Who Is The Favorite In The American League?

The AL appears to be wide open right now as the trade deadline approaches.  I personally like the Blue Jays to end up on top, but take a look at these intriguing numbers I put together and you decide...

Record (as of 7/21): 
1. Indians
2. Red Sox
3. Rangers
4. Blue Jays

Run Differential:
1. Indians
2. Blue Jays
3. Red Sox
4. Astros

Vegas:
1. Rangers +325
2. Indians +375
3. Blue Jays +550
4. Red Sox +600

Top 2 Starters Amongst Contenders:
1. TOR Aaron Sanchez/ Marco Estrada (both sub 3.00 ERA)
2. CLE Danny Salazar/ Corey Kluber
3. TEX Cole Hamels/ Colby Lewis or Yu Darvish whoever is healthy
4. BOS David Price/ Rick Porcello
5. BAL Chris Tillman/ Kevin Gausman
6. HOU Doug Fister/ Collin McHugh

Top Bat Amongst Contenders (using WAR):
1. TOR Josh Donaldson
2. HOU Jose Altuve
3. BOS Mookie Betts
4. BAL Manny Machado
5. TEX Ian Desmond
6. CLE Francisco Lindor

J.A. Happ Hit In Head With Line Drive

Scary, scary stuff down in Tampa tonight when Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ was drilled in the head with a line drive. This is the worst kind of injury you're going to see in a baseball game.

Blue Jays & Orioles: Back to Basics

As I watch the Red Sox take on the Blue Jays I can't help but think of those early 90s nasty Toronto teams. Why am I thinking about them now, more than the last 5-10 years? Because they wised up and brought back the old logo, or pretty damn close to it. It's great to see the Jays... looking like Jays.

And they aren't the only AL East team going back to their roots. Check out these good lookin birds...


These two teams may finish behind the Yankees, Sox, and Rays, but at least they will look good doing it.

-Keefe

Quick thoughts on the Red Sox possibly trading for Halladay

I'm hearing that the package includes Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard and Casey Kelly. I can certainly deal with sending Buchholz. I think he'll be a very good major league pitcher, but to me he's still unproven at the Major League level. I said to my buddy Kevin last night that last year in the ALDS, Buchholz didn't start a game. In fact if they went to Game 4, it's not a given he would have gotten the ball. But if the Sox had Halladay, where would he have fallen into their plans? Well, he would've started Game 1. Over Lester, over Beckett. Enough said on that front.

With Bard, I'm okay sending him as long as Theo has a plan for Papelbon. If they are going to give him the big dollars he wants, make the deal. He's a top-3 closer in baseball. I have Rivera and Joe Nathan giving him a run for his money. Or if they foresee another free agent closer they'll pursue given Papelbon leaves, then that's okay.

But what I'm not okay with is dealing Casey Kelly. I don't care about how good he is as a baseball player. Look at the kid's girlfriend. Absolute smokeshow. How can you send her to Toronto like that? It's ludicrous. Take a look and judge for yourself. If I'm Theo Epstein, I'm telling the Blue Jays to either find another top prospect or I force Kelly to break up with her and then sign the chick to a lifetime contract as a player wife.





What do you think?

-Bess