Phillies meeting with free agent Manny Machado goes well

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Machado met with Phillies brass on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park

It was a grey, rain-swept afternoon in the Philadelphia area. But the local professional baseball team did everything they could to paint a picture of a bright and sunny future with the organization for one of baseball’s highest-profile free agents.’

Whether Manny Machado ultimately decides to put his signature on a long-term contract with the Phillies remains to be seen. But his meeting with club officials this afternoon appeared to go very well.

Per a Tweet from Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Machado stated that his vist to Citizens Bank Park was “pretty awesome” and that he “learned a lot about the organization” during the four-hour Phillies presentation.

The visit began in a bit of a disjointed fashion. In addition to the cold, damp afternoon weather the reception on arrival at the South Philly ballpark seemed oddly uncomfortable.

Machado pulled up in a silver SUV right around 12 noon on the Pattison Avenue side of the ballpark, and stepped out, accompanied by his wife and agent.

He was briefly accosted by a local electrician, 57-year-old Tom Cudeyro, hearkening back to the electrician’s union members whose welcome to Jim Thome some 16 years ago helped encourage the slugger to sign with the Phillies as a free agent back then.

Machado obliged the fan with a photo, and then as the player moved away towards the building Cudeyro yelled “Super Bowl champs! World Series here! Do the right thing and sign! Get the money!”

On approaching the door to the building with his entourage, Machado pulled on the door handle and it wouldn’t give. Our potential $350 million dollar superstar was was momentarily locked out of his proposed new home.

After what seemed like an awkward few seconds, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak finally showed up to open the door with a “Hey, Manny!” The player responded “What’s up?” and Klentak finally invited Machado and his group inside. Waiting just inside along with Klentak was manager Gabe Kapler.

Remembering the Jim Thome Era in Philadelphia

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Thome's arrival as a big-ticket free agent signaled a new era of winning for Phillies

With this MLB off-season so highly anticipated here in Philadelphia, I decided to take a look back during this month at some of the more important Hot Stove moments over the course of Phillies history.

So far we’ve traveled back to re-examine big free agent signings of Pete Rose in 1978 and Jose Mesa in the winter of 2000. We also took a look back at a pivotal 1981 trade in which catcher Bo Diaz came to Philly from Cleveland as part of a three-team swap which sent outfielder Lonnie Smith to the Cardinals.

This time around we’re going to take a look back at two different Hot Stove moves from the first decade of the 21st century. One is a free agent signing, the other a trade. Both involve the same centerpiece player, Phillies Wall of Famer and Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome.

To understand the motivations for the Phillies deciding to open up their wallets and bring Thome to Philadelphia you need to remember the context of where the franchise was and who the player was at that time.

From 1987 through 2002, a period that spanned the final years of Mike Schmidt‘s career through the final year of Scott Rolen‘s career with the Phillies, the team suffered through 14 losing campaigns over 16 seasons.

The 1993 National League champions had proven to be an oasis in a long, wide desert of losing years. But things began to change as the new century dawned.

Under popular and fiery new manager Larry Bowa the Phillies had nearly captured the 2001 NL East crown. Thanks to a stretch of nine losses in 11 games to open the month of September, the 2002 Phillies finished 80-81. Though it was another losing record, something was obviously different.

The Phillies had a talented core group of position players featuring veteran catcher Mike Lieberthal, exciting youngsters Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins, and the power-speed combination of an entering-his-prime Bobby Abreu.

Also, the club was preparing to say goodbye to Veteran’s Stadium. The 2003 season would be the 33rd and final one on turf for the team. A brand new facility to be named Citizens Bank Park was under construction and would open for 2004.

Phillies chairman Bill Giles, club president David Montgomery, and GM Ed Wade knew that there would be major financial benefits coming with the new ballpark. They wanted to make a push to excite the fan base even further, and so went into that off-season on the hunt for marquee names to add to the roster.

On December 2nd they signed 30-year-old free agent David Bell to play third base. This would allow Placido Polanco, obtained the previous summer in trade for Rolen, to shift over to second base, strengthening the overall lineup.

But what the lineup really needed was one truly menacing presence in the middle. A big bopper to serve as an anchor, a game-changing threat with the kind of true power that hadn’t regularly plowed the baseball trade in South Philly since Schmidt’s retirement more than a decade earlier.

As good fortune would have it, just such a talent was coming available on the free agent market. Thome was a 32-year-old veteran of a dozen big-league seasons who was one of the most feared power-hitters in the game at that time.

Pedro Florimon dropped from Phillies 40-man roster as team prepares for Hot Stove season

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Florimon played parts of the last two seasons with the Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies announced that infielder Pedro Florimon has been outrighted from the 40-man roster. He cleared waivers and has been officially placed for now with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Florimon has a little more than two years official MLB service time accrued. However, he has also been waived three prior times in his career. Unless some agreement is struck with the team, the 31-year-old will become a free agent.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Florimon originally signed with the Baltimore Orioles organization in 2004 as a teenager. He got his first big-league cup of coffee with the Orioles in September 2011 but was then placed on waivers and claimed by the Minnesota Twins.

With Minnesota, Florimon appeared in 43 games in the 2012 season. Then in 2013 he became a regular for the lone time in his MLB career, appearing in 133 games as the Twins starting shortstop. He slashed just .221/.281/.330 with 15 stolen bases across 446 plate appearances that season.

Over the next three years, Florimon played as a backup infielder with both Minnesota and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies then signed him as a free agent in December 2016, and then again last November.

In parts of two seasons with the Phillies, Florimon slashed .274/.320/.444 with two homers and 11 RBI. He also stole one base and scored 19 runs across 125 plate appearances over 65 games.

Florimon appeared in 21 games at shortstop this past season with the Phillies. He also played in four games at second base, one at third base, one in center field, and four games in right field.

On two occasions this year, Gabe Kapler used Florimon on the mound. During a 15-2 rout at the hands of the Braves in Atlanta on March 31, Florimon pitched the bottom of the 8th inning, surrendering a two-run homer to Lane Adams.

During a 12-4 defeat to the Cardinals in Saint Louis on May 18, Florimon retired the side in order in the bottom of the 8th inning. He then stepped up to the plate in the top of the 9th and drilled a home run.

The Phillies now have just 35 players on their official 40-man roster. Three or four of the openings can be expected to be filled by some combination of prospects Adonis Medina, Tom Eshelman, Arquimedes Gamboa, and Daniel Brito, all of whom would need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft in December.

That would leave one opening for a new player, either added via free agency or acquired via trade. Of course, the Phillies can always make more room by releasing even more players should the need arise.

The most likely players to go could include pitchers Drew Anderson and Yacksel Rios and infielder Mitch Walding. If they are unsuccessful in finding a trade partner, you may see veteran infielder Cesar Hernandez non-tendered at some point down the road this winter.

With the release of Florimon, the Phillies have made just the first of what promise to be a number of roster moves this off-season. While this one was relatively minor, we should expect at least a couple more significant moves coming down the pike.

Originally published at Phillies Nation as "Phillies begin clearing roster space by outrighting Pedro Florimon"

MLB, NFL, and college football to join those affected by Hurricane Florence

Hurricane Florence (upper right) approaches the Carolinas
(Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via Wiki Commons)

The Philadelphia Phillies have an off-day in the 2018 schedule today. Thursday will be spent at their homes, with the slumping club in the middle of the final lengthy home stand of the season.

As the Phillies sit at home, the Miami Marlins are on the road. Today they will be making the short trip down I-95 from New York to Philadelphia following a series there with the host Mets.

After completing their sweep of the Phillies last night, the Washington Nationals headed back south to their home in the nation’s capital. The Nats will host the Chicago Cubs to make-up a game postponed during a series affected by weather just last weekend.

The Nationals, who have now pulled within a single game of the Phillies in the loss column in the National League East Division standings, then go on the road further south for a five-game trip to Atlanta and Miami.

All of this Major League Baseball action up and down the east coast comes at exactly the same time that Hurricane Florence will be reaching the United States.

The massive storm is expected to strike directly at the North Carolina-South Carolina border late Thursday and into Friday leaving destruction and likely death in its wake thanks to high winds, storm surge, flooding, and related issues.

The weather forecast in Philadelphia is looking good for this weekend, with no more than a 20% chance of rain at any point. That is thanks to a high-pressure system, one that will actually be a major contributor to the problems experienced by others.

That high-pressure system will keep Florence to our south, holding it in place in the Carolinas longer. This means heavy rainfall and flooding will continue inland for days after the storm makes its initial landfall at the coast.

But for their division rivals and for at least one of the Phillies own players, the storm will still be having an effect. In fact, because of the proximity to the storm area and even the slight chance that it could track a bit further north, the Cubs wanted to have their trip to D.C. postponed until October 1.

Whitney McIntosh with SB Nation described how the whole Nationals-Cubs situation developed in the first place, and why this particular date was selected for the make-up game:

“…all stemmed from a rainy weekend in D.C., which involved more than 10 hours of rain delays over multiple days. Including a Friday night debacle (September 7) where the Nationals wanted to call it early and Cubs players held out in the hopes the rain would move on. Frustration abounded and fans were confused as the delay dragged on into the night. That all led to a late-night postponement and a true doubleheader played on Saturday (which was also delayed!), followed by yet another postponement on Sunday. With Thursday the only shared off day for both teams, it was the easiest and only choice for a rescheduling.”

Bottom line, MLB did not want to risk the chance of rescheduling on October 1, which was the Cubs preference due to the storm. What if that game proved vital to the standings and was itself postponed by weather? Such a scenario could then back-up the entire postseason schedule. “Our voices have certainly been heard, but we don’t have any control,” said Chicago GM Theo Epstein per McIntosh.

Phillies justified in not including Sixto Sanchez in a Manny Machado trade

Phillies unwilling to part with top prospect Sanchez

The Philadelphia Phillies appear to have lost out in their pursuit of shortstop Manny Machado for the time being by the narrowest of margins.

I say for the time being because, as most already are aware, Machado is due to be a free agent this coming off-season. The Phillies will be considered as perhaps the leading contender to lure him with a long-term contract at that time.

But for now, the club finished as runners-up to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who acquired Machado from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for five prospects.

The lead prospect in the Dodgers offer, and the one who made the difference, was 21-year-old Cuban outfielder Yusniel Diaz. The fourth-rated prospect in the Los Angeles system at the time of the deal, Diaz punctuated his attractiveness to the Orioles brain trust by homering twice in the MLB Futures Game this past Sunday.

The other four prospects acquired by the Orioles will receive fine write-ups and every positive aspect of their various scouting reports will be highlighted. But in the end, it will be the success or failure of Diaz to make the big leagues and become an impact player which makes or breaks this deal from the Baltimore perspective.

So, this leads to the question of why the Phillies were unable to put together a package that would have enticed Baltimore even more. With one of the game’s top farm systems, they certainly could have matched those four back-end prospects that the Orioles received from Los Angeles.

It comes down to that lead piece in the deal. The Orioles group, led by general manager Dan Duquette, simply liked Diaz better than the best player the Phillies and GM Matt Klentak were willing to include.

That player is believed to be pitcher Adonis Medina, a 21-year-old right-hander who is the Phillies current second-ranked prospect. On the just released Baseball America mid-season Top 100 prospects list, Diaz came in at #47. Medina does not make the list.

The current MLB .com Top 100 rankings show Medina as the #73 prospect, with Diaz down in the #84 slot. Quite obviously the O’s evaluation leaned closer to that of the folks at Baseball America.

To win this particular battle and land Machado for their lineup in the here-and-now, only one thing would have gotten it done. The Phillies would have needed to make their top prospect, pitcher Sixto Sanchez, available in the package.

Including Sanchez was apparently never going to happen, and so Machado heads off to Hollywood to join the AL West-leading Dodgers lineup.

Outside of the hardcore followers, many Phillies fans may be wondering who is this Sanchez kid? Why wouldn’t the Phillies include a prospect – any prospect – if it would land a true superstar? Especially one such as Machado, who seemed to ideally fit what the club needed. A proven run-producer for the middle of the lineup.

Phillies back in the lead in Manny Machado sweepstakes

Ken Rosenthal reports Phillies have upped Machado offer

The roller-coaster saga that is the Manny Machado sweepstakes appears to have taken another wild turn, this time back in the Philadelphia Phillies favor.

On Friday afternoon, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted out that the Phillies “have increased their offer” for Machado. The information came to him from “sources”, and few in the business have more, or more reliable, than Rosenthal.

#Phillies have increased their offer for #Orioles’ Machado, sources tell The Athletic. #Dodgers and #Yankees remain strongest. #Brewers fading, #DBacks on periphery.
Standard caveat applies: Trade talks are fluid, and one text or call can change dynamic of discussions.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 13, 2018

Immediately following Rosenthal’s message, Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors speculated as to the pieces that could be in play from a Phillies perspective.

“Suffice it to say, there are plenty of moving parts on the Machado front. Baltimore has been said to be keen on acquiring controllable starting pitching, and the Phillies have plenty of options in that regard, as do the Brewers, Yankees and Dodgers.

It’s not yet clear what, precisely, the Phillies (or any team) is willing to offer up, though the Phils have intriguing young rotation pieces in the form of Zach Eflin and Enyel De Los Santos, each of whom has already pitched in the Majors this season (extensively so, in Eflin’s case). Right-handers Sixto Sanchez and Adonis Medina are each considered to be among the game’s top 75 or so prospects, and the Phils have a number of MLB-ready back-of-the-rotation options on the 40-man roster who could be secondary pieces (e.g. Ben Lively, Jake Thompson, Drew Anderson, Mark Leiter Jr.)”

In a piece just yesterday, another major baseball insider, Jon Heyman of Fancfred Sports, said that the Phillies were suffering from “too much timidity” in handling Machado negotiations with the Baltimore Orioles.

After lauding the club for bursting into contender status this year, he also expounded on their need to bring in a player with Machado’s impact. In doing so, he compared the Phillies situation to that of the recent Sixers pursuit of LeBron James:

“They may just be playing the game, but based on the snippets heard so far, they sound a little too much like another Philly team, a particular NBA franchise that resides across the street. Perhaps they are too married to a process, a little too mechanical.”

UPDATE: Rosenthal and Heyman each followed up with tweets in the late afternoon on Friday:

#Orioles have ramped up background work on #Phillies prospects, responding to Phils’ increased interest in Machado, sources tell The Athletic. Phils won’t move RHP Sixto Sanchez but are willing to trade from SP depth from Low A to AAA. RHP Adonis Medina of interest to O’s.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 13, 2018

Phillies are said to be making some progress in Manny talks with O’s. Machado is a great fit, and Phils people know MM best (after the Orioles). Plus, word is Phils owner Middleton is thought to want to “make a splash.”
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 13, 2018

If the latest report from Rosenthal is on target, then it appears Matt Klentak and his management team with the Phillies may be loosening up. The fact remains that based on their own needs and desires, and both their financial and prospect situations, the Phillies will remain major contenders for Machado unless or until he is dealt elsewhere.

Road trip could be telling for contending Phillies

Phanatic and home fans won't see the team for two weeks

We're now past the Fourth of July, and the Philadelphia Phillies currently are holding a National League Wildcard playoff spot.

Thanks to victories in six of their last seven games, the Fightin' Phils trail the first-place Atlanta Braves by just one game in the loss column in the NL East Division standings.

The Phillies hold a two-game edge in that loss column on the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second NL Wildcard.

Following an off-day in the schedule on Thursday, the Phils head out on an 11-game road trip during which they will visit four different ball parks, all in the Eastern time zone.

The Phillies begin with a three-game set this weekend at beautiful PNC Park against the host Pittsburgh Pirates. Losers in 11 of their last 16 games, the Bucs (40-46) are currently struggling along at 11 games off the pace and in fourth place in the NL Central Division.

Next week opens with a Monday true doubleheader at Citi Field. This begins a four-game series with the floundering host New York Mets. The NL East-rival Mets (34-49) have dropped 11 of their last 14, and struggling to stay out of the division basement.

After their trip to the Big Apple, it's a weird single-game visit to Camden Yards for a game with the host Baltimore Orioles. The Phillies just swept the O's (24-61) in a two-gamer at Citizens Bank Park earlier this week, and their hosts will likely still own baseball's worst record when the Phillies arrive.

The trip finishes up with the last-place team in the NL East, the Miami Marlins. The Fish (36-52) have actually played better of late. They just wrapped up a 5-5 home stand at Marlins Park, and could jump the Mets to escape the cellar by the time the Phillies arrive in South Florida next weekend.

After that comes the four day break for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which will be held this year at the home of the division-rival Washington Nationals. The Phils have now moved six games up on the Nats in the standings.

The Phillies don't play in front of the home fans at Citizens Bank park again for more than two weeks. On Friday night, July 20, the San Diego Padres will come to South Philly.

This road trip will be very telling for the 2018 version of the Phillies. The team has bucked a weak offense and generally sloppy defense to control a playoff position. The pitching staff has carried much of the load in reversing five years of losing baseball by the organization.

All of the teams that the Phillies will be facing on this trip have losing records. Their cumulative win-loss record is 74 games under the .500 mark.

However, the Phils have built their record up by winning at home, where they have an excellent 30-16 record. On the road, their 17-21 mark includes a 2-4 record in previous visits with the Mets, Marlins, and Orioles.

Prior to yesterday's victory over Baltimore, Tom McGurk of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post quoted Phillies GM Matt Klentak on the turnaround from a year ago at this time:

“Look back to where this franchise was a year ago and compared that to where we are now, we’ve made enormous progress in a year’s time,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. “From being on pace to having one of the worst seasons in franchise history a year ago to being in playoff contention. It’s a dramatic improvement.”

The spotlight is going to be squarely on Klentak while the Phillies are away. Can he swing a deal or two to help bolster the Phillies roster? The stats say that the club could really be helped by a couple of key additions.

This is a big opportunity for the 2018 Philadelphia Phillies. A successful road trip against four losing teams would have to be a winning road trip. Anything less than a 7-4 result would have to be considered at least a minor setback.

Manny Machado in town, hopefully not for final time in 2018

Will Machado find himself back in Philly this month?

The Philadelphia Phillies open a quick two-game set with the Baltimore Orioles tonight at the still-sweltering hot Citizens Bank Park. While game time temperatures are expected in the mid-80's, the "real feel" will be in the low-90's for much of the night.

But the weather won't be the only thing hot down in South Philly. Also heating up are trade rumors involving the Phillies and Manny Machado, the Orioles superstar shortstop.

Machado is due to become a free agent this coming off-season. The Orioles (24-59) have the worst record in all of Major League Baseball. There is zero chance that Machado will re-sign with Baltimore.

The Baltimore Sun speculated today on the possibility of the biggest star on their local nine moving up I-95 north to Philadelphia:

"When the Orioles arrive in Philadelphia the media will be relentless speculating on the Phillies’ chances to land Machado. Talk radio is a favorite pastime in the city. Do the Phillies give up prospects now or do they wait until Machado hits free agency after the season?The Orioles have less than a month — the deadline is July 31 — to trade Machado and point the franchise toward the future. Getting the Phillies to give up some of their top prospects would be a good start."\

A third baseman for most of his big league career, Machado began a transition to his preferred position of shortstop last summer. It is the only position that he has played over 82 games thus far in 2018.

The Phillies arguably have holes at both positions right now. Maikel Franco has been the regular third baseman for most of the last four years. Now at age 25, Franco has shown no improvement on a career .249/.300/440 slash line.

At shortstop, 23-year old J.P. Crawford was supposed to be the future. In fact, he was supposed to be the present as well. But injury troubles and offensive inconsistency have stunted the development of the Phillies former top prospect. He has been on the Disabled List for the last three weeks with a broken hand, and is still not due back for a couple more.

Into the breach stepped 24-year old Scott Kingery, the presumed second baseman of the future. Kingery has been forced to substitute for both men at times. He played third base when Franco was cold earlier, and has now become the regular shortstop in Crawford's absence.

Despite showing flashes of his huge potential, Kingery has largely struggled here in his rookie campaign. He is hitting for just a .226/.275/.336 slash line, and looks for all the world like a guy who could use a few weeks back at AAA to get himself back on the right track.

Bringing in Machado would measurably improve the Phillies left-side infield production. It is presumed that he would remain at shortstop, which could allow the Phillies to get Kingery that needed time with Lehigh Valley.

Machado and his current .310/.377/.564 slash line would also fit nicely into the Phillies batting order. He would bring just the kind of quality hitter with proven pop that is needed at this time.

Stick Machado, who has averaged 35 home runs and 92 RBI the last three seasons, in between Rhys Hoskins and Carlos Santana, and the Phillies would have a legitimate middle-order attack.

The price for Machado would probably begin with Crawford, maybe even Crawford and Franco. You would also have to give up 2-3 valuable minor league prospects.

Red Sox continue fighting off Yankees, who lower own magic number

Pedroia scores tie-breaking run in Boston's victory

The Boston Red Sox took 15 innings to gain a win on Friday night over the host Tampa Bay Rays. But win they did after scoring seven times in the top of the 15th, going on to a 13-6 victory.

The victory lowered Boston's "Magic Number" for clinching the American League East Division crown to 13 over the New York Yankees.

The Yankees had earlier kept the pressure on their longtime arch-rivals with an 8-2 win in the Bronx over the Baltimore Orioles.

With that win, New York remained three games behind Boston. However, the Yanks also lowered their own "Magic Number" to just 10 in order to clinch at least an AL Wildcard playoff berth.

In Tampa, Dustin Pedroia led off the top of the 15th for Boston by reaching on an error. The result left him as only the third batter in the history of the Red Sox to go 0-9 in a game. Three singles, a double, and another error later, and the Bosox had completed their seven-run outburst.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts had four hits for Boston. Mookie Betts and Mitch Moreland each had three, while four other Red Sox registered multi-hit games.

Blue Jays play spoiler in walkoff win over Orioles

Richard Urena mobbed after walkoff pushes Jays past O's

The season has long been over for the Toronto Blue Jays, as far as their own contending status. But for a second straight night the Jays played the role of spoiler perfectly.

On Tuesday night at Rogers Centre, the host Blue Jays rallied against Baltimore closer Zach Britton. Toronto scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to walkoff the Orioles by a 3-2 score.

It marked the second straight night that Toronto registered a one-run victory over Baltimore. the loss also extended Baltimore’s recent untimely swoon to six consecutive defeats. As a result, the O’s are now 4.5 games out in the race for the final American League Wildcard playoff berth.

Just as importantly, there are five teams now sitting between Baltimore and Minnesota. The Twins currently hold possession of that final postseason slot.

Tim Beckham‘s 21st home run of the season, a solo shot, had put Baltimore in front by 2-1 in the top of the 8th inning. That blast somewhat spoiled an impressive outing by Jays’ starting pitcher Joe Biagini. The righty allowed just two runs on six hits across eight innings.

Biagini had been matched by O’s starter Dylan Bundy, who lasted just six frames, but struck out eight and surrendered just one run on five hits.

MLB playoff races wild with more than 20 teams still alive

Brewers and Cardinals two of many teams still alive

It is very possible that we are about to experience one of the greatest stretch runs in MLB history during the month of September, which begins in just three weeks.

A quick glance around the standings in Major League Baseball on Thursday morning, August 10, shows that three of the division races are already virtually over.

The Washington Nationals have a 14-game lead in the National League East Division. In the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers hold a 15.5-game lead. Over the in the American League, the Houston Astros are 13 games up.

With half of the divisional races settled, some might think that it was actually shaping up to be a boring end to the regular season. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you examine the Wildcard races, particularly in the American League, things really look interesting.

The Red Sox and Indians lead the AL East and Central respectively. Each holds a four-game lead, and both clubs appear to be deeper and more talented across their rosters than their nearest pursuers.

The defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs are on top of the NL Central. However, this is the one race that is remains extremely tight. The Milwaukee Brewers and Saint Louis Cardinals are just 1.5 games behind, and the Pittsburgh Pirates sit just 3.5 games out.

MLB Wildcard: losing teams still have legitimate shot

It’s the weekend after the 2017 MLB All-Star Game break. Teams are finally back in action after a four-day layoff for the start of the traditional “second half” of play.

A look at the Major League Baseball standings through games of Friday night, July 14 reveals that 17 teams are either in a playoff position, or are within a handful of games of a postseason berth.

In fact, there are currently at least a half-dozen teams with losing records who must be considered to still have a legitimate shot.

In the National League, at least for now, the list includes just one team. That would be the defending world champion Chicago Cubs.

The Cubbies have struggled along with a serious case of World Series hangover this year. After building and blowing an 8-0 lead on the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, they managed to pull out a narrow 9-8 victory.

That win left the North Siders with a record of 44-45 on the season. The Cubs sit 5.5 games in back of the surprising Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division race. However, they are just four back in the loss column.

In the NL Wildcard race, the Cubs are a more distant 6.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies, who currently control the second wildcard berth. However, the Rockies are in a bit of a free-fall, having lost 14 of their last 19 games.

Orioles 2016 POY: Manny Machado

The Baltimore Orioles went 89-73 this season, finishing in a second place tie with the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East Division.

The O’s then battled the Jays in the AL Wildcard Game in Toronto before losing on a walkoff home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.

Despite that frustrating postseason ending to their year, manager Buck Showalter‘s squad enjoyed a fifth straight season among the top three in the always tough AL East.

Orioles Statistical Leaders

On the mound, the loss of 28-year old righty Chris Tillman may have been a difference-maker, at least in deciding home field advantage for that Wildcard Game.

Tillman went 16-6 with a 3.77 ERA, allowing 155 hits over 172 innings, striking out 140 batters. He was driven to the disabled list from the crucial period at the end of August through mid-September, missing at least 3-4 starting outings.

23-year old Dylan Bundy started the year in the bullpen, but was finally stretched out to the rotation after the All-Star break. He won 10 games, allowing 109 hits over 109.2 innings with 104 strikeouts.

Orioles Have Wieters Replacement in Minors

The Baltimore Orioles are losing a pivotal player in their longtime catcher, but his replacement is on the way from the minor league system.

The Baltimore Orioles made a decision earlier this week not to extend a qualifying offer to their longtime catcher Matt Wieters.

Wieters thus becomes a free agent, eligible to sign with any team at any time. The 30-year-old former fifth overall pick from the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft is likely to have at least a handful of suitors.

The Orioles are a legitimate contending team in the always tough American League East Division. The club finished in a tie with the Toronto Blue Jays for second place with an 89-73 record this season, just four games behind the division-winning Boston Red Sox.

The O’s then lost a heart-breaking AL Wild Card Game to those Jays by a 5-2 score on a walk-off three-run homer by Edwin Encarnacion in the bottom of the 11th inning at Rogers Centre.

If Buck Showalter‘s gang is going to again challenge for a playoff berth in 2017 they are going to have to find a way to replace Wieters.

Cy Young Award Should Be for Starting Pitchers Only

Each year that an MLB reliever has a dominating season there are discussions as to his Cy Young Award worthiness, and baseball should finally resolve the issue.

The Cy Young Award, emblematic of the best pitchers in MLB during each season, has been awarded since the 1956 season.

For the first decade of the award's existence, from 1956-66, there was one honoree for all of baseball. Beginning in the 1967 season, a Cy Young Award was bestowed on the top pitcher in each league.

The award has been given out in every year since its debut, including for the 1994 season that was canceled halfway through due to the strike.

The first true relief pitcher to win the award was Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974. Marshall won 15 games and saved 21 to take the NL honors that season. Three years later, Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees became the first relief pitcher in the American League to win the honor with 13 wins and 26 saves.