Kuzul

This year, baseball’s new playoff format begins the postseason with some sizzle.

Two additional wild-card teams expand the playoff field, but will oppose one another in a one-game playoff, with the winner facing the top division champion. 

As if the postseason didn’t already create enough drama, the one-game playoff doesn’t allow either of the wild-card winners to settle in and enjoy their surroundings. The stakes are high, and they’re immediate. One and done. 

But the current wild-card standings present the possibility of some extremely intriguing matchups and storylines. Not just team versus team, but batter against pitcher and pitcher versus pitcher. Even if it’s just one game between the wild cards, it could be memorable. 

Here are the five potential matchups that look like the most exciting possibilities for the one-game wild-card playoff. 

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Five years ago on Aug. 7, Barry Bonds hit home run No. 756 for his career, taking over baseball’s all-time home run record from Hank Aaron. 

That 2007 season also turned out to Bonds’ final one in the major leagues. With five years passed since he stopped playing (he never officially retired, but acknowledged his career was over two years later), he’s also eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Though Bonds being a part of the 2013 class of Hall of Fame inductees seems like a no-brainer based on his spectacular numbers, the controversy surrounding Bonds throughout his career is not going to make it that simple. 

Obviously, Bonds’ alleged PED use hangs over his achievements like a dark cloud of suspicion and doubt. Hall of Fame voters have already held such allegations against eligible players, regardless of actual evidence. Just ask Jeff Bagwell. 

Some will obviously feel that Bonds’ achievements are forever tainted by suspicions of PED use, especially his involvement with the BALCO scandal. During grand jury testimony in 2003, Bonds said that he used “the cream” and “the clear,” but didn’t know those substances were steroids because his trainer told him otherwise. 

A No-Doubt Hall of Famer

In some people’s eyes, Bonds is a cheater—one who cynically took PEDs to make sure he achieved all the records that matter in baseball—and shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. 

But look at the man’s Baseball-Reference page. In particular, look at all the numbers that are in bold type, meaning he led the majors in that particular category. It’s not just his home run numbers that are in bold.

At various points throughout his career, Bonds led the league in batting, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. He even led the league in runs scored, total bases and games played. In perhaps the greatest indication of how feared and respected he was as a hitter, Bonds led the league in intentional walks in 12 of his 22 seasons. 

He won seven National League Most Valuable Player awards. Three of those came while he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates, long before there was ever any suspicion that Bonds was taking something extra to give himself a boost on the field. 

Even if you look at Bonds’ career before 1998, when he reportedly began using steroids, according to the book Game of Shadows, he was a Hall of Fame baseball player. He had six consecutive seasons with 30-plus homers, hitting 40 or more three times. Bonds hit over .300 in four of those seasons and surpassed 100 RBI in five of them. 

Perhaps it’s unfair to just assume that many, many players were taking steroids from the mid-90s through the 2000s. But the numbers say that it wasn’t just a few players who were looking for an edge. So how can voters just single out a handful of players and penalize them?

If Bonds was taking steroids—and the changes in his body in addition to the surge in his statistics strongly indicate so—while many of his major league peers were doing it, he was still better than just about anyone in the sport. 

Taking Out a Grudge

However, PED allegations won’t be the only large obstacle between Bonds and Cooperstown. He also has to account for his relationship with the media. The writers that Bonds had a contentious relationship with throughout his career control his Hall of Fame induction with their vote.

Those who were mistreated and inconvenienced by Bonds’ surly attitude and unwillingness to talk might take this opportunity to exact a measure of passive-aggressive revenge by keeping him out of the Hall of Fame—even if it’s just for one year, in what’s become a silly stratification of the inductees.

The best of the best are “first ballot” Hall of Famers, gaining entry when first eligible, while the other less best get in later on after they wait their turn in line. 

Where will Bonds fall on that scale? His numbers are absolutely, undoubtedly first-ballot worthy. But it’s entirely possible that voters will use their ballots to make a statement—both against his alleged steroid use and treatment of the media—and make him wait. 

Judging by remarks Bonds made to MLB.com’s Barry Bloom, he expects that to happen. And some of that defiance and anger that so many associate with Bonds comes to the surface as he considers the possibility that he could be withheld from his rightful honor.

“I don’t worry about it because I don’t want to be negative about the way other people think it should be run,” Bonds said when asked how he felt about being eligible for the Hall of Fame. “That’s their opinion, and I’m not going to be negative. I know I’m going to be gone one day. If you want to keep me out, that’s your business.”

But for someone who says he doesn’t worry about such matters, Bonds then went on a rather incoherent rant when asked how voters might approach players of his era who have steroid allegations attached to them.

“You have to vote on baseball the way baseball needs to be voted on,” Bonds said to Bloom. “If you vote on your assumptions or what you believe or what you think might have been going on there, that’s your problem. You’re at fault. It has nothing to do with what your opinion is. Period.

“If that’s the case, you better go way, way back and start thinking about your opinions. If that’s how you feel life should be run, I would say then you run your Hall of Fame the way you want to run your Hall of Fame. That’s what I think. That’s my personal opinion. If you want to do the Hall of Fame the way the Hall of Fame is supposed to be done, then you make the right decision on that. If you don’t, that’s on you. To stamp something on your assumptions, it doesn’t work for me.”

Voters Should Do the Right Thing

OK, let’s cut through phrases like “how you feel life should be run” and focus on “the way baseball needs to be voted on.”

I’m going to presume Bonds means that the best players should be voted into the Hall of Fame. And he’s absolutely right about that. 

Bonds is also right that suspicions or grudges shouldn’t have a bearing on someone’s Hall of Fame worthiness. A player either is a Hall of Famer or he isn’t. None of this “first ballot” stuff should matter, especially for players who were clearly the best at their position and among their peers. 

That’s not to say that voters shouldn’t be allowed to take their time. Look over the evidence more clearly and come to a conclusion in certain cases, as happened with Bert Blyleven. Sometimes, the numbers just don’t jump out and make the verdict wholly apparent.

But the verdict is entirely obvious with Bonds. Even if he’s displaying his signature arrogance when he says there’s not a doubt in his mind that he’s a Hall of Famer, Bonds is right. 

The idea that he created a character, a persona to make himself a villain against the media is laughable. Bonds should just admit that he needed to be adversarial to give himself the edge he needed, and talking to the media—even if it really was part of his job—on a regular basis interfered with that. 

In his interview with Bloom, Bonds admits that he “could’ve given the media a little more” later in his career. The cynical view is that Bonds is only saying this now because he knows the media controls his fate and he’s kissing up a bit. But that also speaks to the concern Bonds has that his Hall of Fame candidacy could actually be affected by his behavior.

The man is worried. That’s enough. Hall of Fame voters don’t need to make an additional statement. Bonds is already sweating over his induction. Isn’t that sufficient punishment if he actually deserves any sort of penalty? 

Hall of Fame voters should show they’re better than bitter scribes taking out a grudge. Here’s hoping that they realize they’re not bigger than the game and give Bonds the honor his career deserves.

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With CC Sabathia as the ace, Hideki Kuroda as a strong No. 2 and Andy Pettitte set to come back in September, do the New York Yankees have a starting rotation good enough to make it to the World Series?

Are the Yankees too dependent on Pettitte’s comeback? If he doesn’t return, is Freddy Garcia a suitable replacement? Should general manager Brian Cashman have traded for a starting pitcher at the July 31 trade deadline?

Bleacher Report’s MLB Lead Blogger Ian Casselberry and Pop Culture Lead Blogger Gabe Zaldival discuss the Yankees’ chances.

How do you see it? What did we miss? Is the Yankees’ pitching strong enough for a World Series run? Sound off in the comments section below.

Follow Gabe Zaldivar @gabezal 

Follow Ian Casselberry @iancass

Be sure to sound off and let us know what you think in the comments below. If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions. 

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With approximately two months to go in the 2012 season, has the NL Rookie of the Year race come down to a two-man competition?

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley and Cincinnati Reds infielder Todd Frazier look like the current favorites for the award. But we may have been able to say the same thing about Bryce Harper in June, as early in the season as that was. These things can obviously change quickly.

This week, we’re going to address the Anthony Rizzo question once again. The Chicago Cubs first baseman is getting quite a bit of support from commenters as he is rapidly catching up to the NL rookie leaders in home runs. Yet we’re still talking about a player who has played in only 34 games as of Aug. 7.

I still think Yonder Alonso could finish in the top five by the end of the season. The San Diego Padres first baseman had another great week, hitting 7-for-23 (.304) with three doubles, a home run and three RBI. But his season numbers still lag behind the other top rookies.

One more player who got some support via Twitter is Houston Astros pitcher Lucas Harrell. He’s allowed a total of seven earned runs in his past seven starts. Harrell also has 26 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. A 9-7 record and 3.98 ERA for a terrible Astros team is pretty impressive. But unless someone else slides, I don’t think Harrell cracks the top five. 

Taking all of these matters into consideration, these five players look like the current leading contenders for the NL Rookie of the Year award. 

We always look forward to your responses and suggestions in the comments. Thanks for your feedback, which factors into these rankings each week. 

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The trade deadline was minutes away from becoming a blown opportunity for the Chicago Cubs, team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer.

The Cubs had two huge trade chips in starting pitchers Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza, top arms that would yield a wave of minor league prospects—especially pitching prospects—that the team needed to rebuild its organization. To not trade one or either of them would have been a huge disappointment. 

Epstein stared that disappointment right in the face as the minutes ticked down to the 3:00 p.m. CT trade deadline.

Dempster had already killed what would have been a good deal with the Atlanta Braves last week. Invoking his “10-and-5” rights (10 years in the majors, five with the same team) to veto the trade that cost the Cubs top pitching prospect Randall Delgado, an arm that could have been one of the best in their future rotation. 

The Cubs tried to rebound from the deal falling through by working out a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dempster’s preferred destination. But Epstein and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti could never come to an agreement on a deal.

As the Los Angeles Times‘ Dylan Hernandez writes, the Dodgers didn’t want to surrender a top prospect like Zach Lee for a player who could become a free agent after the season. Colletti also likely felt he didn’t have to trade top talent, given that Dempster already made it known he wanted to go to Chavez Ravine. 

The Dodgers pulled out of negotiations shortly before the trade deadline, leaving Epstein with only two other options, the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.

Last Team Standing

The Yankees showed interest in Dempster, fueled largely by former Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild and GM Jim Hendry stumping for him. But Cashman was reportedly not highly motivated to make a deal because the Yankees already have starting pitching. CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte (when he returns) form a strong top three in the rotation.

That left the Rangers, who were extremely motivated to get a starting pitcher.

Even before Colby Lewis suffered a season-ending elbow injury, Texas was looking for a No. 1 type starter for the top of its rotation. That need became even more urgent once the Los Angeles Angels got Zack Greinke, presenting a formidable challenge for the Rangers’ AL West lead. 

Minutes before the trade deadline hit, the Cubs and Rangers had a deal with Single-A pitcher Kyle Hendricks and third baseman Christian Villanueva joining the load of prospects that Epstein had acquired in the past two days. 

Arms and More Arms

The Cubs couldn’t trade Garza for full value because of a triceps injury he developed last week that made him unable to pitch until after the July 31 deadline. Even though teams were surely interested in Garza based on past performance, no one was willing to take a risk on a pitcher who hadn’t taken the mound in more than a week and whose health was in question. 

Epstein was able to compensate for not being able to trade Garza by dealing another starting pitcher. Having already negotiated with the Braves for Dempster, the Cubs were able to work out another trade with Atlanta for left-hander Paul Maholm.

In return, Epstein got two excellent prospects from the Braves. Arodys Vizcaino is coming off Tommy John surgery earlier this year, but was still considered one of Atlanta’s top two minor league pitchers. Jaye Chapman has pitched well for Triple-A Gwinnett this season with 60 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. 

The other trade deadline deal Epstein pulled off was another trade with the Rangers, sending catcher Geovany Soto to Texas for Double-A pitcher Jacob Brigham.

Brigham wasn’t considered a top prospect in the Rangers organization, pitching for the second consecutive season in Double-A. But the Cubs weren’t going to get an elite prospect for Soto, who’s played in only 52 games while batting under .200. Besides, Brigham has strikeout stuff and racks up innings, two qualities that should get him a shot in the majors. 

Waves and Waves of Pitching Prospects

Two weeks ago, when speaking to Chicago reporters, Epstein said the Cubs needed “waves and waves” of pitching prospects coming through the minor league system to help rebuild the organization. One or two arms wasn’t going to be enough. The Cubs obviously wanted talent, but they also needed depth.

Four young arms isn’t a bad haul for four veteran players, two of whom were likely considered expendable. 

Yes, if Epstein had been able to trade Garza and outfielder Alfonso Soriano, he would have collected more arms. But it’s possible Epstein could make more deals before baseball’s Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline.

Soriano and the $42 million remaining on his contract will surely clear waivers, allowing the Cubs to make a deal. And if Garza gets picked up on waivers, perhaps Epstein can arrange a trade with the club that claimed him. 

Outfielders Bryan LaHair and David DeJesus, along with infielder Darwin Barney are another trio of players that could be dealt away over the next four weeks. That could yield another wave of arms into the Cubs’ minor league system. 

Hoarding prospects and rebuilding with younger players is a completely different way of doing business than Epstein conducted in Boston. With the Red Sox, he could build through trades and free agency. The Cubs obviously aren’t to that point.

But so far, Epstein has shown a pretty good talent for building an organization through other methods. The future looks more promising for the Cubs than it did even 24 hours ago. And there should be much more to come.

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With the whirlwind circumstances of Ichiro Suzuki‘s trade to the New York Yankees on Monday, there wasn’t much time to reflect on his career with the Seattle Mariners. 

Before fans, reporters and bloggers had a chance to digest the news, the immaculately dressed Suzuki was sitting next to Yankees manager Joe Girardi at a table to discuss the trade with the media. 

There was plenty of time—five or six hours—for Mariners fans to find out that Ichiro had been traded. Yet, while watching him take the field at Safeco Field Monday night in a Yankees uniform, I kept imagining several thousand fans who either hadn’t heard the news, were casual Mariners followers wondering if some sort of elaborate prank had been played or if they had entered a wormhole into an alternate universe.

The man is a folk hero in Seattle. Actually, he’s a rock star. I’ve witnessed the adulation Ichiro receives from Mariners fans, and it was truly impressive. No one drew more cheers, no received more love, no one could do less wrong in front of the Safeco Field faithful. I’ve seen players who were popular with home fans before, but nothing like the continual affection directed at Ichiro. 

Now that the initial shock and surprise have worn off, however, we can contemplate Ichiro’s 12 seasons in Seattle and the legacy he left with the Mariners. We may never see another player like him in baseball. For one thing, Ichiro was a trailblazer. And that trail should lead all the way to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A Strong First Impression

Ichiro was the first Japanese position player to play baseball at the major-league level. That alone made him a curiosity. With that curiosity came skepticism, naturally. How would this thin slap hitter fare against big-league pitching? 

He could hit, but did it in a way we’d never really seen before.

Ichiro seemed to run out of the batter’s box as he swung, getting a head start toward first base that allowed him to run out many infield hits. But he could drive the ball into the outfield, as if the upper half of his body stayed back to hit while his lower half was running toward first base.

No one could argue with the results. Ichiro led the majors with 242 hits that season, 36 more than the next closest competitor. His.350 batting average tied for the best in the big leagues with Larry Walker. Ichiro also finished with the most stolen bases in baseball that season with 56.

As SI.com’s Joe Lemire reminds us, Ichiro was the first player to lead his league in batting average and stolen bases since Jackie Robinson in 1949. From one pioneer to another. 

Oh, and we can’t forget Ichiro’s defense. We especially can’t forget that straight-line throw he made from right field to nail Oakland‘s Terrence Long at third base. This was no little guy. He had a cannon for an arm. 

Despite being a rookie, Ichiro led all players in All-Star votes. He won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards as a right fielder. But most impressively, Ichiro went on to win the AL Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. 

Ichiro had this major-league thing figured out pretty well. 

The Hitting Machine 

During his 12 years in Seattle, Ichiro led the majors in hits seven times.

In 2004, he not only got more hits than any major leaguer that year, but Ichiro accumulated more hits than any baseball player had in a single season. His 262 hits broke George Sisler’s 84-year-old record of 257 hits. 

Even when Ichiro didn’t lead the league in hits in three separate seasons between 2001-10, he still notched 200 hits for the year. 

As of this writing, Ichiro has 2,534 hits. Just think if he hadn’t spent nine seasons in Japan. During his professional Japanese career, he compiled 1,278 hits. That gives him 3,812 for a career total. 

Even so, Ichiro could still reach 3,000 hits in the major leagues. Depending on whether or not Ichiro signs with another team next season and continues to play another two or three years, he’ll reach that coveted milestone. 

They Love Him, They Really Love Him

Ichiro was named to 10 straight All-Star teams from 2001-10. During that span, he also won 10 Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger Awards.

Those honors are decided by fan balloting, and voting from managers and coaches. So, it could be argued that the awards are subjective and not reflective of a player’s merit during a particular season.

But it’s generally understood that All-Stars, Gold Glove winners and Silver Slugger honorees are considered the best of the best at their positions. Ichiro didn’t get those awards simply because he was popular or had a good reputation. He earned them.

One subjective vote remains. Hall of Fame voters will consider Ichiro one of the best at his position during his major-league career. With nearly 3,000 hits and a career batting average around .320, he has the resume.

Ichiro won’t have the power numbers that other Hall of Fame right fielders such as Al Kaline, Reggie Jackson, Roberto Clemente and, of course, Hank Aaron compiled. But he was a different kind of player.

As I wrote at the beginning of this article, we may never see another player like him again.

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One of the more curious rumors to develop as we approach baseball’s July 31 trade deadline is the Washington Nationals showing interest in making a deal for Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster.

The Nats aren’t a team that needs Dempster to bolster its starting rotation like the Dodgers, Braves, Yankees or Tigers. You could argue that adding a bat to their lineup is a far greater need. But hitters look to be in short supply right now. Pitching is the available commodity. 

Dempster to the Nats? Don’t they already have enough pitching with a rotation of Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler? Their staff ERA is second in the majors. Opponents are hitting .234 against Nationals pitchers, the best mark in baseball. 

Someone who agrees with that argument is Nationals manager Davey Johnson. Before Friday’s game vs. the Braves, Johnson told reporters covering the team that he didn’t think the Nats should make a big deal at the trade deadline. 

“I have gone into that area with general managers, saying, ‘I need so-and-so,’ or this, that and the other,” Johnson said, according to MASN.com’s Dan Kolko. “But I like what we have here. I don’t see any emergency move needed.”

Johnson went on to explain, as the Washington Post‘s Adam Kilgore wrote, that trading for a top pitcher runs contrary to the way the Nats have been doing business in recent years. They’ve developed minor leaguers until they were ready for the majors and those players now fill key roles on a team that holds first place in the NL East. 

That philosophy applies when you’re building a team from the ground up and trying to establish a winning team and playoff contender. But the Nationals have already reached that point. They’ve actually jumped ahead in whatever plan Johnson and general manager Mike Rizzo laid out.

The Nats are now a team that will very likely make the playoffs, whether it’s as a division champion or wild card. And in a year when there’s no clear favorite in the National League, the Nationals have a chance to get to the World Series. 

With that being the case, Johnson is wrong about the need to make a big trade.

The Nationals are in position to play for a championship, even if it seems like it might be a year or two early for them. So the time is right to make a big trade that can strengthen their chances of winning. Because these opportunities don’t come around that often.

Yes, the Nationals already have impressive pitching depth. Besides the starters on hand, John Lannan is waiting to be called up from Triple-A Syracuse and gives the Nats another solid arm to add to the back of the rotation. 

However, Rizzo has already made it clear that he intends to shut Strasburg down in September when he’s reached the innings limit the team established for him. The Nats are going to need another starting pitcher and if they can bring in one better than Lannan, why not do so?

Johnson may be right in that the Nationals don’t have to make a trade. But they can make a trade and can add crucial depth to a playoff contender in the process. If that costs the organization a couple of pitching prospects, that’s a price worth paying.

(Maybe Rizzo draws the line at prized prospect Alex Meyer. If that’s who Theo Epstein wants in return for Dempster, is that a deal breaker?)

Dempster may not be a true No. 1 starter, but the Nationals already have those types of pitchers in Strasburg and Gonzalez. He’s shown he can dominate against NL competition as his league-leading 2.11 ERA demonstrates.

Adding him as a No. 3 starter (or No. 2, if and when Strasburg is shut down) gives the Nats a truly formidable starting rotation. 

By the way, Dempster can be a replacement for Strasburg in more ways than one. He could take over Strasburg’s spot in the rotation after the infamous innings limit is reached.

But Dempster could also be used to extend Strasburg’s season and allow him to be available in September or October. Strasburg could skip a few turns with Dempster filling in.

The Nats could also go to a six-man rotation. Or they could use Dempster to give other pitchers besides Strasburg a rest. Maybe Gonzalez or Zimmermann could miss a start or two to keep their arms fresh. 

Would that be disruptive to Dempster’s routine? He’s shown plenty of versatility throughout his major league career, moving between the starting rotation and bullpen. He’s a veteran who can adapt.

Not pitching him every five days probably won’t be as disruptive to Dempster as it might be to a younger pitcher like Strasburg or Zimmermann. 

The possibilities are numerous, which is what makes this potential deal so exciting. And it’s why the Nationals should pursue it.

Under normal circumstances, Johnson is right. An up-and-coming team like the Nationals shouldn’t compromise its investment in the future for a grab at present glory that may not work out.

But this is a different situation. The future has become the present. An opportunity has presented itself and that glory is attainable. 

The Nationals’ chances at winning a championship become that much better with adding Dempster to their pitching staff. Giving up prospects for a three-month rental won’t be a setback to the team’s future. That’s why Rizzo has to make this trade. 

Sorry, Davey—you’re wrong this time. 

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When I first read the details of the 10-player trade made between the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, my initial thought was that Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow made a bad deal. 

What need could the Astros possibly have for Francisco Cordero, a 37-year-old former closer who was getting shelled by American League hitters? And what about Ben Francisco, a platoon player with some success against left-handed pitching? These aren’t the kinds of players that a rebuilding team like the Astros should add.

Of course, the real answer was with the other four players Houston picked up in the deal. The Astros received pitchers Joe Musgrove, Asher Wojciechowski and David Rollins, along with catcher Carlos Perez. The trio of pitchers are extremely young, currently developing at the Single-A level, and were among the Blue Jays’ top 20 minor league prospects. 

Luhnow is doing the exact thing that his rival NL Central executive Theo Epstein wants to do with the Cubs. He’s bringing in “waves and waves” of pitching prospects to build depth in the Astros’ minor league organization. 

It’s not enough to get a couple of guys and hope they develop. With more prospects in the system, the chances of a few reaching the majors increase. 

Trading Brandon Lyon to the Blue Jays made sense. Though a veteran reliever in the bullpen would help win some games, he’s worth far more to the Astros in terms of what return he might yield in a trade.

Toronto obviously still feels it’s in the playoff race, 3.5 games back in the AL wild card standings. Lyon is more valuable to a contender at this point.

However, it was still curious to me that Luhnow would trade J.A. Happ, still relatively young at 29 years old and a left-hander with strikeout stuff (8.5 Ks per nine). Is that the kind of pitcher that could help anchor a rebuilding pitching staff? 

Well, maybe. But again, Happ may have been more valuable in terms of what the Astros could get in return. And if the Blue Jays were willing to trade some prospects for him, that’s obviously better for the long-term future of the franchise than whatever else Happ could provide for them in another few seasons.

The same goes for David Carpenter, who looks like a valuable strikeout thrower for any bullpen. In the minors, he’s averaged almost 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

In limited major league action, he had similar numbers. But he also walked more than four batters per nine innings, far too high for a reliever. And he was extremely hittable, allowing 43 hits in nearly 30 innings. 

Let’s get back to Cordero and Francisco, however, because it’s difficult to imagine either player being with the Astros for very long.

Cordero almost seems certain to be flipped to another team looking for bullpen help, like the Braves, Mets or Giants. A National League team will be betting that Cordero was just ill-suited for the American League can find the success that he had with the Brewers and Reds for the past six seasons. 

Now, Luhnow has two potential closers to deal, between Cordero and Brett Myers. Will they bring more waves of pitching prospects into the Astros’ minor league system?

Francisco is a bit more intriguing because he could provide some help to the Astros’ current roster.

No team is getting worse production from right field than Houston, which has a collective .213 batting average and .664 OPS from the position. Francisco can hit left-handed pitching, compiling a .273/.314/.424 slash average in 35 plate appearances this season. 

At the very least, Francisco can platoon with Brian Bogusevic. Yet he still appears to be a player more likely to be flipped to a contender looking for a right-handed bat off the bench. 

So it’s probably a bit too early to judge this trade for the Astros just yet. Not just because it will be years before we find out if the pitching prospects received in the deal turn out to be major league contributors. But because Luhnow may not be done with the players involved in this trade just yet.

The Astros aren’t a playoff contender, obviously, but they could be the most intriguing team to watch in the 10 days leading up to baseball’s July 31 trade deadline.

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We’ve spent a decent amount of space here discussing how the Washington Nationals and Stephen Strasburg are going to negotiate the innings limit that general manager Mike Rizzo insists will go into effect, presumably in September.

Two weeks ago, I tossed out five ideas that could help Strasburg extend his season and manipulate his schedule to make sure that he could still be pitching during the Nats’ playoff run while still keeping himself under the 200-inning limit that Rizzo wants to shield his young star from. 

Those included tactics like moving to a six-man starting rotation or limiting Strasburg to 75 pitches per outing. Maybe the Nationals could pitch him solely against NL East rivals or schedule him for Fridays, as if he were playing in college again. 

But former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz, now an announcer for TBS and MLB Network, had a different proposal for limiting Strasburg’s innings that would also make him available when the Nationals are trying to clinch a division title or playoff spot and competing in the postseason. Just make an injury up, son. 

Say what now? No, seriously—this is what Smoltz said on ESPN Radio (via DC Sports Bog). 

“Honestly, I know this is gonna sound . . . well, I’m a little bit different anyways,” Smoltz told Scott Van Pelt. “I’d create my own little gap. I’d have a blister one day, maybe a hangnail the next start.

“You know, I think there’s ways to do it. And I get it—their statement is every game counts. Well, it does, but it doesn’t count as much as in September.”

Smoltz is definitely different, in that he’s being blatantly honest about how Strasburg and the Nationals are probably going to manipulate his schedule so that he can pitch in September.

He’s just the first guy who just came right out and said it. And by doing so, perhaps he also exposed what’s probably a relatively common routine in baseball. 

Manager: Hey, pitcher—how do you feel today?

Pitcher: I feel great. I feel strong. 

Manager: Are you sure?

Pitcher: Yeah, absolutely. My last bullpen went great. Was throwing free and easy.

General manager: Free and easy? Really? You didn’t feel a pinch in your shoulder?

Pitcher: What? No, I told you—I feel great.

General manager: No, you don’t look so good.

Manager: Yeah, you look tired. Look at how long it’s taking you to get dressed. Are you OK?

Pitcher: What are you talking about? I just haven’t put my shoes on yet because I’m sitting here—

General manager: No, you have a tired arm. Listen to me. Tired arm.

Pitcher: But I’m not—

Manager: Tired arm. You’re going on the DL. 

Pitcher: OK, but…can I still play golf? 

The only difference with Smoltz’s scenario is that he suggests Strasburg come up with a nagging problem that causes him to miss a start here and there. The painful blister. The dreaded hangnail. Maybe he can say he slept on his eye wrong, as Chris Brown supposedly once told Sparky Anderson.

It’s not like Smoltz is some Jim Bouton-esque whistle blower here, revealing deep, dark secrets from the clubhouse. But he did say what most everyone following this situation has been thinking.

Smoltz didn’t suggest that he or any of his teammates ever did such a thing. However, he sure seemed confident that it was something he would do if his team threatened to impose an innings limit on him.

Additionally, skipping a start here and there would be much easier to justify to the players than shutting him down in September when the team is fighting for a playoff spot. 

Smoltz went on to suggest something that I mentioned when discussing the possible argument to come over shutting Strasburg down. Rizzo began the season with the plan and apparently has every intention of sticking with it. But deep down, he probably didn’t think the Nats would jump ahead of schedule and contend for the NL East this year. 

So if Strasburg suddenly comes down with a chipped fingernail, stiff back or the aforementioned blister, we can all wink at each other with the knowledge of what’s really going on. Yep—tired arm. We’ll see you in September, sir.

Strasburg just has to make sure to fake a relatively harmless injury. Don’t say forearm tightness or bicep soreness. That will be too real and scare the hell out of everyone. 

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The second half of the 2012 season affords an opportunity for redemption. Those who haven’t played well for the past three months can make up for that effort with a strong finish to the year. 

For some major-league pitchers, improving their performance is simply about keeping their jobs for this season and staking a claim to employment next year. But for others who have struggled, their teams are in playoff contention and need a meaningful contribution to stay competitive with their division and league rivals. 

Of the 10 pitchers listed here, much was expected. Younger pitchers were projected to establish themselves as major leaguers. Veterans were counted on to provide innings and stability to the middle and back ends of their team’s starting rotations. To this point, these hurlers have fallen short of those expectations. 

With that, here are the 10 major-league pitchers who need to pitch well in the second half of the season. And they need to do so immediately. 

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