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Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
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The Cubs are good, but they aren’t quite as good as their record: The team that started the year 25-6 has gone 35-34 since, so while they’ve likely got the NL Central locked up — not that this is a sure thing, given the Cardinals are only 6.5 back with two-plus months to go and are also the Cardinals — they would prefer to be better-prepared for the playoff opportunity that gives them. That’s why they traded for slash sold their souls for Aroldis Chapman earlier in the week, and also why they’re now talking a Josh Reddick trade with the A’s.
Reddick has no previous affiliation with the Cubs, but he was drafted with the Red Sox when that outfit was run by current Cubs’ President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. Epstein’s Sox also gave Reddick his first real chance(s) to stick in the majors, and now that Reddick is an established talent who can help on both sides of the ball, it’s no surprise that a reunion of sorts would be looked into.
Jason Heyward has been awful. Jorge Soler is on the disabled list, and hasn’t been helpful when he’s been healthy. Kyle Schwarber is out for the year. Willson Contreras has been useful bouncing all over the diamond, but adding an outfielder will allow him to keep doing that instead of locking him down in one spot. Reddick is one of a few outfielders the Cubs could trade for — Jay Bruce and Carlos Gonzalez are also on the market — but as a pending free agent, he might be the least expensive to acquire. Since Heyward isn’t expected to be awful forever and Schwarber will be back in 2017, a temporary solution like Reddick is the one that makes the most sense for Chicago.
- MLB threatened to fine Yasiel Puig because he wore Vin Scully cleats. Also, there are Vin Scully cleats.
- The Rangers made a trade with the Braves on Wednesday, adding Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez for prospect Travis Demeritte. Demeritte has his flaws, but he’s just the kind of guy the Braves should be adding at the deadline, especially for the type of player they sent out.
- The MLB trade deadline should have been way more interesting than it will be, but these pitchers had to go and pitch poorly and ruin the whole thing. Thanks a lot, guys.
- The Dodgers are reportedly interested in Royals’ closer Wade Davis. Davis is available because the Royals are, as you might remember from Wednesday, falling apart.
- MLB has released its midseason top-100 prospect list.
- The White Sox traded for James Shields in the hopes he’d help stop their slide, figuring he’d opt-out at the end of the year. They might not even have to assume that’ll happen for much longer, as the possibility to trade him again is coming up.
- Momentum is reportedly building toward a Jonathan Lucroy trade, but it’s unclear which of the six teams — one of them a mystery team! — is in the lead.
- The Red Sox don’t necessarily have untouchable prospects, but they do have prospects they have told teams not to bother trying to acquire at the deadline. That suggests they’re not looking for anything huge to add this weekend, or that someone like, say, no-longer-a-prospect-but-still-young-and-talented Blake Swihart is likely to be dealt if Boston does go big.
- Yulieski Gourriel, whom the Astros recently signed, is one of the greats in the history of Cuban baseball.
- Take a moment of your day to remember the time that Jose Canseco allowed a home run to happen because a ball hit him right in the head.
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