Snake Bytes 10/14: Late Blasts

Diamondbacks [Not] News

[Cubbies Crib] Chicago Cubs: If Arizona Diamondbacks are selling, I want Archie Bradley - he Arizona Diamondbacks are contemplating a full rebuild. If that comes to fruition, the Chicago Cubs could shore up the bullpen via trade. After a monumental second-half collapse, the Arizona Diamondbacks are taking a good, long hard look in the mirror. And, according to multiple reports, the team is considering a full-blown rebuild down in Phoenix. The Cubs have several relievers set to hit the market this winter, including Justin Wilson, Jesse Chavez, Jaime Garcia and Anthony Bass. Given Brandon Morrow‘s injury concerns heading into next season, adding a late-inning arm to compliment Pedro Strop is key. Enter Archie Bradley.

[Redbird Rants] St. Louis Cardinals: Looking to the desert for answers - Last year, the Marlins were the team to look to for trades, and the St. Louis Cardinals did just that by bringing in Marcell Ozuna. This year, it appears the Arizona Diamondbacks will be the team selling assets. It is possible that the St. Louis Cardinals could look to the desert for answers. If the Diamondbacks are going to sell, then it is worth investigating. The original tweet of Arizona potentially scorching earth came from Bob Nightengale. The obvious names that come to mind are the superstars, like Zack Greinke and Paul Goldschmidt. While Goldy would be fantastic, they might not deal him away. But regardless, it is worth digging into that roster.

MLB Postseason

[MLB.com] Sale labors as Sox drop Game 1 to Astros - The Chris Sale who dominated the Yankees in the American League Division Series -- both as a starter and as a reliever -- was nowhere to be found in Saturday’s Game 1 of the AL Championship Series. Instead, the Sale who had diminished velocity and command late in the regular season re-appeared at an inopportune time. The defending World Series champion Astros broke open a close game in the top of the ninth and rolled to a 7-2 victory to win the ALCS opener in a matchup of two juggernauts that combined for 211 wins in the regular season.

“I think we’re already turning the page,” said Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez. “This game’s over. We’ve already talked about it. You know, let’s go. Tomorrow’s a new day. And that’s it, really.”

[USA Today] Dodgers rally behind Justin Turner’s go-ahead home run to even NLCS 1-1 with Brewers - It is not baseball the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers are playing as much as it is intellectual warfare. And after two games of the National League Championship Series, this chess match is a stalemate. Six outs from dropping the first two games of the NLCS and seeing their playoff hopes perish for a sixth consecutive autumn, the slumbering Dodgers finally got the jolt they needed: A thunderous two-run home run from Justin Turner that lifted them to a 4-3 victory at Miller Park. The teams head back to Los Angeles with the series squared at 1-1, but the momentum is firmly with the Dodgers.

Around the League

[MLB Trade Rumors] Statcast Standouts: Pending FA Hitters- Major League Baseball’s postseason has shrunk to four teams, meaning we’re only a few weeks away from the opening of free agency. As always, some pending free-agent hitters are coming off excellent seasons in terms of bottom-line results, while others posted uninspiring production in platform years. Thanks to the introduction of Statcast (via Baseball Savant) a few years ago, we now have a better idea of which players deserved their results from this past regular season. With that in mind, using two Statcast metrics – expected weighted on-base average and average exit velocity on line drives and fly balls – we’ll take a look at the top pending FA hitters at each position. These numbers don’t factor in a batter’s age, handedness, his defense or his expected asking price, of course, but they give a better idea of what kind of season he’s coming off as a hitter as he heads to free agency.

[Yahoo Sports] MLB players vote alleged domestic abuser Jose Reyes as Mets’ top pick for Man of the Year award - The Major League Baseball Players Association announced Friday each team’s top vote-getter for the 2018 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, an award dedicated to singling out who players “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” The leading vote-getter from the New York Mets raised a few eyebrows: It’s Jose Reyes, who was suspended 51 games in 2016 for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. Reyes was suspended for allegedly grabbing his wife by the throat and shoving her into a glass door at a hotel in Maui in 2015. Reyes never faced criminal charges for the incident, but his wife’s injuries were bad enough that she was taken to the emergency room. It is worth noting that it wasn’t the New York Mets players voting among themselves to pick Reyes as their nominee for the Marvin Miller Award. Rather, it was a league-wide vote in which Reyes received more votes than any other player on the Mets.