Good morning, all and happy Sunday!
We are weeks away from the MLB trade deadline and two names are popping up the most as potential trade targets; Giants first baseman Rafael Devers and Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal. But will they be traded? I break it down in the above commentary.
Here are some other thoughts on the last Sunday in June:
The Athletic has done a deep-dive into the last 24 hours of the New York Mets, leading up to and following the dismissal of manager Carlos Mendoza. Remarkably, as the Mets slide continued last week, no team meetings were called, either by the manager or players. It is not unusual for leaders of a team to call a players-only meeting. And that highlighted one of the Mets biggest problems, according to players who spoke off the record to The Athletic. There are apparently no leaders on the Mets at a time when the scene cried out for leadership.
The piece did mention that Andy Green, hired as interim manager, struck a positive note among players in his first comments, praising Mendoza. For whatever his shortcomings as a manager, he was well-liked by his players. Mendoza will return to baseball at some point. For now he can enjoy his summer off.
Turned out Friday was a tough day not only for Mendoza but Perry Minasian, who was dismissed as GM of the Los Angeles Angels. His tenure as Angels GM has been a disaster. And that is putting it mildly.
Here’s a great note from newsletter subscriber Brian Mic. The Yankees are 1-17 in the last 18 games they have played at Fenway Park in June. The Yankees entered Thursday night’s four-game series against the rival Red Sox with the best record in the American League, while the Red Sox had the worst. Boston has won the first three games. The overall season series stands at 4-4.
All good things must come to an end and so it is with the New York racetrack Aqueduct. The track will close for good after today’s card.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you for being a subscriber and have a stupendous Sunday!
DAN
