As Alex pointed out on Wednesday, the tough times, at least for the travelling part of the schedule seem to be over for the A's. There's no rest for the weary as the Blue Jays come to town for a four-game set this Thursday, and beginning Monday the dreaded Giants come to town for games on Monday and Tuesday and the A's travel across the Bay for games on Wednesday and Thursday. It looks like a great start to what should be a fantastic month of July.
I want to remind you that if you haven't voted for your favorite All Star you have until 11:59pm Eastern tonight, July 3, to cast your ballot(s), and you can do so here.
The next big event on the calendar is the MLB Non Waiver Trade Deadline. July 31 is the day and whether you are an old school guy like me or a new school baseball fan with a stat for everything under the sun the period leading up to July 31 is always a fun time to talk baseball. I'm looking forward to it.
There's been plenty of discussion around here at AN and I hope it continues. Some of you have come up with some pretty good ideas for sure. Alex and I talked about starting pitching on today's Phil Naessens Show and 15 minutes just doesn't seem to be enough time. We through out names like David Price, Jeff Samardzija, Bartolo Colon and Jason Hammel. I have a few other names as well ... I'll leave them below, along with the player so you can listen to the show or you can download it from my site here.
Besides the names listed above these are the starting pitchers who are most likely available come the deadline.
Cliff Lee SP Phillies
Jorge De La Rosa SP Rockies
Ian Kennedy SP Padres
I also have some possible relievers who might be available for you to ponder;
Huston Street RP Padres
Jonathon Papelbon RP Phillies
Joakiam Soria RP Texas
Joaquin Benoit RP Padres
Brad Ziegler RP Diamonbacks
Alex Torres RP Padres
Oliver Perez RP Diamondbacks
Tony Sipp RP Astros
I'm sure there are others but this should get us started. What do you think it will take to acquire any of these fellas and what would you be willing to part with if it were up to you? Or, are you like me and think the best team in baseball is all set and doesn't need any help at all in order to reach the World Series? Looking forward to reading your responses!
Happy July Athletics Nation!