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The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we're running here at MLBDD and rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be shared? Hit us at @mlbdailydish on Twitter.
Good morning baseball fans!
In an effort to acquire some pitching help, the Texas Rangers are casting a very wide net.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal talked about the unfamiliar place that the Yankees find themselves in as the trade deadline draws near.
Cashman actually might prefer to hold his starting pitchers until the off-season, particularly if he believes that Eovaldi and Sabathia will rebound in the second half -- the same demand for starters will exist this winter, given the weakness of the free-agent market. And the problem with trading starters, even starters who are league-average or slightly below, is replacing them.
The whole thing is a delicate balance, particularly for a franchise with such a proud tradition. The Yankees almost certainly will not want to cut too deeply into their core -- they will never do a full rebuild and should not, given their winning tradition and the size of their market. Some players also offer more intangible value than others -- catcher Brian McCann and left fielder Brett Gardner, both signed through '18, are practically the team's co-captains at this point.
Here is a roundup of news from around the American League Central.
Yulieski Gurriel has been added to an very crowded Astros infield; one that may get even more crowded.
Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon is hitting the ball really hard into the ground.
Rendon draws a lot of walks and generally has good plate discipline, so this is potentially a conscious effort to not swing through a bunch of high fastballs. But, as a result, those pitches are also not being squared up and hit out of the park when left too much over the zone.
As long as Rendon is actually healthy, he’s certainly an everyday player. He walks a lot, and by frequently hitting to all fields, he completely avoids the shift. Defensive metrics like him, he is a smart baserunner, and he does still compile a decent number of extra base hits. That’s a really well-rounded profile and above -average player in the infield, and if he keeps all of those things up, he doesn’t need to be a slugger.
Given his prospect pedigree and the results he experienced during his breakout 2014 season, it is always possible he retools his swing or changes his approach in a way that adds power. However, based on his current profile, his high Hard-Hit rate alone is not sufficient a reason to expect increased power in the future.
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Today in Baseball History: In 1970, Willie Mays records career hit number 3,000.