broke out of their hitting slump last night but I do not expect that to continue. Bailey has a 0.60 ERA in his two wins against the Dodgers, and I expect him to have a similar performance tonight. In addition, Billingsley has a 6.88 over his past three starts, all losses. Take the Reds.

Read More