Sistema comercial mlb

Notas de prazo de comércio MLB: Yankees, Cubs, Brewers lideram o caminho.
Coloque seus lápis, o prazo de troca da MLB não renunciou e todas as negociações foram transformadas na liga. Havia alguns vencedores, alguns perdedores e algumas equipes que optaram por sentar a rodada, mas todas as equipes são contabilizadas aqui.
Veja como sua equipe favorita e seus rivais fizeram:
Aterrar os ianques & # 8217; O prospecto número 20 para Clippard é positivo, embora os Diamondbacks provavelmente poderiam ter obtido mais por ele. O mesmo acontece com Ziegler - a espera pode ter compensado um prospecto Top-10 de uma equipe desesperada. Infelizmente, os Diamondbacks foram inteligentes para vender esta temporada. Provavelmente eles poderiam ter feito mais ainda - claramente o caminho que eles necessitam de algum realinhamento.
Contratos de contratos ruins não conseguem quaisquer pontos aqui.
Como Demeritte, que agora é Braves & # 8217; Prospecto nº 9 por MLB, foi uma boa retirada, no entanto. A verdadeira pergunta: por que os Braves não fizeram mais movimentos? Há muitos veteranos naquele time que poderiam ter conseguido um prospecto meio decente no prazo.
É difícil dizer o que os Braves & # 8217; O plano está aqui. Eles pensam irracionalmente que serão bons ano que vem?
Os Orioles não tiveram muito a oferecer no prazo, mas conseguiram ganhar um cântaro inicial em troca de um jogador quadruple-A. Ele ganhou ganhou os Orioles a divisão sozinho, mas, tendo em conta os recursos disponíveis, isso poderia ter sido a melhor jogada possível para o O & # 8217; s. O Landing Pearce, um agente gratuito que está tendo um ano de carreira aos 33 anos, é o movimento mais ocidental possível. Desistindo de Heim, um coletor de liga leve e sólido, não é nada para se preocupar em Baltimore.
Os Red Sox estão indo para isso, e eles estavam mais do que dispostos a se separar com algumas das melhores perspectivas em seu sistema para obter peças para ajudá-los a ganhar agora. Obter Abad dos Twins deve ser um bom negócio - ele é um dos melhores analistas do jogo. Desmindo Espinoza, que poderia ter sido o melhor braço no sistema dos Red Sox, para Pomeranz foi um movimento ousado que, mesmo com o tempo, parece um excesso de pagamento.
• Adquiriu Mike Montgomery e Jordan Pries dos Seattle Mariners para Dan Vogelbach e Paul Blackburn (20 de julho)
Os Cachorros têm um estoque de perspectivas por esse motivo - os jogadores de impacto de desembarque que podem ajudá-los a quebrar sua seca de 108 anos na Série Mundial. Chapman foi o melhor agente do mercado, e os Cubs pagaram um preço alto, mas, em última análise, foi uma vitória para ambos os times. Os Cubs conseguem um A + porque eles têm que ir para ele, e eles saíram e pousaram o cara. Ao obter Montgomery e Smith, os Cachorros adicionam profundidade ao bullpen com um esquerdista e direito.
Boston Red Sox lançador inicial Drew Pomeranz (Foto de Jim Davis / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Os White Sox poderiam ter obtido muito mais para Duke do que eles. Eles também ficaram firmes ao cobrar um enorme mercado de vendedores - para o que?
Eles conseguiram algumas perspectivas para Bruce, cujo tempo estava em Cincinnati. Dado os preços premium no mercado, é um pouco surpreendente que os Reds não exigissem mais dos Mets.
Desistindo, Frazier é um movimento que os índios podem se arrepender de avançar. O campo de poder poderia ganhar um título de corrida nos próximos anos. Por outro lado, os índios acrescentaram, indiscutivelmente, o melhor analista do beisebol deste ano, que está sob controle da equipe por mais um ano. O sistema de fazenda dos índios não perderá uma batida - é muito empilhado -, mas eles estão melhor posicionados para ir à World Series este ano. Landing Lucroy teria feito isso um A +, mas, infelizmente, não estava nos cartões.
Eles não moveram Carlos Gonzalez, que teria conseguido um grande lance, mas provavelmente ainda conseguirá obter uma grande pontuação no inverno.
Os tigres precisavam de arremessar. Eles não conseguiram nenhum.
Meh. Os Astros descarregam Feldman, que não tem sido um grande ativo para eles neste ano, e obtém o 20º melhor prospecto no Blue Jays & # 8217; sistema. Os Astros não conseguiram abordar suas necessidades iniciais de pitching e centerfield no prazo.
Obter Burns é um bom negócio, mesmo que ele tenha sido escolhido para Triple-A. Dado em que os Royals estão em questão e quão limitado o sistema de fazenda da equipe é após o comércio Johnny Cueto do ano passado, é um pouco surpreendente que eles não fizeram mais para ganhar dinheiro com o vendedor & # # 8217; 8217; s mercado.
Eles poderiam ter feito qualquer coisa - qualquer coisa - e melhorou. Então eu suponho que eles melhoraram, mas apenas sempre ligeiramente. Em vez disso, a equipe com a pior saúde da franquia no jogo decidiu fazer uma troca salarial de lançadores iniciais com duas perspectivas marginais. Há muitos veteranos na lista de 40 homens que poderiam ter sido movidos por perspectivas até mesmo crapshoot. Smith para Castillo foi o único movimento desse tipo feito, e eles provavelmente não obtiveram valor justo dado o mercado. Ele está se tornando aparente porque os Anjos estão na situação em que estão.
Obter Hill e Reddick da A & # 8217; s sem ter que desistir de suas perspectivas de grau A é o melhor dos casos. Chávez para Bolsinger é uma jogada interessante para os Dodgers, mas compreensível. A aquisição da Norris custou provavelmente a LA apenas um pouco demais para realmente gostar. Os Dodgers jogaram muito seguro, e dado os preços lá fora, esse foi provavelmente o jogo certo.
Andrew Miller (Troy Taormina / USA TODAY Sports)
Os Marlins estão na caça aos playoffs, mas o homem desistiram muito para aterrar o lançador inicial que eles precisavam. Naylor é o melhor candidato de sucesso da equipe e Capps é indiscutivelmente um dos 10 melhores aliviadores no baseball quando saudável.
Paddack estava em um rolo notável antes de ser ferido (ele precisará da cirurgia de Tommy John). O retorno - Rodney, que tem 4,49 FIP para os Marlins.
The Brewers desistiu de dois bons jogadores, mas conseguiu dois top-70 candidatos que eram indiscutivelmente 1-2 no Rangers & # 8217; sistema. Esse é um excelente negócio. Brinson tem a chance de ser 25-25 nas Ligas Principais, e os projetos da Ortiz como um possível exemplo da linha.
Os Brewers também fleeced os Gigantes no acordo de Will Smith. Smith é um forte alívio canhoto, mas Bickford foi o melhor prospecto no sistema dos Gigantes. Levá-lo para Smith em linha reta teria sido um excelente comércio. Obter Susac, que irá deslizar para Lucroy atrás do prato, é um movimento astuto.
Conseguir perspectivas para Nunez e Abad foram bons movimentos para os gêmeos, mas deixaram o negócio que eles fizeram com os Anjos, que compensaram o Minnesota Hector Santiago.
Minha pergunta: por quê?
É um acordo neutro em dinheiro, o que o torna um despejo salarial de Nolasco. Mas adicionando em Meyer, que ainda tem promessa, apesar de ter sido pobre no nível da Major League, não faz sentido. Os gêmeos devem estar pegando perspectivas, não as movendo.
Os Mets adquiriram o líder do RBI da Liga Nacional para duas perspectivas, uma que é uma mercadoria não comprovada no nível da Major League e a outra que era o número 16 em seu sistema, é ridícula.
É estranho que os Yankees estejam no modo de venda, mas eles foram magistrados em seus movimentos em julho. Eles carregaram um sistema de fazenda já bom e tornaram-se elite. Obter Tate para Beltran, Torres para Chapman e Frazier para Miller podem ser os três melhores jogadas que qualquer time fez antes do prazo.
Moving Hill e Reddick, que estão pendentes de agentes livres, para as perspectivas que são agora os números 3, 11 e 16 no sistema da A & # 8217; s (por MLB) são realmente bons negócios. O A & # 8217; s poderia ter conseguido uma perspectiva melhor dos Dodgers, em vez de três perspectivas - nenhuma delas é um estilhaqueiro azul -, mas às vezes obter mais é melhor.
Ricky Nolasco (Foto de Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
O comércio Burns for Eibner é uma lavagem. Teria sido bom para a A & # 8217; s descarregar Billy Butler, mas, infelizmente.
Por que os Phillies sentiram a necessidade de manter Jeremy Hellickson?
Os piratas estavam na terra de ninguém, ainda na caça aos playoffs, mas muito inteligentes para se sentar fora do mercado de um vendedor como nenhum outro. Um competidor que comercializa o All-Star mais perto é quase inaudito, mas obter dois braços mais por um aluguel de dois meses é um lance. O acordo Niese para Bastardo é uma lavagem, mas conseguir Nova dos Yankees dá aos Piratas um dos iniciantes que realmente precisavam - não um cara de impacto, necessariamente - mas para dois PTBNL é um excelente negócio. Hutchison é um bom retorno para Liriano, que foi ineficaz este ano para os Bucs. Eu duvido que vimos o melhor do que Hutchison tem para oferecer.
Que desperdício de dois anos para os Padres, que finalmente viram que estavam paralisando e optaram por reconstruir (novamente). Eles também puxaram um bom lance, embora o retorno ao acordo de Upton e Kemp, em geral, deixou algo a desejar. Obter Espinoza para Pomeranz pode ser o negócio mais significativo feito neste verão de cinco anos a partir de agora.
O acordo da Núñez foi um negócio sólido, mas os Gigantes, no meio de um slide ruim, pagaram em excesso drasticamente por Smith, que, apesar de um analista sólido, não deveria ter conseguido apontar o melhor prospecto de lançamento da equipe, que Bickford é. Landing Moore melhora uma rotação já boa, e o movimento da Duffy pode ser um jogo de alto nível de vendas, mesmo com sua fraca produção este ano - embora desistindo da Fox, a seleção internacional da equipe no ano passado, tem que doer.
The Mariners, preso no limbo, falhou em aterrar qualquer perspectiva séria em três movimentos - Blackburn é o jogador número 17 em seu sistema agora. Não há dano, mas um monte de & # 8216; e se? # 8217; Aqui.
Os Cardeais receberam Duke, um alívio de capitão sólido, para uma pechincha em relação ao mercado. Os Cardeais não conseguiram o campo que eles precisavam, mas ganharam o único comércio que fizeram, então eles ganharam um B.
Lewis Brinson (Foto de Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)
Landing Fox, uma assinatura internacional de topo e um jogador que Giants realmente gostou, é um bom retorno para Moore, embora seja surpreendente que os Rays foram para Matt Duffy sobre outras perspectivas de outros gigantes. Heim, um coletor, foi o Orioles & # 8217; No. 13, então ele foi um bom lance para um contratante de 33 anos e agente livre pendente.
Os Rangers melhoraram suas chances da Série Mundial mais no prazo de entrega comercial, embora não tenham respondido à maior necessidade da equipe - lançar inicialmente. Em vez disso, tentarão superar equipes quando os iniciadores 3-5 estiverem no monte em frente, e eles terão o poder de fogo para fazer isso, adicionando um dos melhores coletores no jogo em Lucroy e Beltran. Os Rangers desistiram muito para os dois vencedores - Brinson tem o potencial de ser um cara de 25-25 no nível da Major League e jogar a defesa Gold Glove no centerfield, e Tate foi a seleção número 4 geral há um ano. O verdadeiro motivo pelo qual os Rangers conseguiram um grau A - Jeffress. Adicionando os Brewers & # 8217; mais perto da parte de trás do bullpen deve ajudar massivamente o pior corpo de aliviadores da Liga Americana.
Eles pousaram o iniciador, o aliviador e o jardineiro que eles precisavam e, enquanto os três são bonitos, "meh" Os Jays não desistiram de ninguém de significado real a curto ou longo prazo para obtê-los, de modo que é uma vitória.
Os Nats adquiriram exatamente o que precisavam no prazo de entrega do comércio - mais perto. Eles pagaram um preço elevado por um aluguel de dois meses, mas eles conseguiram o que precisavam. Por enquanto, é um B +, mas essa nota pode cair drasticamente se os Nats não se aproximarem dos playoffs.
Clint Frazier durante o jogo SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game Petco Park (Foto de Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images)
Informação estatística fornecida por STATS.
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Rumores do comércio da MLB: o sistema de ianques de atletismo para Sonny Gray, Yonder Alonso?
NJ Advance Media para NJ.
Um blockbuster poderia ser criado entre os Yankees e Oakland Athletics.
De acordo com Ken Rosenthal da FOX Sports, os A's têm scouts assistindo o sistema de fazenda de Nova York - especificamente Classe-A Charleston.
Fontes: #Athletics recentemente teve o melhor scout assistindo o clube da classe A Charleston do #Yankees. Sonny Gray e Yonder Alonso caberiam bem NYY.
Entre as perspectivas de #Yankees em Charleston: OFs Rutherford, Florial; IF Park; RHP F. Perez. OAK certamente olhando os outros no sistema também.
GM Brian Cashman disse que #Yankees será "cuidadoso comprador". NYY fez uma oferta para Quintana. Aponta para a razão, eles também estão interessados ​​em Gray.
Com as principais necessidades na rotação inicial e na primeira base, o swap dos Yankees-A faz sentido.
Sonny Gray, de 27 anos, possui uma ERA de 3.72 em 84.2 turnos lançados nesta temporada. O right-hander está tendo sua melhor temporada desde um cameo de novato de 2018 para Oakland. Desde o retorno de um período de lista de deficientes em maio, o Gray possui uma relação 3.04 SO / BB e atingiu mais de oito batedores por nove turnos. Com Michael Pineda para a cirurgia de Tommy John, Gray poderia deslizar para dentro e instantaneamente se tornar um fabricante de diferenças no Bronx.
Gray está sob controle do clube durante a temporada 2019.
Yonder Alonso, 30, está no meio de um ano de carreira. Iniciando em 17 de julho, a American League All-Star possuía uma linha de barras .269 / .368 / .556. Com um contrato vencendo, Alonso seria um aluguel - deixando o futuro da posição aberta para uma reabilitação de Greg Bird em 2018 e além.
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sistema de comércio Mlb
2018 MLB Fantasy Baseball - Regras Oficiais.
NENHUMA COMPRA NECESSÁRIA PARA ENTRAR OU GANHAR. UMA COMPRA NÃO AUMENTARÁ SUAS CHANCES DE VITÓRIA. NÃO PERMITIDO ONDE FOR PROIBIDO POR LEI. TODAS AS DISPUTAS SERÃO RESOLVIDAS SOLAMENTE POR ARBITRAGEM BINDING E ENTRANTS VONTENDO A CAPACIDADE DE TRATAR RECLAMAÇÕES EM UM FORMATO DE AÇÃO CLASSE.
2018 MLB Fantasy Baseball (o "Concurso") é um jogo de baseball de fantasia estilo fácil de jogar, cabeça a cabeça. O jogo foi projetado para que os participantes de fantasia de todos os níveis de experiência possam competir durante a temporada regular do Major League Baseball ("MLB") de 2018.
O formato básico do jogo é o seguinte:
Ligas Públicas ou Ligas Privadas.
Você pode optar por jogar com seus amigos em sua própria liga privada ("Liga privada"), ou testar sua habilidade como indivíduo contra um grupo aleatório de onze (11) outros participantes em uma liga pública ("Liga Pública").
Rascunhos ao vivo, rascunhos de lista ou rascunhos simples.
Você pode escolher seus jogadores da MLB participando de um rascunho em linha em tempo real ("Live Draft"), ao selecionar automaticamente sua lista selecionada para você com base em seu próprio ranking de jogadores MLB pré-selecionados ("List Draft") ou tendo uma lista de jogadores automaticamente atribuídos a você ("Simple Draft").
Ao contrário dos jogos de baseball de fantasia tradicionais que exigem que você acompanhe vinte (20) ou mais jogadores da MLB em sua lista de fantasia todas as semanas, o Concurso exige que você comece dez (10) jogadores por semana. Outra característica única do Concurso é que você não redigirá arremessadores individuais da MLB, mas, em vez disso, elaborará uma equipe de pitching do MLB Club inteiro.
Toda semana de fantasia (ou seja, de segunda a domingo) (cada uma, "Semana da fantasia") você vai jogar contra um participante diferente da sua liga. O objetivo é tentar marcar mais pontos do que seu oponente para a Fantasy Week. A pessoa que obtém mais pontos obtém uma "vitória" para a Fantasy Week, enquanto a outra pessoa recebe uma "perda". No final da temporada, quatro (4) Equipas em cada liga, avançarão para os playoffs de sua liga. Veja a seção intitulada "Playoffs da Liga" abaixo para mais detalhes sobre playoffs.
Cada estatística que seus jogadores acumulam vale uma certa quantidade de pontos. Por exemplo, um único hit vale um (1) ponto, um home run é igual a quatro (4) pontos e uma vitória de pitching dá-lhe três (3) pontos. Veja a seção intitulada "Sistema de pontuação pontual" abaixo para mais detalhes sobre como os pontos são acumulados.
Ao contrário dos jogos de baseball de fantasia que exigem que você faça alterações diárias na linha para competir, o Concurso permite que você configure sua formação apenas uma vez pela Semana Fantasia.
Top 10 Lineup Scoring Selecione Top 10 Lineup Selection (definido abaixo) ao se registrar e o Concurso selecionará automaticamente uma programação inicial para você cada Fantasy Week para garantir que cada posição inclua o jogador com melhor desempenho da sua lista naquela posição para a fantasia aplicável Semana. Veja a seção intitulada "Rosters and Lineup Changes" abaixo para mais detalhes sobre esse recurso.
O Concurso está aberto somente aos residentes legais dos Estados Unidos, incluindo suas regiões, territórios e bens (aqui designados como "estados") e Canadá (excluindo os residentes da Província de Quebec) com idade de dezoito (18) anos ou mais antigo (exceto no caso de residentes legais de certos estados / territórios / províncias onde a maioria legal é maior que dezoito (18) anos de idade, idade legal maioritária) no momento da entrada, com um e - endereço de email e acesso à Internet a partir de 8 de fevereiro de 2018. Funcionários, diretores e diretores (incluindo membros da família imediata (cônjuge, paiente, filho, irmão e seus respectivos cônjuges, independentemente de onde residem) e membros dos mesmos agregados, quer ou não estão relacionados) das Entidades MLB (definidas abaixo) e de cada um de seus respectivos paises, empresas afiliadas, subsidiárias, licenciados, distribuidores, consultores, revendedores, varejistas, impressoras, agências de publicidade e promoção e qualquer e todas as outras empresas associadas ao Concurso, não são elegíveis para participar ou ganhar o Grande Prêmio (definido abaixo). As "Entidades MLB" significam MLB Advanced Media, LP ("MLBAM" ou "MLB"), o Escritório do Comissário de Beisebol ("BOC"), seus Bureaus, Comitês, Subcomités e Conselhos, Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Las MLB Network, LLC, os clubes de beisebol de Major League (cada um, um "MLB Club" e coletivamente, os "Clubes MLB"), cada uma das suas entidades-mãe, subsidiárias, afiliadas e relacionadas. , qualquer entidade que, agora ou no futuro, controle, é controlada por, ou está sob controle comum com os Clubes MLB ou o BOC e os proprietários, gerais e limitados, acionistas, diretores, funcionários, funcionários e agentes dos anteriores. entidades. Vazio na Província de Quebec e onde é proibido por lei.
Você pode se inscrever para participar do Concurso de 9:00:01 a. m. hora do Leste ("ET") em 9 de fevereiro de 2018 até as 11:59:59 p. m. ET em 31 de julho de 2018 (o "Período de registro"). Para se inscrever para participar, durante o Período de inscrição visite mlb / fantasy e clique nos banners do Concurso, botões e / ou links para acessar a página de registro do Concurso e siga as instruções fornecidas. Se você ainda não é um membro do site, você deve se tornar um antes de se inscrever para participar do Concurso (a associação é gratuita). Todas as entradas devem incluir um endereço de e-mail válido para o participante. As inscrições devem ser recebidas até às 11:59:59 p. m. ET em 31 de julho de 2018 para serem elegíveis. Todas as informações apresentadas pelos participantes estão sujeitas e serão tratadas de forma consistente com os Termos de Uso da MLB acessíveis em: mlb. mlb/mlffice / info /about_mlb_com/terms_of_use. jsp e Política de Privacidade acessada em: mlb / privacy. Apenas entrada online. Nenhum outro método de registro será aceito. Limite um (1) registro por endereço de e-mail único. No caso de registros múltiplos recebidos de qualquer endereço de e-mail exclusivo, somente o primeiro registro recebido de um endereço de e-mail exclusivo será considerado. As inscrições geradas por roteiro, macro ou outros meios automatizados ou utilizando qualquer outro método ou meio que, a critério exclusivo da MLBAM, afetem a integridade do Concurso ou constituem uma violação destas Regras Oficiais são nulos.
Após a inscrição, você receberá (1) a oportunidade de completar um Formulário de Gravadores de Seleções de Época 2018 (definido abaixo) para sua equipe de fantasia ("Equipe") e (2) a opção de selecionar Seleção de Seleção de Top 10 no Concurso.
PARA QUE QUALQUER EQUIPE SEJA ELEGÍVEL PARA COMPETAR PARA O GRANDE PRÉMIO NO CAMPEONATO (DEFINIDO ABAIXO), VOCÊ DEVE COMPLETAR E ENVIAR UM FORMULÁRIO DE SELEÇÕES DA TEMPORADA 2018 FORMULÁRIO DE TIEBREAKERS PARA TAL EQUIPE POR NO MAIS DO QUE 11:59:59 PELO MAIO 11, 2018.
Além disso, observe que você não poderá alterar seu status de Seleção de Seleção Top 10 a qualquer momento durante o Período do Concurso (definido abaixo).
Começando às 9:00:01 am ET em 9 de fevereiro de 2018 e terminando às 11:59:59 pm ET em 11 de maio de 2018 (o "Período de Seleção de Época 2018"), cada participante deve completar e enviar um (1) Seleção de temporada de 2018 online Formulários de Tiebreakers (o "Formulário de Gravadores de Seleção de Temporadas de 2018") em que cada participante deve selecionar determinados resultados da temporada MLB de 2018 (incluindo prêmios selecionados e desempenho) (cada, uma "Seleção") que ele / ela pensa que ocorrerá, da seguinte forma:
1. Associação dos escritores de beisebol da América ("BBWAA") vencedora do Prêmio do jogador mais valioso da Liga Americana;
2. vencedor do prêmio do jogador mais valioso da BBWAA National League;
3. vencedor do Prêmio Cy Young da BBWAA American League;
4. vencedor do Prêmio Cy Young da Liga Nacional BBWAA;
5. Campeões da Divisão Leste da Liga Americana;
6. Campeões da Divisão Central da Liga Americana;
7. Campeões da Divisão Oeste da Liga Americana;
8. vencedor do Wildcard da American League;
9. Campeões da Divisão Leste da Liga Nacional;
10. Campeões da Divisão Central da Liga Nacional;
11. Campeões da Divisão Oeste da Liga Nacional;
12. Vencedor do Wildcard da National League;
13. Campeões da Liga Americana;
14. Campeões da Liga Nacional;
15. Campeões da Série Mundial; e.
16. Número total de home runs atingidos por todos os jogadores da MLB durante a temporada regular da MLB de 2018.
Depois de enviar seu Formulário de Gravadores de Seleções de Época de 2018, você pode fazer alterações em suas seleções durante o período de seleção da temporada de 2018; no entanto, para ser elegível para o Grande Prêmio, você deve completar e enviar seu Formulário de Seleção de Época 2018 completado até às 11:59:59 pm ET em 11 de maio de 2018. Limitar (1) um Formulário de Seleção de temporada 2018 por equipe.
NOTA: Para evitar dúvidas, somente os prêmios, estatísticas e outros resultados oficialmente determinados pelo BBWAA, MLB e / ou MLBAM, conforme aplicável, serão contados como resultados válidos no Formulário de Gravadores de Seleções de Época de 2018. Para fins de clareza, os potenciais jogos de desempate MLB, se houver, jogados antes do início da posse de MLB de 2018 serão contados para fins do Formulário de Gravadores de Seleções de Época de 2018 e os Tiebreakers Campeões da Liga (definidos abaixo).
Ao se registrar e / ou participar do Concurso, cada participante concorda que a MLBAM resolverá exclusivamente qualquer disputa e violação de regras que surjam em conexão com o Concurso. O computador da MLB deve ser o relógio oficial do Concurso. Todas as decisões da MLBAM relativas ao Concurso serão definitivas e vinculativas em todos os aspectos. Qualquer incidência de colusão ou trapaça, conforme determinado pela MLBAM a seu exclusivo critério, estará sujeita à desqualificação do Concurso sem limitação a quaisquer outros direitos ou remédios disponíveis para o MLBAM. Se você tiver alguma dúvida sobre o Concurso, envie um e-mail para o suporte ao cliente da MLB.
O Concurso começa às 1:05 pm ET em 3 de abril de 2018 e termina após a conclusão do último jogo jogado em 3 de outubro de 2018 (o "Período do Concurso").
Depois de se inscrever para jogar, você será solicitado a criar um nome para sua equipe. Você pode escolher qualquer nome que você gostaria que ainda não tenha sido selecionado, desde que não tenha mais de trinta (30) caracteres e não contenha, de acordo com o único critério de MLBAM, linguagem ofensiva, depreciativa, profana ou abusiva. A MLBAM reserva-se o direito, a seu exclusivo critério, de aprovar e / ou negar a submissão e / ou o uso de todos e quaisquer nomes de equipes.
Você pode inserir até cinco (5) equipes no Concurso, mas você não pode ter mais de uma (1) Equipe jogando na mesma liga.
Juntando / Configurando uma liga.
Depois de ter escolhido o nome da sua equipe, você terá as seguintes opções quando se juntar / jogar em uma liga:
Configure uma Liga Privada (Rascunho em Vivo, Rascunho ou Rascunho Simples)
Esta opção permite que você configure sua própria Liga Privada onde somente as pessoas que você convida para jogar com você podem se juntar à sua liga. Depende de você decidir se sua liga realizará um Draft ao vivo, um rascunho da lista ou um rascunho simples. Você poderá convidar outras pessoas para se juntarem à sua Liga Privada, indo para a página inicial do campeonato e digitando os endereços de e-mail daqueles que deseja convidar na seção "Convidar Amigos".
Junte-se a uma Liga Pública (Draft em Vivo, Rascunho da Lista ou Rascunho Simples)
Esta opção permite que você jogue contra o grupo selecionado aleatoriamente de onze (11) outros participantes. Se você optar por estar em uma Liga Pública com um Rascunho ao vivo, você será colocado em um grupo selecionado aleatoriamente com base no tempo de rascão selecionado (veja abaixo). Se você optar por estar em uma Liga Pública com um Rascunho de Lista ou um Rascunho Simples, você será colocado em um grupo selecionado aleatoriamente de onze (11) outros participantes.
Esta opção permite que você se junte a uma Liga Privada que seus amigos já configuraram. Você precisará da ID e da senha da liga (enviada via e-mail pela MLBAM após o registro) para se juntar a uma Liga Privada.
As seguintes opções são padrão para todas as Ligas Públicas e Privadas:
Sistema de pontuação direta oito (8) a vinte e quatro (24) estações da semana (dependendo de quando você raspa) Duas (2) semanas de Playoffs da Liga Seis (16) listas de jogadores da MLB (dez (10) iniciantes: C , 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, OF, OF, OF, U, P) Quatro (4) equipes de playoffs.
As seguintes opções neste formato serão personalizáveis ​​para todas as Ligas Privadas:
Tamanho da Liga: oito (8), dez (10) ou doze (12) Equipes Época: oito (8) a vinte e quatro (24) semanas (pode ser menor dependendo de quando você raspa) Wild Card Teams: Pode ser seja vencedores sem divisão com o melhor registro durante a temporada regular do Concurso (definido abaixo) ou vencedores não-divisão com o total de pontos marcados durante a temporada regular do Concurso.
Uma vez que você se juntou a uma liga, é hora de se preparar para o rascunho. Existem três (3) tipos de rascunhos: Rascunhos ao vivo, Rascunhos de lista e Rascunhos simples.
Live Drafts é conduzido online com o aplicativo Contest fácil de usar.
Um tempo de rascunho deve ser selecionado para o seu Draft ao vivo por um dos dois (2) métodos:
Em Ligas Privadas com um Esboço em Vivo, o participante que inicialmente crie o rascunho vivo (o "Comissário da Liga") selecionará uma data e hora em que o campeonato será redigido. O Comissário da Liga pode alterar esta data e hora em qualquer momento até sessenta (60) minutos antes do início do rascunho. Você será notificado via e-mail pela MLBAM de tais mudanças na data e hora do seu projeto em directo.
Em uma Liga Pública com um Draft ao vivo, cabe a você escolher a data e a hora em que você estará redigindo. Uma vez que você selecionou uma hora, você será colocado em uma Liga Pública com outros participantes selecionados aleatoriamente que escolheram a mesma data e hora do rascunho.
Tenha em mente o seguinte ao participar de um projecto em directo:
Faça logon no Concurso pelo menos dez (10) minutos antes da hora em que o rascunho está agendado para começar a garantir que você possa entrar na sala de rascunho virtual ("Sala de Busca em Vivo") antes do início do rascunho.
Uma vez que o rascunho começa, você terá até noventa (90) segundos para fazer uma seleção do jogador MLB quando for sua vez de rascunho. Um indicador "amarelo" aparecerá em torno do ícone / logotipo da sua equipe quando for sua vez de escolher.
Quando é sua vez de rascunhar um jogador, selecione um jogador das listas que são exibidas no lado esquerdo da sala de rascunho em directo e clique no botão "Rascunho". Se você não conseguir participar de todo o rascunho, você pode configurar sua equipe para "Autodraft". Neste modo, o Concurso selecionará automaticamente um jogador MLB para você quando for sua vez de escolher. Essa seleção ocorrerá imediatamente quando for sua vez e será selecionada automaticamente de acordo com seus prerankings ou classificações padrão no caso de você não ter selecionado nenhum prerankings. Se você não selecionar "Autodraft" e não faça uma seleção quando quiser sua escolha, o jogo irá escolher para você depois de noventa (90) segundos ter expirado. (Para mais detalhes sobre prerankings, veja as seções intituladas "Prerankings" e "How to Prerank Players" abaixo.)
Você não precisa estar online durante um Draft ao vivo. Se você não estiver on-line, o Concurso irá automaticamente fazer suas seleções de jogador para você, com base em seus prerankings ou rankings padrão no caso de você não ter selecionado nenhum prerankings. Você também pode adicionar jogadores à sua fila de rascunho. Esta lista de jogadores em sua fila substituirá os prerankings e os rankings padrão e será usado para fazer uma seleção se você estiver em "Autodraft" ou não faça uma seleção após noventa (90) segundos. Para adicionar um jogador à sua lista de filas, selecione um nome da lista exibida no lado esquerdo da sala de rascunho em directo e clique no botão "Fila".
Você pode verificar para ver quais as posições que você preencheu no lado direito da Sala de Busca em Vivo. Esta é uma maneira fácil de determinar quais os jogadores que você deve segmentar e elaborar à medida que o rascunho progride.
Você também pode conversar com outras pessoas que estão a elaborar durante o projecto em directo. O recurso de bate-papo está localizado no canto inferior direito da sala de rascunho em directo.
O rascunho durará dezesseis (16) rodadas. No final de dezesseis (16) rodadas, o rascunho terminará e você pode começar a gerenciar sua equipe.
Se você não deseja se juntar a uma liga com um Draft ao vivo, você pode escolher estar em uma liga com um Rascunho da Lista - onde jogadores MLB são selecionados automaticamente para todas as Equipes em sua liga pelo Concurso.
O Concurso irá fazer suas seleções com base em rankings predefinidos padrão. Você pode decidir usar as classificações padrão da MLB ou selecionar seus próprios prerankings. O sistema de seleção automática procura ver quais posições de partida você precisa preencher e, em seguida, seleciona o jogador mais votado com base na classificação padrão da MLB ou em seus prerankings para preencher uma dessas posições. (Para mais detalhes sobre prerankings, veja as seções intituladas "Prerankings" e "How to Prerank Players" abaixo.)
Se você não deseja se juntar a uma liga com um Draft ao vivo ou um Draft da Lista, você pode escolher estar em uma liga com um Rascunho Simples, onde você receberá uma lista de jogadores automaticamente atribuídos a você.
Para definir seus prerankings, vá para a página prerankings e clique nos jogadores que deseja classificar por conta própria.
Classifique os jogadores em cada posição em ordem de sua preferência (ou apenas use os rankings padrão listados abaixo). Você pode alterar os rankings de vários jogadores ao mesmo tempo usando este método.
Se você não deseja classificar seus jogadores, você usará as classificações padrão da MLB.
Rosters e alterações de formação.
Sua lista inicial pode consistir dos seguintes dez (10) jogadores:
1 Primeiro Baseman.
1 Segundo Baseman.
1 Terceiro Baseman.
1 Utilitário Hitter (pode ser qualquer posição)
1 Pitching Staff.
You are not required to start a player/pitching staff at every position, but unless you opt for Top 10 Lineup Selection (see below), you will not score any points if that position is left empty for the applicable Fantasy Week. Important Note: If you do not have any players selected to be in your starting lineup during the first Fantasy Week of the Contest Period, you will not score any points during that Fantasy Week or in any subsequent Fantasy Week for which you do not have any players selected. See the section entitled "Setting Your Lineup" below for further details on how to set your lineups.
You may also have up to six (6) players on your bench. Bench players are eligible to start at any position for which they are listed in the Contest as being eligible.
Top 10 Lineup Selection : If you select Top 10 lineup selection (" Top 10 Lineup Selection ") when you register for the Contest, the Contest will automatically select a starting lineup for you each Fantasy Week to ensure that each position includes the best performing player from your roster at that position for the applicable Fantasy Week. This will ensure that you receive a point total based on an optimal starting lineup from your roster for the applicable Fantasy Week. If you select Top 10 Lineup Selection, you will not be required to set a specific lineup for any Fantasy Week.
For example : If a user who opts for Top 10 Lineup Selection has three (3) catchers on his/her roster for a given Fantasy Week (e. g. Brian McCann, Buster Posey and Russell Martin) and McCann scores thirty-four (34) points for the given Fantasy Week, Posey scores twenty-nine (29) and Martin scores thirty-eight (38), Russell Martin would be considered that user's catcher in the lineup for the applicable Fantasy Week, and accordingly, Russell Martin's thirty-eight (38) points would count toward that user's point total for the applicable Fantasy Week.
You can also have up to two (2) disabled list (" DL ") players at any time. You can only place a player on the DL only if he is actually placed on the DL by his MLB Club. For the avoidance of doubt, a player who is injured in real life, but has not been placed on the DL by his MLB Club, cannot be placed on the DL in the Contest.
When a player is removed from the DL by his MLB Club, he must be removed from the DL spot on your Team before you will be allowed to make any more transactions. In addition, if you fail to remove any such player from the DL spot on your Team before the Lock Time of any subsequent Fantasy Week(s), your entire lineup will be locked for each applicable Fantasy Week. The Team may keep the player on the DL as long as it desires, as long as it does not make any other transactions (except for any trades pending).
You will be able to start a MLB player at a particular position if he:
1. Played ten (10) MLB games at that position in 2018; ou.
2. Has played ten (10) MLB games at the position in 2018.
Some MLB players in the Contest did not play ten (10) games at a position in 2018. These players will be eligible at the position that they appeared at the most in 2018. Example: In 2018, the most games Adam Rosales played at any position was thirty-two (32) games as a first baseman. Therefore, Adam Rosales would qualify at the first base position for purposes of the Contest.
MLB players that have never played in a MLB game prior to the 2018 MLB season will be assigned a position by MLB in its sole discretion. Example: Orlando Arcia of the Milwaukee Brewers will be eligible at shortstop as that is his expected position.
Unless you opt for Top 10 Lineup Selection, you must set your starting lineup for each Fantasy Week during the Contest Period. For each player on your roster, beginning as of 12:00:01 AM ET (Midnight) on Monday of each Fantasy Week during the Contest Period, you will have until five (5) minutes prior to the start of each player's first MLB game being played each Fantasy Week ( the " Lock Time ") to place that player into your starting lineup for that Fantasy Week. If you do not have any players selected to be in your starting lineup following the Lock Time of the first Fantasy Week of the Contest Period at 1:00 PM ET on Monday, April 3, 2018, you will not score any points during that Fantasy Week or in any subsequent Fantasy Week for which you do not have any players selected. No changes can be made for that position after the Lock Time of the applicable Fantasy Week. A player's position in the lineup is locked for that Fantasy Week once the Lock Time has passed. If you miss the Lock Time for any given player in the applicable Fantasy Week of the Contest, your lineup for the Fantasy Week will remain as it was the prior Fantasy Week.
Any changes made after Lock Time of any Fantasy Week during the Contest will count toward the following Fantasy Week. Example, if you make a lineup change on Monday, April 11, 2018 at 9:00 PM ET (and the Lock Time for that position was 1:00 PM ET) and another change on Tuesday, April 12, 2018, both changes will take place for your lineup for the following Fantasy Week beginning on Monday, April 18, 2018.
To edit your lineup, click on the position dropdown next to a player's name and select the position you would like him to play, or if you would prefer to put that player on your bench. Once you have made all position changes, click "Submit." Players on your bench will not score points for your Team.
There are three (3) different ways to acquire new players after your draft has taken place and during the season: Free Agency, Waivers and Trades. Note: any player added to your roster via any transaction - whether via Free Agency, Waivers or Trades - will not be allowed to be inserted into your roster until the end of the then-current Fantasy Week.
Any player that is not owned by a participant in your league is considered a free agent. These players shall be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, unless they are on "waivers" (explained below).
To pick up a free agent click on the "Players" tab on the top of the game's navigation. Under the "action" header there will be a green box with a white plus sign indicating that a player is available to be picked up. Click on the green box and you will be taken to a screen with your roster where you will be asked to drop an existing player on your roster to make room for the player you want to pick up. Click on the grey checkbox next to the player you want to drop from your existing roster.
Any free agent that you add will immediately be placed on your roster. That player can be placed into your starting lineup for any subsequent Fantasy Week(s).
You can drop players at any time, but you can only pick up players without dropping a player if you have less than sixteen (16) players (not counting DL players) on your roster.
Some players on the game shall be designated as "Undroppable," meaning a participant cannot drop these players. All-Star players such as Miguel Cabrera and Andrew McCutchen are on this list, to prevent people from dumping their superstars and having other people pick them up, leading to "loaded" Teams. The list of Undroppable players may change throughout the season at MLB's discretion (e. g., as a result of injury or other roster changes).
After your draft, all players will be placed on waivers for one (1) day. All players who are dropped during the season will also be on waivers for a period of at least one (1) full day (" Waiver Period ").
During the Waiver Period, any participant in your league can claim that player. The person with the highest waiver priority (explained below) when the waiver claim is processed will receive that player.
Example: If a player is dropped on a Tuesday afternoon, all managers can put in a claim for him during the Waiver Period. The participant with the highest waiver priority, who submitted a claim for the player, will receive that player. Waiver claims are not processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
The waiver priority list is initially set based on the reverse order of your draft. Each time you add a player from waiver to your roster, you will fall to the bottom of the waiver priority list. This "rolling" list stays in effect for the entire season. The Team ranked No. 1 on the list always has the highest (or best) waiver priority.
If nobody claims a player during the waiver period, he becomes a free agent. If you place a claim on more than one waived player at a time, each pending claim will appear on under "Active Waiver Claims" on the "Players" page along with its current position in your waiver order. All new claims get added to the bottom of this list, but you can change this order by clicking on the swap buttons.
A trade occurs when one participant exchanges player(s) with another participant in a league. To propose a trade go to the game "Trade Center" and pick a Team you want to trade with from the dropdown menu.
Once you have determined which Team you want to attempt to trade with, select the player(s) you wish to trade away and the player(s) you wish to trade for, and click "Review Trade." In order to propose the trade, you will then need to click the "Submit Offer" button.
An e-mail will be sent by MLBAM to the other manager proposing your trade. That manager can then go to his/her Trade Center to accept, decline or to make a counter offer.
If a trade is accepted, the entire league will be notified and other participants will have the ability to vote "for" or "against" the trade. This process is put in place to ensure trades are fair and balanced and do not compromise the integrity of the Contest.
If four (4) or more participants vote against the trade within two (2) days, the trade will be officially vetoed by the league and the trade will not take place.
If four (4) or more participants vote for the trade, the trade will proceed the moment the fourth participant votes for the trade.
If the trade is neither vetoed nor accepted by the league within forty-eight (48) hours, the trade will proceed.
During the review period, trades are marked as pending.
In order to prevent players involved in pending trades from being dropped or waived, participants will not be allowed to make any such transactions involving any players involved in a trade once it has been accepted.
The trade deadline will be July 31, 2018. No trades can be offered or accepted after 11:59:59 p. m. ET (Midnight) on July 31, 2018.
Your players/pitching staffs will score points for you each day on which MLB games are played based on the following formula:
Caught Stealing = -1.
Only players/pitching staffs that are in your starting lineup each Fantasy Week will score points. Unless you opt for Top 10 Lineup Selection, players/pitching staffs on your bench will not score points for your Team.
NOTE: Except as set forth in the Suspended Games section below, only statistics officially scored as statistics in 2018 MLB regular season games will be counted as valid statistics in the Contest.
Rainouts, Postponements, Cancelled Games.
Your players will not score any points in the event that the game they are playing in is rained out, postponed or cancelled.
The following shall apply in the event any MLB game(s) is suspended during the Contest Period:
1) In the event any 2018 MLB game(s) is suspended and subsequently completed within the same Fantasy Week during which any such game(s) was suspended, all official statistics for such suspended game(s) shall count as valid statistics for purposes of this Contest.
2) In the event any 2018 MLB game(s) is suspended and subsequently completed within any Fantasy Week other than the Fantasy Week during which such game(s) was suspended (i. e., the game(s) is completed on a date following the Sunday of the Fantasy Week in which the game(s) was suspended), ONLY the official statistics of the portion of the game(s) that was played prior to the suspension will count as valid statistics for purposes of this Contest, provided either of the following conditions apply at the time such game(s) is suspended:
uma. The MLB Club that is trailing in the portion of the game that was suspended (i) makes fifteen (15) or more outs in the game, and/or (ii) completes all of its at-bats for five (5) innings; ou.
b. The home MLB Club (i) makes fifteen (15) outs or more, (ii) completes all of its at-bats for five (5) innings, and/or (iii) ties the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Under any of these circumstances, only the official statistics of the portion of the game(s) that was played prior to the suspension will count for purposes of this Contest. As such, the statistics from any such suspended game(s) that are completed in a subsequent Fantasy Week will NOT count toward either (1) the original Fantasy Week in which the suspended game(s) started; or (2) the Fantasy Week in which the suspended game(s) was completed.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For the avoidance of doubt, Team pitching staffs will not receive credit for wins in the Contest for any suspended game(s) that are completed in any Fantasy Week other than the Fantasy Week in which such game(s) was suspended.
Example: A game started on Thursday, May 19, 2018 between the Cubs and Brewers is suspended with the score tied at 2-2 in the 7th inning. The game isn't resumed until Friday, July 15, 2018 and the Brewers go on to win 3-2. In this case, all statistics from the first portion of the game (May 19, before the game was suspended) will count toward the May 15-May 21 Fantasy Week. The statistics from the second portion of the game that was completed on July 15, 2018 will NOT count toward either the Fantasy Week of May 15-May 21 or the Fantasy Week of July 10-July 16.
3) In the event any 2018 MLB game(s) is suspended and subsequently completed in any Fantasy Week other than the Fantasy Week during which such game(s) was suspended (i. e., the game(s) is completed on a date following the Sunday of the Fantasy Week during which the game(s) was suspended), NONE of the official statistics of any portion of the suspended game(s) will count for purposes of this Contest, provided either of the following conditions apply at the time such game(s) is suspended:
uma. The MLB Club which is trailing does NOT (i) make fifteen (15) or more outs in the game, and/or (ii) complete all of its at-bats for five (5) innings; ou.
b. The visiting MLB Club does NOT (i) make fifteen (15) or more outs in the game, and/or (ii) complete all of its at-bats for five (5) or more innings. Under any of these circumstances, official statistics for any portion(s) of any suspended game(s) will NOT count for purposes of this Contest (i. e., such statistics shall not apply to either the (1) original Fantasy Week in which the suspended game(s) was started, or (2) Fantasy Week in which the suspended game(s) was completed.
Example: A game played on Friday, June 3, 2018 between the Angels and Pirates is suspended with the score tied at 4-4 in the 4th inning. The game isn't resumed until Saturday, July 9, 2018 and the Angels go on to win 8-5. In this case, none of the statistics will count for either portion of the game for any Fantasy Week.
Your league scoring will not be updated to reflect official MLB statistics corrections that occur after scoring locks each Fantasy Week, which occurs at the completion of games on Sunday. For example, for a Saturday game, the official scoring change would have to be made before scoring for the Fantasy Week ends on Sunday night, to count for that Fantasy Week. If a scoring change for the Saturday game were to take place on Tuesday, the scoring change would NOT be reflected in your league, since the previous Fantasy Week had already completed and a winner for the Fantasy Week was announced.
The Contest regular season (the " Contest Regular Season ") for all leagues begins at 1:05 pm ET on April 3, 2018 and ends according to the following schedule:
The Contest Regular Season for all Public Leagues ends following the conclusion of the final game played on September 19, 2018.
If the League Commissioner of your Private League chose Week 21 as the start date of your League Playoffs, the Contest Regular Season for your Private League ends following the conclusion of the final game played on August 21, 2018.
If the League Commissioner of your Private League chose Week 22 as the start date of your League Playoffs, the Contest Regular Season for your Private League ends following the conclusion of the final game played on August 28, 2018.
If the League Commissioner of your Private League chose Week 23 as the start date of your League Playoffs, the Contest Regular Season for your Private League ends following the conclusion of the final game played on September 4, 2018.
If the League Commissioner of your Private League chose Week 24 as the start date of your League Playoffs, the Contest Regular Season for your Private League ends following the conclusion of the final game played on September 11, 2018.
If the League Commissioner of your Private League chose Week 25 as the start date of your League Playoffs, the Contest Regular Season for your Private League ends following the conclusion of the final game played on September 18, 2018.
Each Fantasy Week you will compete against one opponent in your league in a head-to-head matchup. Your goal each Fantasy Week is for your ten (10) starting MLB players to accumulate more points than your opponent's ten (10) starting players. The Team with the most points will receive a win, while the other Team will receive a loss.
If a tie occurs in any match-up during the Contest Period, the following tiebreakers in the following order will be used to determine the winner:
1. The Team with the highest weekly point total for a single player/pitching staff (in the Fantasy Week in question) wins - this continues with the second highest weekly point total for a single player/pitching staff, etc. through the entire roster until all players and pitching staff have been examined;
2. The Team with the highest daily point total (in the Fantasy Week in question) wins - this continues with the second highest daily point total, etc. until all days of the Fantasy Week have been examined; e.
3. The Team with the highest point total during the Contest Regular Season to date wins.
For Private Leagues, League Commissioners must choose to have eight (8), ten (10) or twelve (12) Teams in a league, and in each case, there will be only two divisions. All Public Leagues will consist of twelve (12) Teams.
The Teams in your league will be randomly placed in two (2) separate divisions within the league, with each division consisting of an equal number of Teams (for example, if your league has eight (8) Teams, there will be two (2) divisions of four (4) Teams apiece). Teams within the same division will play each other more during the Contest Regular Season than Teams from different divisions.
LEAGUE PLAYOFFS (THE "LEAGUE PLAYOFFS")
Following the end of the Contest Regular Season, the Team with the best record in each division will be the division winner (the " Division Winner ") and will advance to the League Playoffs (there will be a total of two (2) Division Winners from each league). There will also be two (2) "Wild Card" Teams from each league, which will be the Teams with the best records that did NOT win their divisions.
For Private Leagues, League Commissioners can choose to have the Wild Card Teams be either the two (2) Teams with the best records that did NOT win their divisions, or the two (2) Teams that scored the most points that did NOT win their divisions.
Division Winner Tiebreakers.
If two (2) or more Teams in the same division finish the Contest Regular Season with identical records, the following tiebreakers will be used in the following order to help determine the Division Winner:
1. The Team with the most points scored during the entire Contest Regular Season;
2. The Team with the highest weekly point total during the Contest Regular Season; e.
3. If there is still a tie this continues with the second highest weekly point total, etc. until all Fantasy Weeks of the Contest Regular Season have been examined.
For Leagues where the Wild Cards are the non-division winners with the best records during the Contest Regular Season:
If two (2) or more Teams finish the Contest Regular Season with identical records, the following tiebreakers will be used in the following order in order to determine the Wild Card:
1. The Team with the most points scored during the entire Contest Regular Season;
2. The Team with the highest weekly point total during the Contest Regular Season; e.
3. If there is still a tie this continues with the second highest weekly point total, etc. until all Fantasy Weeks of the Contest Regular Season have been examined.
For Leagues where the Wild Cards are the non-division winners with the most points scored during the Contest Regular Season:
If two (2) or more Teams finish the Contest Regular Season with identical point totals, the following tiebreakers will be used in the following order in order to determine the Wild Card:
1. The Team with the highest weekly point total during the Contest Regular Season; e.
2. If there is still a tie this continues with the second highest weekly point total, etc. until all Fantasy Weeks of the Contest Regular Season have been examined.
The start date of the first round of the League Playoffs depends on which option was selected at the time your league was created by the League Commissioner. All League Playoffs consist of two (2) rounds and run for a period of two weeks.
If your League Commissioner chose Week 21 as the start date of your League Playoffs, they will begin with the first game played on August 23, 2018, and end following the conclusion of the final game played on September 6, 2018.
If your League Commissioner chose Week 22 as the start date of your League Playoffs, they will begin with the first game played on August 30, 2018, and end following the conclusion of the final game played on September 12, 2018.
If your League Commissioner chose Week 23 as the start date of your League Playoffs, they will begin with the first game played on September 6, 2018, and end following the conclusion of the final game played on September 19, 2018.
If your League Commissioner chose Week 24 as the start date of your League Playoffs, they will begin with the first game played on September 13, 2018, and end following the conclusion of the final game played on September 26, 2018.
If your League Commissioner chose Week 25 as the start date of your League Playoffs (the " Week 25 League Playoffs "), they will begin with the first game played on September 20, 2018, and end following the conclusion of the final game played on October 3, 2018. For purposes of clarity, potential MLB tiebreaker games, if any, played on or before October 3, 2018 will be counted for purposes of the Week 25 League Playoffs; however, potential MLB tiebreaker games, if any, played on or after October 3, 2018 will not be counted for purposes of the Week 25 League Playoffs.
League Playoffs for all Public Leagues (the " Public Leagues Playoffs ") begin with the first game played on September 20, 2018, and end following the conclusion of the final game played on October 3, 2018. For purposes of clarity, potential MLB tiebreaker games, if any, played on or before October 3, 2018 will be considered for purposes of the Public Leagues Playoffs; however, potential MLB tiebreaker games, if any, played on or after October 4, 2018 will not be counted for purposes of the Public Leagues Playoffs.
League Playoffs Matchups.
The first round matchups will be:
Division Winner 1 (Team with the best record) vs. Wild Card Winner 2 (Wild Card Team with either worst record or fewest points scored)
Division Winner 2 (Team with the second best record) vs. Wild Card Winner 1 (Wild Card Team with either best record or most points scored)
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The league championship match-up will consist of the two (2) Teams who win the first round.
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Mlb trade system

With the MLB trade deadline fast approaching, fans can expect to see a bevy of starting pitchers moved around baseball. Johnny Cueto is going somewhere. Jeff Samardzija is almost definitely going to be dealt for the third time in 12 months. Scott Kazmir is likely heading east, even if the A’s manage to claw their way back into contention. And hey, the Phillies might even decide that they’re out of the playoff hunt and move on from Cole Hamels, who has seemingly been in trade rumors for the better part of three seasons by now.
None of those pitchers can hold a candle to White Sox ace Chris Sale. Despite its offseason spending, Chicago’s playoff hopes have basically been extinguished, having fallen to 7.8 percent, according to FanGraphs. Dave Cameron suggested in June that the White Sox should consider blowing up their team and rebuilding, and if Sox GM Rick Hahn shared those sentiments, he could extract a massive haul for his star pitcher. Sale’s contract — three years, $27.2 million, with two club options for a combined $26 million — makes him one of the most valuable pitching properties in baseball, and the Sox could rightly expect to extract an Addison Russellesque prospect as the basis of a Sale deal.
The alternative is to keep Sale and retool around him. The White Sox surely want to keep Sale around for the years to come, but in 2018, he’s basically useless. In fact, if they’re not going to make the playoffs or be competitive in the American League, the best thing for the White Sox is almost surely to finish with a middling record and secure both a higher draft pick and a larger financial draft pool to work with in 2018. While Sale is going to be in the Cy Young running and surely wants to continue performing at a high level, he’s also realistically wasting the next 70-80 innings in his arm over the remainder of the season, pitching incredibly well for a team that will derive virtually no benefit from that brilliance.
Right now, there’s no middle ground between those two scenarios. The White Sox either trade Sale and have to find their next ace on a team-friendly contract in the years to come, or they keep him and he spends the rest of the year toiling away in uncompetitive situations. What if there were an alternative where Sale could pitch in meaningful spots for a playoff team in 2018 without the White Sox losing a valuable asset for good?
There’s one way to serve all of these different masters, and while it’s not a legal strategy in baseball, we’ve seen how it can be useful in soccer. The loan system permits clubs to temporarily send one of their players away to another team for anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of seasons, providing benefits for both sides. The loaning team often receives a fee, has some or all of the player’s wages taken off its books, and gets to see what a player who might not make it into the first team would do in competitive action elsewhere. And the loaning team gets to add an asset without committing long-term or paying a significant transfer fee. Done right, it can be a win-win for both sides.
The most typical type of loan in soccer involves young players being sent to lesser teams, often in lower divisions, to try to get them first-team action before returning to their parent clubs. That wouldn’t be the case in baseball. Instead, imagine a variation on the loan process in which an out-of-contention team could send a useful veteran away to a club in the thick of a playoff race while receiving a prospect in return permanently. The team in last place would get a young player for the future and its veteran back for what one would hope to be a more promising season in 2018. The playoff team would be able to fill a short-term hole without having to give up the same sort of prospect haul it would normally consider in a traditional trade, and that impact would come at a particularly high-leverage moment in its season.
As teams continue to realize just how valuable top-100 prospects can be, this could be a way to facilitate trades that make for more exciting postseasons while getting rebuilding teams more young talent. That said, there would need to be safeguards: To prevent teams from exploiting the loan system, MLB would undoubtedly have to implement several rules and processes. I wouldn’t trust certain managers with my ace pitcher, either. Let’s run through some concepts that would make sense as part of a baseball loan system, using Sale as our test case:
• Every player has a no-loan clause . No player should be forced to move to another team for three months because his team isn’t interested in keeping him around. If Sale wants to stick around in Chicago and chase his Cy Young Award there, he should have every right to do so.
• The loan period shares the same deadline as traditional trades . Players shouldn’t be forced to move in the middle of September, and it would be ridiculous for a team to acquire a loanee for what amounts to a play-in game at the end of the season. While you can make the case that the current trade deadline should be later in the MLB campaign, the loan deadline should be tied to the deadline for permanent trades.
• Each season, teams are allowed to either loan only one player or receive only one player via loan . We don’t want to encourage a sell-happy team like Miami to sign a bunch of free agents and then loan all of them if things don’t work out. Likewise, a big-market team like the Cubs or Yankees shouldn’t be allowed to obtain an entire rotation’s worth of loanees if they’re struck by injuries. Teams should be allowed to deal multiple prospects or veteran players for a loanee, but they shouldn’t be able to acquire more than one player on short-term loan.
• No money is allowed to change hands as part of a loan deal. Teams would be disallowed from using the loan system to dump salary late in the season. If the White Sox loaned Sale to another team, they would still pay the prorated remainder of the $6 million left on his contract in 2018. Likewise, players wouldn’t be able to ask for additional money to agree to a loan.
• Teams can set limits on player usage. There’s no way the White Sox are going to send Sale to Houston for three months without being terrified that the Astros will (smartly) use him as much as possible. As part of these loan trades, teams would be allowed to negotiate terms of usage. With Sale, for example, the White Sox could specify that he would be limited to 70 innings pitched over the remainder of the season, couldn’t be used on short rest, and couldn’t begin to throw to a batter in any game after reaching 110 pitches.
• Conditional compensation/usage should be available. Let’s say the Astros trade for Sale and agree to use him for no more than 60 innings over the remainder of the regular season, giving up a prospect like J. D. Davis in the process. It would benefit both teams to have a clause dependent upon the Astros making the playoffs that would, for example, allow Sale to pitch up to 30 additional innings while sending the White Sox a secondary prospect like Reymin Guduan.
• Teams should have medical access to their players and be able to recall their loanee in case of injury. The White Sox should be able to have their medical staff examine Sale at any time. If Sale were to get injured, either team would have the option of canceling the loan agreement, with any/all players involved returning to their original clubs. If the loan deadline hasn’t passed, the teams involved would then be allowed to make another loan deal with any other eligible organization. 1.
Sale stands out as the most obvious example of a player who could benefit from a short-term loan. And while every single playoff contender would love to have Sale at the top of their rotation, the landing spot where Sale would probably have the most impact would be within the AL Central. The Royals have defied preseason expectations for the second year in a row and currently possess an 83.6 percent chance of playing into the postseason. What they don’t have is much starting pitching. Kansas City is second-to-last in baseball with 34 quality starts, and its nominal ace in line to start Game 1 of a playoff series would probably be Edinson Volquez, which isn’t very promising.
Sale would give the Royals a true no. 1 starter over the final two months of the season and into the playoffs, and while Kansas City probably can’t mortgage its entire farm system to get Sale and his team-friendly contract over the next five years, it could certainly justify sending one upper-level prospect (Brandon Finnegan?) to the White Sox for three free months of Sale. And the Chicago ace isn’t the only player who would fit this list. In fact, if the White Sox wanted to hold on to Sale, there’s another logical loan target on their roster. Let’s run through five plausible candidates if loans were legal, starting with one hulking slugger …
1. Jose Abreu: The mammoth White Sox first baseman hasn’t been quite as powerful during his second season in the majors, but his 152 wRC+ since joining Chicago last season is the eighth-best figure in baseball. And since the 28-year-old Abreu is signed to a bargain six-year, $68 million deal, the White Sox shouldn’t deal their best hitter unless they get blown away with a trade offer.
That’s probably not coming. If they could loan Abreu out for the remainder of the 2018 campaign, there would be an obvious fit in St. Louis . The Cardinals are already virtual locks to make the playoffs, but they have one glaring weakness: a notable lack of power. The Cardinals are 25th in the league in home runs (with 69), and they badly miss first baseman Matt Adams, who is likely done for the season with a torn quadriceps. Abreu would be a comfortable upgrade on Mark Reynolds and give the Cards a right-handed power bat in the core of a lineup that normally includes three lefties (Kolten Wong, Matt Carpenter, and Jason Heyward) among the first four slots.
2. Sonny Gray: Want another pitcher? I can’t imagine that many general managers would be willing to send a young pitcher out on a short-term loan under any circumstances, but if there’s anybody aggressive enough to do just that, it’s Billy Beane. The A’s are essentially out of the playoff picture, with bad luck having felled them to the extent that their postseason odds have dipped down to 5.8 percent. And while they will likely trade impending free agents like Kazmir, Ben Zobrist, and Tyler Clippard, they could help rebuild their farm system by shipping out Gray for a run into October.
Where would he land? The aforementioned Royals desperately need an ace, but if they were out of contention, it wouldn’t be crazy for the A’s to turn to a recent trade partner and send Gray to the Blue Jays . Toronto’s rotation has been held together by duct tape for most of the season after the team lost Marcus Stroman to a torn ACL in spring training, and if the Jays nabbed Gray, they could start him ahead of Mark Buehrle or Marco Estrada in the wild-card game.
3. Craig Kimbrel: It seems safe to say that A. J. Preller’s offseason gambit of acquiring every outfielder has failed, given that the Padres are 41-49 and have just a 3.1 percent chance of making it into the postseason. Preller torched San Diego’s farm system to try to build a competitive offense, and since it hasn’t worked, he would be better off taking one of the few useful major league assets he does have and using it to get a prospect back on the shelf.
Kimbrel hasn’t been quite as lights-out as he was in Atlanta, but given that he’s striking out 13 batters per nine innings and has allowed no earned runs in 12 appearances since the beginning of June, there are plenty of teams that could find a spot for him in the ninth inning. One of those teams would be the Cubs , who have rotated between Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, and Jason Motte at closer. Chicago is obviously not going to give up one of the premium prospects in its system for a short-term closer, but even a post-hype talent like Mike Olt could be useful for the Padres to target as they try to rebuild from their disastrous winter.
4. Aroldis Chapman: Everybody knows that a Reds fire sale is coming after the All-Star break. Johnny Cueto will be gone, and it would hardly be a surprise if Cincinnati’s stud closer followed him out the door. Chapman will hit arbitration after this season and will enter free agency after the 2018 season, and even if the Reds don’t think they can re-sign him, they could double-dip by loaning him out for the remainder of 2018 before trading him in 2018.
There’s another really strong fit for a loanee here. The Tigers have gotten competent closing from Joakim Soria after Joe Nathan hit the DL in April, but Soria’s peripherals haven’t been overwhelming. Chapman is striking out batters more than twice as frequently (15.7 K/9) as Soria (7.8 K/9) this season.
Detroit has also been a mess against left-handed hitting. Opposing lefties have posted a .793 OPS against the Tigers, the fourth-stiffest rate in baseball. After designating the disappointing Tom Gorzelanny for assignment, the Tigers are down to the combination of Blaine Hardy and Ian Krol from the port side in the pen, which doesn’t inspire much confidence. Chapman would attack both concerns while giving the Tigers a weapon in either the eighth or ninth inning.
5. Troy Tulowitzki: No. Oh no. I regret all of this. You can probably figure out where this one is heading. The Rockies don’t want to trade away their franchise player, but after years of losing, it seems unfair that a healthy Tulowitzki is wasting his 2018 on a team whose playoff chances are at a whopping 0.1 percent. The Rockies understandably want to build around a guy who can be one of the three or four best players in baseball when he’s healthy, but that building isn’t happening in 2018.
Now, who needs a shortstop? You don’t have to look very far from Colorado. The Dodgers have one of the best offenses in recent memory, as their 113 wRC+ leads the league. Their Baseball-Reference page has that visually pleasant run of starters with three-digit OPS+ figures in every spot but one. That’s at shortstop, where Jimmy Rollins has put up an anemic .213/.266/.338 line.
The Dodgers unquestionably would like to upgrade from Rollins as they enter the postseason, but they also don’t want to block star prospect Corey Seager, who should be the team’s starting shortstop by May 2018. The perfect solution would be a loan of Tulowitzki, who would give the defense-conscious Dodgers a plus glove in the infield and an all-world bat at the game’s toughest position.
Colorado would benefit by getting a prospect from the perennially stocked Los Angeles farm system and further tanking. But I suppose there’s one more risk to consider: What if Tulowitzki likes it in Los Angeles? Or he enjoys the experience of playing competitive baseball in September for the first time since 2009? What if the grass is so much greener on the other side that stars like Tulowitzki and Sale decide they don’t want to go back to their moribund 70-win franchises? There is the possibility that these players being captive on bad teams in August and September is actually good for those organizations. It also seems fair to say that the best players should be playing in the postseason. This is a tweak to the system that would allow that to happen on a far more frequent basis.
You can still imagine how there might be some shenanigans here. Imagine if the White Sox loaned Sale to the Cubs and just pulled him back with a phantom arm injury right after the trade deadline.

Trade deadline news and views.
The MLB trade deadline is nearing, and speculation is heating up across baseball. Here is what our writers are hearing:
Monday's trade buzz.
David Schoenfield's take: You can't deny Beltran's numbers, as he's hitting .304/.344/.546, though some of that is the result of the cozy dimensions at Yankee Stadium, where he's slugging .961 (compared to .817 on the road). The Rangers will slot him at DH, which means they don't trust Joey Gallo to do the job down the stretch. Beltran has a history of performing in the postseason, of course, though it doesn't look like he'd perform well in this postseason if the Rangers get there.
The Giants added some needed bullpen depth, and though Bickford is a former first-round pick, the most important player here for the Brewers might be Andrew Susac, a catcher who has been blocked in San Francisco by Buster Posey. He was the backup last year, but he spent all of 2018 in Triple-A and should be a capable replacement for Jonathan Lucroy.
David Schoenfield's take: Nobody likes injured pitchers more than the Dodgers. Hill has made just three starts since the end of May and is still battling a blister issue. He was one of the best starters in the AL the first two months and has held batters to a .201 average and just two home runs in 76 innings. It's all about the health. Reddick is a plus defender with a strong arm. He is a minor rest-of-season upgrade over Howie Kendrick or Yasiel Puig and gives the Dodgers a needed left-handed bat for the outfield. The A's get three pitchers with good upside -- a good haul for two impending free agents.
David Schoenfield's take: After two down years, Bruce has had a renaissance this year, going more to the opposite field and leading the NL in RBIs. The Mets are 13th in the NL in runs scored, so they certainly need offense, but Bruce is an imperfect fit. His defensive metrics are among the worst in the game for outfielders, so Curtis Granderson, who has been below average in right field, will have to slide to center, assuming Yoenis Cespedes has to remain in left field because of his sore quad. The Reds get a young kid who will immediately step into the lineup and hopefully provide some much-needed OBP at the top of the order.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow pulled off the big Carlos Gomez-Mike Fiers deal before the 2018 deadline, but he might opt for something more restrained this season. The Astros would love to make a pitching upgrade, but they have yet to find a trade that suits their tastes. Luhnow told the Houston Chronicle's Jake Kaplan that the chances are "50-50'' that he makes a move by Monday's 4 p. m. ET deadline.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Although the Mets are making a final run at Jay Bruce, the Giants' reported interest in the Reds' veteran left fielder appears to be overstated. A source said San Francisco is focused primarily on pitching at the deadline. With the exception of Tampa Bay's Matt Moore, the Giants are looking primarily at bullpen upgrades.
Katie Strang's take: Starting pitching has been Tigers' top priority heading into the trade deadline, but the team has expressed interest the past week in Milwaukee's Jonathan Lucroy. The team now considers itself out of that mix, though, and will focus on upgrading the back end of the rotation. Detroit was on Lucroy's no-trade list; he already vetoed a deal to Cleveland.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Hellickson is one of the top pending free-agent starters still available, and he has pitched very well of late. He was 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in July. But the Phillies have been steadfast in aiming high on him, and their main options have moved in different directions. Miami went for Andrew Cashner, Baltimore traded for Wade Miley, and the Giants' reported interest in Hellickson was never as serious as it appeared. The Phillies might have to change course late and drop the price if they plan to move Hellickson by the deadline.
Katie Strang's take: As of yesterday, the price of acquisition for starting pitching felt exorbitant for the Tigers. Although the team would like to make an upgrade to the back end the rotation -- someone such as Hector Santiago or Jake Odorizzi -- the club's brass are hesitant to part with young pitchers such as Daniel Norris and/or Matt Boyd.
Michael Fulmer is obviously considered a nonstarter, perhaps the one true "untouchable" within the organization. Unless teams get desperate and lower the demands -- or the Tigers get desperate and deviate from their current plan -- Detroit might indeed stand pat.
Jayson Stark's take: As the heat mounts on the Reds to get Bruce traded before the deadline, it appears their attention has turned back toward New York. With talks with the Dodgers and Giants stalled, the Reds revived their discussions with the Mets on Sunday, and those two teams were still talking Monday morning.
The Mets are looking to upgrade an offense that has scored the fewest runs in the major leagues since the All-Star break and trying to do that without trading young pitching. With the Reds mostly hunting for young position players, there is a definite possibility for a match, though the two teams have struck out on a deal involving Bruce dating all the way back to the 2018 trading deadline.
Sunday's trade buzz.
Jim Bowden's take: The Rangers quickly reacted to the news that Jonathan Lucroy had nixed the agreed trade to the Indians and are trying to be opportunistic by trading to land him. With the asking price so high for both starting and relief pitching, the Rangers feel that Lucroy would improve their entire pitching staff with his above-average game-calling abilities. Even if they do land him, it will not preclude them for trading for a significant starting pitcher -- which remains their top trade goal as the deadline nears.
Adam Rubin's take: The Mets still believe they can be the beneficiary of Jonathan Lucroy's vetoing a trade to the Indians. Lucroy does not have similar no-trade protection to the Mets, who reportedly offered Travis d'Arnaud, Brandon Nimmo and one other player before the Brewers settled on Cleveland's package. Mets people pledged to work until Monday's 4 p. m. ET deadline to try to swing a deal for Lucroy or Cincinnati's Jay Bruce. If Lucroy did end up in Queens, it would mark the second straight year the Mets have benefited from a trade falling through. Last year, the Mets pivoted to Yoenis Cespedes after a deal with Milwaukee for Carlos Gomez unraveled over concerns about Gomez's hip. Cespedes then led the Mets to the NL pennant.
Jerry Crasnick's take: The Mets and Rangers still look like the best fits for Jonathan Lucroy now that Cleveland is almost certainly out of the mix, but the Tigers continue to monitor the situation. That said, Detroit is desperate for a starter to eat innings and provide stability behind Justin Verlander and rookie Michael Fulmer. The Tigers don't have a strong farm system, but they might have enough to land one of the middle to back-end-of-the-rotation types still out there.
Interestingly enough, the Tigers, like the Indians, are one of eight teams on Lucroy's no-trade list. So he would have to give his approval before Milwaukee could trade him to Detroit.
Jayson Stark's take: After winning five games in a row against Boston and Houston, the Tigers have gone from a team on the buy/sell fence to a team that's one game out in the wild-card hunt -- and looking to add a veteran starter. But do they have enough to make a deal in the next 26 hours?
Last year this time, they acquired Matt Boyd, Daniel Norris and Fulmer in pre-deadline deals. Fulmer is now a rookie of the year favorite and clearly untouchable. But the Tigers have shown zero interest in moving Boyd, Norris and their best long-term pitching options for a shot to play in the wild-card game. Do they have enough prospect depth to make a trade for the likes of Wade Miley, Jeremy Hellickson, Hector Santiago, Edinson Volquez, etc.? They appear to be one of those clubs that's waiting this out, hoping a bargain presents itself in the final hours -- or in August.
Katie Strang's take: The Tigers are looking at adding starting pitching, but acquisition prices are high at the moment. The organization is reluctant to part with young pitchers like Matt Boyd and Daniel Norris, and the club doesn't feel it has the prospect depth to put together the premier package other teams are asking for in return for a starter. That could change as the deadline nears, of course, but several teams in sell mode seem content to wait until the offseason if they can't yield a return to their liking.
Jayson Stark's take: Now that the Yankees have traded away Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, all eyes are on Tampa Bay, where the Rays now control the deadline market on starting pitching. More than a week ago, one executive told us he thought the chances of the Dodgers trading for Chris Archer were "70 percent." And they've actively pursued him ever since, but remain unwilling to include top pitching prospect Julio Urias in any deal.
Teams that have spoken with the Rays say that their asking price for Matt Moore is lower than what they've asked on either Archer or Jake Odorizzi, making Moore the most likely starter in that group to get dealt. But the Dodgers are said by other clubs to be under pressure to do something big, and are a prime candidate to overpay for Archer, who leads the AL in strikeouts even in a down year and is under control for five years, at a total of $19 million, if all his options are picked up.
Meanwhile, a dozen teams had scouts in the park to watch Drew Smyly pitch against the Yankees on Saturday night, with both clubs on the verge of actively selling. Those teams: Indians, Cubs, Royals, Dodgers, Angels, Giants, Blue Jays, White Sox, Rangers, Marlins, Pirates and Orioles. One exec whose team has interest said he believes Smyly could be traded Monday to a team that "isn't a traditional buyer."
Jerry Crasnick's take: The Giants made a significant move to bolster their offense when they acquired infielder Eduardo Nunez from Minnesota. Then they made a serious run at Pittsburgh closer Mark Melancon, only to fall short. The Giants would still like to upgrade in the bullpen or the rotation, but their options are limited now. Erasmo Ramirez has some appeal to San Francisco and several other teams because he's under club control through 2019 and he's versatile enough to start or relieve. He's more readily attainable than Jake Odorizzi or Matt Moore, but the Rays might have to drop the price if they want to move him by Monday.
Saturday's trade buzz.
David Schoenfield's take: Barring a Chris Sale trade or some other unexpected deal, out of all the trades we'll see, the Indians' getting Lucroy will probably have the biggest impact the final two months of the season. Indians catchers are last in the majors in offensive production -- last by a lot -- as they are hitting just .169/.215/.289. Lucroy is hitting .300/.360/.484, so we're looking at something like a two-win upgrade. Considering the suddenly hot Tigers, winners of five in a row, are just 4.5 games back, this will increase the odds that Terry Francona's club holds on to its AL Central lead.
Considering that reports indicated the Rangers and Mets backed off, the Brewers still did pretty well. The top two names they reportedly get are catcher Francisco Mejia, who is hitting .344 in Class A while riding a 42-game hit streak (yes, 42 games) and left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield, the 31st pick in the 2017 draft who is highly regarded in the industry. There's some risk here, as both players are only 20 and haven't been tested in the higher grounds of Double-A or Triple-A, but there's a good chance the Brewers get two future starters for the remaining one-plus seasons of Lucroy.
Jerry Crasnick's take: The Mets made no headway in their pursuit of Jonathan Lucroy of the Brewers today, and signs are increasingly pointing to Cleveland as the destination for the veteran catcher. Lucroy has to sign off on a deal to the Indians because they're one of eight teams on his no-trade list. But Cleveland needs a catcher, and Lucroy would provide a major upgrade.
David Schoenfield's take: The Padres and Braves are reportedly close to a deal of bad contracts: Matt Kemp for Hector Olivera. Kemp is on pace for 36 home runs and 100-plus RBIs but has been barely above replacement-level value (0.2 WAR), thanks to bad defense and a poor OBP. But at least the Braves dump Olivera, who has been on the suspended list for domestic violence. The Padres might just cut him.
Jayson Stark's take: The Nationals had to find a closer. They found one in Pittsburgh, as they got Mark Melancon for LHP Felipe Rivero and LHP Taylor Hearn. The Nationals gave up two good arms but held on to Lucas Giolito, Trea Turner and Reynaldo Lopez.
Jayson Stark's take: The Orioles are having a tough time getting into the mix for the top starters on the market because their only player in Keith Law's top 50 prospects is a guy they can't afford to trade (catcher Chance Sisco, ranked No. 41) because they'll need him to replace Matt Wieters. As such, Dan Duquette, the O's executive vice president for baseball operations, looks as if he's doing what he has often done at the deadline: waiting for bargains as the clock counts down.
That hasn't always worked, of course. Two years ago at the deadline, the Orioles traded Eduardo Rodriguez to Boston for two months of Andrew Miller; it's safe to say Rodriguez would come in handy right now. In this case, Duquette is among a number of execs who expect the prices on some of the second-tier starters on this market to drop dramatically.
Among the pitchers the Orioles have been connected with are Jeremy Hellickson, Edinson Volquez, Rich Hill, Wade Miley and Hector Santiago. It would be a surprise if they don't find a way to deal for one of them in the final hours Monday.
Jayson Stark's take: The rumor mill has linked the Astros to the likes of Jonathan Lucroy and Jay Bruce in recent days, but their real focus has been adding a starter who could pitch Games 1, 2 or 3 of a postseason series. The Astros are one of many clubs in the mix for the available starters in Tampa Bay, but an even more intriguing option could be Kansas City and Edinson Volquez.
The Royals have been asking teams for controllable, big league-ready players -- particularly starters and corner outfielders -- who could give them a chance to win next year. Houston could offer them a commodity they might decide is just as attractive: young players who could be ready to succeed the likes of Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain, if those players take the free-agent exit ramp out of town after next season.
Although the Astros have told clubs that Alex Bregman and Lance McCullers are off the table, they're open to talking about virtually all of their other young position players. It's hard to imagine them dealing first baseman A. J. Reed for a rental such as Volquez, but that would still leave players such as 1B/3B Tyler White, 3B Colin Moran, OF Derek Fisher and others as attractive pieces. The Royals were said by other clubs to be assessing their options on Saturday, but the Astros have to be very much on their radar screen.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Potential suitors keep drifting in and out of the Jay Bruce sweepstakes. The Rangers have checked in on Bruce, but their main focus is pitching.
The Mets are also keeping tabs on Bruce, but he isn't a great fit at Citi Field. Bruce is a corner outfielder who hits left-handed, and the Mets already have an abundance of that commodity.
Buster Olney's take: McCann is under contract for $17 million annually for 2017 and 2018. The Yankees have their catcher-in-waiting, Gary Sanchez, ready to go. McCann is a Georgia guy. With the Braves getting ready to move into a new park, he could be a gate attraction, like Freddie Freeman.
To be clear: More than a month ago, the Yankees indicated to teams that they were willing to talk about McCann (and others), as reported then.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Yes, Texas had a top scout on hand to watch Velasquez pitch six effective innings in a 2-1 loss to Atlanta. But one Rangers person described it as more "due diligence'' than a sign that a trade is imminent. With Yu Darvish eligible for free agency after the 2017 season, the Rangers are thinking long-term and looking at several young, controllable arms. As of Friday night, the Rangers and Phillies weren't into the process of exchanging names. If the Phillies ask for Jurickson Profar for Velasquez -- as is likely -- the teams will quickly discover that they don't have much common ground.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Closers Andrew Miller, Wade Davis and Mark Melancon are the biggest names in play. But the surplus of suitors is good news for teams such as the Braves (Jim Johnson), Brewers (Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress), Twins (Fernando Abad and Brandon Kintzler), Angels (Joe Smith) and Rays (Erasmo Ramirez) -- losing clubs that have bullpen pieces who could help contenders down the stretch. MLB executives envision a flurry of relievers changing teams between now and Monday's deadline.
Friday's trade buzz.
Jayson Stark's take: The Dodgers and Reds have had trouble matching up directly in their talks about Jay Bruce. So they've gotten creative and are seeking a third team to help put the pieces together. The Dodgers also have been pursuing pitching, and the Reds have been reluctant to trade their best young arms, such as Rafael Iglesias and Anthony DeSclafani. So a third team could help fit those pieces together as well.
The Dodgers have been mostly chasing right-handed bats, but Bruce is the best controllable hitter on this market and has handled left-handers better than he has in past years. He was slugging .515, with an .815 OPS, against them going into Friday night, although with only four walks in 111 plate appearances. Nevertheless, his addition would make the Dodgers' lineup extremely left-handed. The Reds have been hunting for young position players they can build around. So a third team theoretically can help them fill that need, too.
What is unclear is what this trade would mean for Yasiel Puig, whose star has faded so much since his splashy debut in L. A. that the Dodgers have basically tried to attach him to more attractive pieces in trades this month in an attempt to ship him elsewhere. Puig's .376 slugging percentage ranks 187th in baseball this season among players with at least 225 plate appearances. And his .693 OPS ranks 183rd. As recently as 2017, he finished sixth in the National League in OPS, at .863. Sources say the Dodgers have had a difficult time finding a taker for him even though he is still only 25 and is under control through 2018, for just $17.4 million.
Doug Padilla's take: The Dodgers are looking for both outfield and pitching upgrades, but manager Dave Roberts isn't about to beg for changes, knowing he must support the 25 men on the current roster. The Dodgers have played well since the end of June when staff ace Clayton Kershaw went down, and Roberts was more interested in lauding the effort. "I don't think we're holding out hope for any particular player," Roberts said. "We're just trying to win baseball games. If something happens, great. Any team can get better. That's easy to say and to see. But I don't think our guys are too concerned about who we're going to get and if we don't it's not going to really impact us either way."
Jerry Crasnick's take: Reds president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty vented to the media on Thursday that the offers for Bruce haven't been nearly at the level of what the Reds think he's worth. So Bruce and Oakland's Josh Reddick enter the weekend as talented corner outfielders in a state of trade limbo. Bruce has a $13 million club option for next season, so he doesn't even fall under the category of "rental.'' But to this point, no team has been motivated to part with the kind of top-shelf prospect that Jocketty and the Reds are seeking.
Jayson Stark's take: When the Mariners put Marte on the disabled list with mononucleosis, there were reports he could be out as long as six weeks. So sources say the Mariners checked in with the Reds on Cozart, who is available and under control through next year. Now it appears Marte will be out considerably less time. But the Mariners and Reds are said to be still talking, about both Cozart and Jay Bruce.
The Mariners have been portrayed as "sellers." But in fact, other clubs describe them more as "shoppers" in this market. Haven't given up on this year. Looking to maximize their chances to win next year. So while Cozart wouldn't seem to have a defined spot once Marte returns, it's possible the Mariners view him as a "value" type buy. He's fifth among NL shortstops in OPS, is making just $2.93 million and is viewed as an above-average defender.
Meanwhile, Bruce's .895 OPS is 133 points higher than the OPS of Seattle right fielders. So he's an obvious fit for the Mariners. And by talking about both, they could help round out a potentially larger deal than originally thought.
Jayson Stark's take: On the one hand, one source Friday estimated that the chances of Sale getting traded were "less than 5 percent." On the other hand, the White Sox sure do keep listening. So it's always notable to pay attention to who's in attendance when a guy like this pitches. Of this group of teams, the Marlins are now out after trading for Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea . . . the Orioles wouldn't seem to have enough depth in their system . . . the Rangers' interest has been no secret . . . and the Nationals are a surprise, because they appear to be focusing more heavily on relief pitching.
Beyond those clubs, the Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees are all known to have some level of interest. But teams that have spoken with the White Sox continue to report that the price on Sale is so high, it's almost impossible to envision someone paying it.
An executive of one team's summation: "They want your five best prospects, and that might not be good enough, because they want major-league ready pitching."
An exec from another club described it this way: "They're asking for a huge haul. But if they get overwhelmed with major league pitching, and controllable guys, they'll strongly consider it."
So it's not impossible that Sale could change area codes in the next few days. But it's still a thousand miles away from likely.
Scott Lauber's take: As much as any team, the Red Sox have the assets -- at the big-league level and in the minors -- to pull off a Hershel Walker-style blockbuster for Sale. What's less clear is whether they actually have the appetite for it. Any deal almost certainly would start with top prospect Yoan Moncada, considered by most talent evaluators to be a future All-Star and recently compared by Double-A Portland manager Carlos Febles to a young Carlos Beltran. The Red Sox also likely would have to include players off the big-league roster (someone like catcher-left fielder Blake Swihart, for instance) and maybe top pitching prospect Michael Kopech.
Because of the hefty price, it still seems more likely than not that Sale stays in Chicago -- at least for now. But as Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said this week, teams' motivations tend to change as the deadline creeps closer. And just in case the Red Sox want to get serious, it appears the White Sox are doing their homework on Boston's farm system.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Cleveland is the most noteworthy team on that list. The provision in Lucroy's contract doesn't preclude a trade, but it's an additional obstacle the Indians would have to surmount.
Adam Rubin's take: I'm hearing there is nothing imminent with the Mets involving a trade. So if anything materializes, and there are no guarantee, it is a lot more likely to come closer to Monday's 4 p. m. ET non-waiver trade deadline. Remember, the Mets acquired Addison Reed last year in August via a waiver deal. I have heard the Mets have no intention of trading Double-A prospects Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith.
As for the Brewers and Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee officials came back to the Mets on Thursday with a proposal that was not out-of-hand rejected. The Mets previously had believed any chance of landing Lucroy was dead. Still, Mets personnel don't have a handle on whether Milwaukee's interest in a deal with them is genuine or being used to drive up bids elsewhere for Lucroy.
Katie Strang's take: The fact that the Tigers are now out of the Jonathan Lucroy sweepstakes is not entirely surprising, since the team was considered a long-short to pull off a trade for the Milwaukee Brewers catcher in the first place. Organizationally, there are more pressing needs for Detroit than at that position, anyway. Should the Tigers swing a deal for the deadline, it makes much more sense for them to add pitching depth instead -- either an upgrade to the back end of the rotation or adding an extra arm to the bullpen.
Jayson Stark's take: By giving up their two best remaining prospects (Josh Naylor and Luis Castillo) in their trade for Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea, the Marlins showed how hungry owner Jeffrey Loria is to make the playoffs this year. But the deals they didn't make shows there was a limit to that hunger. They talked with the Tampa Bay Rays about deals involving Matt Moore or Jake Odorizzi, but sources said the Rays weren't high on the Marlins' system. So presumably, any deal would have had to start with everyday players off their big league roster, such as outfielder Christian Yelich, catcher J. T. Realmuto or shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. It now sounds as though they never got far enough along to get that specific. The Marlins also targeted Jeremy Hellickson, but the Phillies reportedly told them they had better options, after scouting the Miami farm system from top to bottom.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Ramirez isn't the flashiest name out there. But the Orioles need a starter, and he's the one arm Tampa Bay is truly interested in moving now that the Rays have determined they'll probably hang on to Chris Archer, Matt Moore, Jake Odorizzi and Drew Smyly into the offseason. Ramirez has shown he can compete in the AL East, and he's under team control through 2019. It's not a sexy move for Baltimore, but it's a functional one.
David Schoenfield's take: The Marlins were desperate for rotation help, especially with Wei-Yin Chen on the DL, and they dealt probably the biggest chip in their weak system in first baseman Josh Naylor, last year's surprise first-round pick. Cashner and Rea aren't big upgrades, but both should move into the rotation. Naylor is a Canadian first baseman with power potential and a physique from the David Ortiz school. He's holding his own in Class A, hitting .269 with nine home runs, although most felt he was an overdraft last year because he's limited to first base. Good upside play by the Padres because Cashner will be a free agent at season's end.
Giants acquire All-Star infielder Nunez from Twins.
David Schoenfield's take: This is exactly the kind of trade an organization like the Minnesota Twins has to make: Cash in on a veteran player having a career year and obtain a prospect who should help in the future.
The Giants pick up a versatile infielder who also can play the outfield, although it appears they're finally close to getting healthy again. Second baseman Joe Panik returned to the lineup Thursday after missing a month with a concussion, Hunter Pence is rehabbing in Triple-A and third baseman Matt Duffy is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this weekend as he recovers from a strained Achilles tendon.
Thursday's trade buzz.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is in serious win-now mode, and his baseball people are frantically scouring the landscape for a starting pitcher. Miami's need for an arm became even more acute when Wei-Yin Chen went on the disabled list with a strained elbow this week. Ultimately, the Marlins have to decide if a two-month Jeremy Hellickson rental is a significant enough upgrade over Tom Koehler, Jarred Cosart and Jose Urena to justify digging deeper into an already weak farm system.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy is out of the lineup Thursday against Arizona lefty Robbie Ray, but hold the hysteria. It's a day game after a night game and Lucroy is hitting .238 vs. left-handers this season, so it makes sense for Brewers manager Craig Counsell to rest him in favor of Martin Maldonado. There's a good chance Lucroy gets moved by Monday's deadline, but he's sitting Thursday because it was a scheduled day off -- not because a trade is imminent.
Jayson Stark's take: Beyond Jeremy Hellickson, whose situation we covered Wednesday in this space, the Phillies have next to no veteran trade chips of value -- in large part because they unloaded all those chips last July or over the winter. They were trying to trade Peter Bourjos this week to open a roster spot for Aaron Altherr, who comes off the disabled list Thursday. But Bourjos sprained his shoulder Tuesday, so they'll put him back on the market in August. They were looking for so little in return, his trade value won't be much different next month anyway.
The Phillies have also listened on closer Jeanmar Gomez and setup man David Hernandez. But Gomez is under control for next year and inexpensive. So the Phillies have been telling teams that unless someone values him as a late-inning weapon and is willing to give up a legitimate prospect, they're likely to keep him. And while Gomez has 26 saves in 29 opportunities and a 2.70 ERA, his low strikeout rate (5.6 per 9 innings) makes it unlikely any team would pay that price.
There is no indication the Phillies have heard much more than lukewarm interest in Hernandez, although he has pitched well lately, still averages 94 miles per hour on his fastball and has struck out 57 in 46.2 innings. And it appears the last holdovers from their glory days, Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard, will finish out their Phillies careers as backups, although it's still possible Ruiz could be dealt in August to serve as some contender's backup catcher.
Wednesday's trade buzz.
Jerry Crasnick's take: It's looking increasingly likely that the Brewers will move Lucroy, one of the prized hitters of the trade deadline market. They're talking to several clubs, and it appears that someone will meet general manager David Stearns' asking price by the Aug. 1 deadline. The team that acquires Lucroy will have him for two months this season and the entire 2017 season, when he's signed for an affordable $5.25 million.
Jerry Crasnick's take: The Seattle Mariners are among the teams that have expressed interest in Cincinnati's Jay Bruce, who is likely to be on the move by Monday's trade deadline. Seattle has received middling production from Seth Smith, Nori Aoki and Franklin Gutierrez at the corner outfield spots this season, and Bruce would provide a major upgrade in 2017 -- he has a $13 million club option next season.
Jayson Stark's take: Now that they've dealt away another back-of-the-rotation starter (Lucas Harrell), the Braves appear to be focusing on relatively small-scale moves. They would love to find a taker for underachieving shortstop Erick Aybar and second baseman Gordon Beckham, both of whom can be free agents. But it's hard to find any team that has admitted to having interest in those two. They've fielded calls on Jeff Francoeur, thanks to his .781 OPS against left-handed pitching, but seem inclined to keep a good clubhouse presence who is only making $1 million. And they would only move currently injured closer Arodys Vizcaino (oblique) as part of a much bigger deal.
So that leaves Johnson, who has thrown much better in recent weeks since returning from a groin injury that landed him on the disabled list in May. His average fastball velocity is up two miles per hour, to 94.2 mph, since his return. And while that's still a tick below where he was when he was power-sinkering his way to back-to-back 50-save seasons in Baltimore in 2018-13, as ROBaseball tweeted Wednesday, his strikeout rate is back up to 19.9 percent. That's actually higher than his 19.2 percent strikeout percentage for the Orioles in 2018. As many as two dozen relievers could get traded in the next five days -- it wouldn't be surprising now if Johnson turns out to be one of them.
Katie Strang's take: The Tigers managed to sweep the Boston Red Sox in a three-game series this week, completing a five-wins-in-seven-games road trip. Consequently, there is a growing feeling within the clubhouse that the team can secure a postseason spot and contend when healthy. That doesn't mean that Tigers brass will abandon its previously stated plans to stand pat, but it does give general manager Al Avila something to think about with the deadline approaching.
Jerry Crasnick's take: The Giants have been in an almost daily tug-of-war over whether they need to fortify the rotation or the bullpen first. They'd love to add a reliever, but the ongoing struggles of Jake Peavy and Matt Cain in the Nos. 4 and 5 spots have increased the possibility that they'll try to add a starter. Volquez is an interesting name, if only because he pitched with Johnny Cueto in Cincinnati and Kansas City. Could the Giants try to unite them a third time?
David Schoenfield's take: Cashner looks more like rotation depth at this point, considering he has struggled with walks and home runs this year while not compensating with a higher strikeout rate. He could be an intriguing arm out of the bullpen, however, if his fastball plays up in relief. He has averaged 93.9 mph as a starter in 2018, but back when he pitched out of the bullpen, he averaged 96-97, so he could be a sneaky relief alternative without the big price the Cubs paid to get Aroldis Chapman.
Jerry Crasnick's take: Gallo has been mentioned as a prime trade chip in the Rangers' search for pitching. But some teams have enough reservations about his ability to make contact that they don't see him as the centerpiece of a deal and might be more inclined to focus on Nomar Mazara, Jurickson Profar or Lew Brinson in discussions with Texas. If Gallo develops into another Chris Davis or Adam Dunn, he'll be worth the risk. Until he cuts down on the strikeouts, he has a little too much boom-or-bust for some evaluators' tastes.
Jayson Stark's take: After trading for Aroldis Chapman and Mike Montgomery and activating Joe Nathan, the Cubs have addressed the bullpen, the one area of their team that they viewed as a defined weakness. Although they clearly aren't finished shopping, rival teams say the Cubs have been asking about controllable starting pitchers. Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore in Tampa Bay fit the profile of a trade they could match up with.
The Cubs balked at including young players who have already reached the big leagues -- Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Kyle Schwarber, etc. -- in their pursuit of Chapman and other closers. Tampa Bay has been asking for big league-ready players in virtually any deal it would make for a starting pitcher, so that could be a deal-breaker for now, possibly to be resumed this winter. But a team with as many prospects to trade as the Cubs can't be counted out of the discussion about almost any name currently bouncing around.
Jayson Stark's take: With five days left before the deadline, Hellickson has emerged as the Phillies' one trade chip with real value. He has gone at least six innings in 13 of his past 14 starts, with a 3.14 ERA and a respectable 70-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 89 innings in that span. Teams looking for back-of-the-rotation innings-eaters (Marlins, Orioles, Giants, Pirates, Rangers) have been watching him closely.
Those teams are reporting that the Phillies are looking for a young player who "isn't your best prospect but would fit somewhere in your top five prospects" in return. Their rationale is that, as a Scott Boras client approaching free agency, Hellickson is a player they would almost certainly tender a qualifying offer to this winter, with confidence that he'd be unlikely to take it. As such, they're telling clubs that they see no upside in trading him without getting a player better than the No. 35-40 pick in the draft, which is what they'd end up with.
Although it's probable that they find a taker this week, Hellickson is one of those players who seems to rank as no team's first choice but slots as a Plan B for a number of teams. His next start for the Phillies is Saturday in Atlanta. It's now a good bet that he'll make that start.
Click here for previous Trade Deadline Daily buzz.