Category: Baseball

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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This week’s SB Nation Reacts question is a simple one. Josh asked you a variation of this question in After Dark earlier today, but I’m going to make it a bit simpler.

The Cubs are currently 54-42 and inhabit the NL’s first wild card spot, half a game ahead of the Phillies. The Marlins have, kind of under-the-radar, moved into the third wild card spot, 2.5 games behind the Cubs, two behind the Phillies and a game ahead of the Cardinals.

But the Cubs trail the Brewers in the NL Central by just five games. With 66 games remaining, that does not seem like an insurmountable lead to overcome. The Cubs and Brewers will face each other seven times before the regular season ends, four at Wrigley Field (Aug. 31-Sept. 1-2-3) and three in Milwaukee (Sept. 7-8-9). Playing those seven games within a 10-day span should go a long way to sorting out the division title. The Brewers currently lead the season series four games to two, so the Cubs would have to win five of the seven to take the season series and thus have the tiebreaker.

So where do you think the Cubs will finish the regular season? Winning the NL Central is not just for prestige; it likely would come with a first-round bye into the Division Series round of the postseason.

Vote in the survey and I’ll have the results here later in the week.

San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller made his appearance in the 2026 MLB All-Star game in the top of the ninth inning. His appearance for the National League All-Stars was short, just four pitches, but effective. The right-hander did what Padres fans have come to expect, and he struck out Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox for the first out of the inning. Miller then gave way to the hometown closer Jhoan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies who got the final two outs of the top of the ninth. The National League was not able to mount a rally in the bottom of the ninth and the result of the game was a 4-0 win for the American League All-Stars.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts managed the NL All-Stars and seemed to be handling the pitchers and their appearances well until the seventh inning when he let Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski throw two innings. It was an odd decision that resulted in Wrobleski allowing a run on a solo home run by Miguel Vargas of the White Sox in the top of the eighth inning, but he also recorded five strikeouts. Prior to Wrobleski, the NL manager had limited each pitcher to one inning of work. By throwing “his guy” for two innings, he shorted Miller and MLB fans of watching the most dominant reliever in the game. It was a tough to see the lone representative for the Padres be limited to just four pitches, but he can now take some time off and prepare for the second half of the season, which kicks off Friday in Kansas City.

Padres News:

• Fans of the Padres have been waiting all season for the sale of the team to be finalized. The hope was the new owners would be in place prior to the trade deadline, but according to a report from Dennis Lin of The Athletic, that does not appear likely.

Baseball News:

• Chris Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies was tagged for three runs in his one inning of work and ended up taking the loss despite playing in front of the hometown crowd.

The LSU Tigers’ baseball program landed yet another major victory following the MLB Draft, as prized infield signee Luke Tucker is set to honor his commitment to the Tigers despite receiving multiple opportunities to begin his professional career and childhood dream.

Rather than signing with an MLB organization, Tucker has chosen to head to Baton Rouge, where he believes head coach Jay Johnson can help elevate his draft stock.

“I know Coach Johnson’s going to do everything he can to make me a first-rounder,” Tucker told Geaux247.

This is another recruiting win for Johnson, who has built a reputation for developing elite talent and preparing players for the big league. His track record played a significant role in Tucker’s choice to pass on the immediate opportunity to play in the minors.

Tucker arrives at LSU as one of the top infield prospects in the 2025 recruiting class and is expected to compete for playing time early in his collegiate career. For the Tigers, keeping Tucker out of the MLB Draft could prove extremely valuable.

The Tigers add another high-ceiling talent to a roster that continues to attract some of the nation’s best players, while Tucker gets the chance to develop in one of college baseball’s premier programs with his sights set on becoming a future first-round pick and fulfilling his lifelong goal of being a professional athlete.

The Mets are bad. The trade deadline approaches: Monday, August 3 at 6 PM EDT. That means it’s time to do an inventory of what the Mets have to move and what they might get for those pieces.

Rental relievers

Relief pitchers on one-year contracts are perhaps the most obvious pieces for a deadline seller to move, and the Mets have a couple good lefty options here. Brooks Raley has a 2.04 ERA over 35.1 innings this season, though his peripherals (3.62 xERA, 15.5% K-BB%) are a bit less favorable. A.J. Minter has been even more effective in his 19 innings, with a 1.42 ERA and peripherals that largely match.

Neither of these guys quite break through into the top tier of arms, but a return similar to what Ryan Helsley fetched last season for the Cardinals—INF Jesus Baez, RHP Nate Dohm, and RHP Frank Elissal—is within the realm of possibility. Something a bit lighter given Helsley’s potentially elite upside (at least at the time of the trade) is more likely, but the Mets should definitely be walking away with a handful of interesting prospects out of both of these deals.

Potential Buyers: Cubs, Twins, Astros, Pirates, Mariners

Relievers with control

This is perhaps a bit more painful, but a selling team should also consider moving any relievers they have under contract (including those under team control). Could these guys help the 2027 Mets? Absolutely. But year-to-year reliever performance is mercurial, and selling high gets the Mets future value while also potentially setting them up to duck the highest level of tax penalties in 2027.

Huascar Brazobán is the first name to consider here who, despite lacking high-end swing-and-miss stuff, has a 2.76 ERA backed by a 2.90 xERA on the season. Brazobán is a credible opener, middle reliever, or even a 7th inning guy. He’s also under team control until 2030, but he’s already 36, which mutes the value somewhat. Expect a modest return but one that should be better than what the Mets gave up in 2024 (infield prospect Wilfredo Lara).

Luke Weaver is possibly the best reliever likely to be available at this deadline, as one of the 10-20 best bullpen arms this season. He’s also signed for a very reasonable $12.5 million in 2027, giving whatever team acquires him two bites at the apple. This is a guy the Mets are hopefully getting a top-100 level prospect for—again, not a Jhoan Duran or Mason Miller level return, both of whom are better and had more control, but something better than the previously mentioned Ryan Helsley return from 2025.

Finally, there’s Devin Williams, who is the least likely arm to be moved here. He’s signed for an additional two years and $30 million beyond this season and has a 4.83 ERA on the season, along with three blown saves. That’s not great, but maybe a team looks at his solid peripherals and chooses to buy low, similar to what the Braves did in acquiring Raisel Iglesias from the Angels in 2022. It seems unlikely that there’s a serious suitor here but if one appears, offloading this deal is definitely in the Mets’ best interests.

Potential Buyers: Varies by arm, but any contender could be in play for Weaver

Starting pitchers

With the Tigers surging in the standings and the Marlins currently sitting in a Wild Card spot, the Mets may actually find themselves in an advantageous position when it comes to starting pitchers. Freddy Peralta, for all his struggles this season, may very well be the best starter moved at the deadline. Clay Holmes, despite working his way back from injury, may be the second-best starter moved at the deadline. Obviously you don’t want to be in a spot where you’re selling in the first place, but holding a limited resource isn’t the worst spot to be.

With Peralta, the hope is that some team is willing to bet on a bounce back to his prior form. His stuff metrics—along with his strikeout and walk numbers—have gone the wrong direction this season, perhaps suggesting his inflated ERA is earned. On the other hand, he has a 3.82 xERA and was a significantly better arm as recently as last season. The Mets are unlikely to get two top-100 prospects back (which is what they gave up in the offseason for Peralta), but they should comfortably beat the QO pick they’d get by holding Peralta and offering him the QO after the season given current market conditions.

Holmes is even trickier. He’s yet to make it back on the mound after breaking his fibula in mid-May, with a potential rehab assignment scheduled for after the All Star break. He also has a player option, further complicating any negotiations given the potential downside risk to a buyer. Given these factors, Holmes might not fetch quite as much as you’d expect given his quality. Nevertheless, the Mets should be able to grab something interesting in a deal here.

Potential Buyers: Astros, Cubs, Braves, White Sox

Outfielders

Tyrone Taylor is the clear name to move. Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing are already receiving the lion’s share of the outfield playing time and should continue to do so for the remainder of the season. Beyond them, the Mets would likely be better off giving someone like Nick Morabito a bit of run in the majors rather than continuing to trot out Taylor, who is a free agent after this season. Taylor has bounced back a bit from his down 2025 with the bat but at this point is a 4th outfielder—not a real difference maker, but maybe there’s a team that could use some extra depth.

The more interesting name to consider here is Luis Robert Jr., who is nearing a return from a swollen lumbar spine that has kept him out since late April. Describing Robert’s injury history as “lengthy” doesn’t do it justice, but he was playing well early in the season before the injury slowed him down. He’s a good upside play capable of handling center field, and he has a team option for next year to boot if things go well. I’d anticipate the Mets wind up getting more back for Robert than they gave up for him initially, if only because Luisangel Acuña has been so bad.

Potential Buyers: Marlins, Phillies, Astros, Blue Jays, Guardians

Catchers

The Mets’ catching situation is odd at the moment. They made the strange decision to extend Luis Torrens, locking him on a two-year deal, and have since been giving him more playing time behind the dish than Francisco Alvarez. Torrens is a 30-year-old with a 71 DRC+ and bottom of the scale batted ball metrics who rates as a very good defender under both Baseball Prospectus’ and Statcast’s metrics (credit to him, he’s improved a lot back there). Alvarez, by contrast, is a 24-year-old with better-than-league average offense and supporting peripherals. Alvarez has been a mediocre framer this year and was poor last year, but was an above average framer in 2024—perhaps the hand injuries have sapped some skill there, or perhaps this is something he can eventually get back.

Given where the Mets are, their decision to prioritize Torrens behind the dish is questionable to say the least. Practically, however, it’s relegated Alvarez to more of a DH role, a spot where his offense isn’t nearly as valuable. If the front office’s view is that Alvarez isn’t a catcher anymore, capitalizing on a thin market—one where Hunter Goodman and Ryan Jeffers seem unlikely to move—could make sense. All else being equal, it probably makes more sense just to keep him barring a particularly large return.

As for Torrens, it’d be very odd (and likely a significant PR hit with players) to trade him so soon after extending him. You can almost certainly count on him sticking around through the deadline.

Potential Buyers: Yankees, Astros, Red Sox, Rangers

Bo Bichette

Bo Bichette’s contract structure makes him basically unmovable. It is highly unlikely that any team would take the risk on him getting hurt and opting in for next season, particularly given his performance to date and the “general leg and right ankle soreness” that held him out of games prior to the All-Star break. If someone is willing to take on any amount of money here, the Mets should pounce, but don’t count on it.

Potential Buyers: Slim to none

Francisco Lindor

You can bury your head in the sand if you like, but the reality is that Francisco Lindor’s name is out there in trade discussions. Reporters don’t typically get the inkling to ask about no-trade clauses out of the blue, there’s usually a root cause behind it. With a recent Steve Cohen podcast recently confirming the long-suspected tension between Lindor and Juan Soto – the younger, better, more highly paid player – it’s not even a stretch to think that Lindor might actually want out at this point. His answer to the aforementioned no-trade clause question didn’t do much to quash that line of thinking at the very least.

Lindor has absolutely been very good in his time with the Mets, and he’s largely paid for the extension the team handed him prior to the 2021 season. That does not mean, however, that his contract does not have negative value at this juncture. Lindor is a 32-year-old shortstop with five years and ~$170M remaining on his contract after this season, one who is also showing clear signs of aging across his athletic metrics and on-field performance. Is he cooked at 32? No, probably not, but his days as a reliably elite, 5+ win player are likely over. Couple that with his seeming unwillingness to move off shortstop and you’ve got a potentially prickly situation that the Mets, from a completely rational, unemotional, process-driven perspective, should explore extricating themselves from.

So who is going to buy that sort of asset? Very difficult to say. Ten, five, or even three years ago there would have been a line of suitors, but most teams are run better than that these days. The Mets would need to find either a team that has…let’s call them regressive tendencies or a contender who is willing to eat the out years for improvement on the infield this season. Oh, and it has to be to a team that Lindor would waive his no-trade clause to.

That limits the suitors somewhat. The Yankees could be a fit, but trading an aging former star to the cross town rival might be too big a PR hit for the team to stomach. You could imagine the Blue Jays rolling the dice here and they likely have the financial flexibility to do so (plus, trading him for Andres Gimenez’s bad deal would be a good bit), but Lindor probably wouldn’t waive his NTC to play in Canada. The Red Sox are perhaps a decent fit, especially if the Mets ate the last year of Trevor Story’s deal in return, but also just dumped Rafael Devers’ money (a much, much worse deal to be clear). The Giants and Padres don’t have the room nor the impetus given their place in the standings.

All of this means that Lindor probably doens’t get moved, at least not at the deadline. But don’t be surprised if the rumors swirl or even if a deal comes to fruition.

Potential Buyers: Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners, Padres

Normally, there would be no minor league update for today, since the full season affiliates did not play yesterday.

However, this is a special, complex-league-only update because Sebastian Walcott, the top prospect in the Rangers’ system and a consensus top 25 prospect in MLB, made his 2026 debut yesterday. Walcott has missed all of 2026 after undergoing internal brace surgery back in February, and began a rehab assignment with the ACL Rangers on Tuesday.

Walcott was the DH and went 1 for 3 with a strikeout and a double before being lifted after three plate appearances. He will presumably continue to play in Surprise at least through this week before joining either Frisco or Round Rock.

2024 3rd rounder Casey Cook, who also has been sidelined this season, is on game five of his rehab assignment in Surprise. Cook was 2 for 4 with a triple, and is slashing .400/.500/.800 in 18 plate appearances for the ACL Rangers. Cook had a disappointing 2025 season, slashing .205/.302/.294 for Hub City, and my guess is that he will return to Hub City once he’s ready to go.

Two-way guy Seong-Jun Kim threw two shutout innings, walking two and striking out three.

2025 20th rounder Jay McQueen was 2 for 4 with a homer. 2025 17th rounder Noah Franklin was 2 for 4. Jack Wheeler homered.

ACL Rangers box score

DSL Rangers Red box score

DSL Rangers Blue box score

No polemic or argument here — just a what if. You fill in the blanks.

The Rule 4 MLB Draft is weird. On its face, without any historical context, it’s just a way of adding younger players to organizations in a structured way. Worse teams pick before better teams, and it loops around until there are no players anyone wants to add left. However, because the players have to be treated at least perfunctorily as people and not as objects, they get financial incentive to join the organization, with players picked earlier getting more such incentive since the cost of not having them is relatively higher.

That’s it, really.

Except then we’ve got the history of the draft as collectively bargained and sometimes unilaterally set forth, where it’s become this crazy thing with bonus pools and strategies and penalties for going over (but not if you only go a little over) and contingency bonuses and participating in the MLB combine to avoid getting too lowball of an offer. Some of these things were natural, perhaps needed evolutions. Some are just complicated for their own sake.

So, given all that: what if there was just a hard slot system? Team takes a guy, guy’s bonus is immediately set at the slot for that pick. Want to pay less? Pass on a pick. Want to pay more? Well, you can’t, without doing stuff that’s not allowed and possibly getting slapped on the wrist or worse by MLB. Guy doesn’t want to play for your organization for slot? Too bad for both of you: you lose the guy, the guy loses a payday and has to wait a year to get re-drafted by someone else. (Maybe this system would include more than a one-year signing ineligibility for players that avoid accepting the slot bonus.)

I’m not going to speculate much in the body, but I do think that if this went into place in a vacuum, the real action would be on all the interaction effects. If the Rule 4 Draft had hard slots, what would teams do in International Amateur Free Agency as a pivot? Would there be more focus on developing undrafted guys? You’d probably see fewer high schoolers taken overall, which might change the developmental role of college programs, and the structure of minor league programs, since they’d have fewer raw high schoolers other than the elite guys… but maybe more younger IFA signees to make up the difference.

I will note that any hard slot system will probably be part of an MLB attempt to lower the cost of the draft and/or amateur talent acquisition overall. But, it doesn’t have to: there’s no reason why MLB can’t pair a hard slot proposal with a vast expansion of the slot per pick.

Anyway, what do you think?

I started tossing out over/unders for the second half back when the Orioles were in the beginning stages of a rebuild. At the time, it felt like a fun exercise for the fans that remained engaged through all the losing. Eventually, Baltimore broke out. The subjects shifted from draft selection to playoff position. The team gave everyone plenty of confidence to make optimistic predictions, and I made callbacks to the dark times when we focused on Hanser Alberto and Rougned Odor.

The team took a significant step back last season. The topics flipped from trade acquisitions to major league players dealt away. I set a conservative number for players with 20 or more home runs and an outlandish total for the number of catchers used in the season.

That brings us to today. The Orioles entered the All-Star break five games under .500 but only two back from the final wild card. Mike Elias proclaimed last month that the team intended to buy at the trade deadline. O’s fans remained skeptical, but the Birds finally rattled off a four-game winning streak at the end of the first half.

You may not think this team is very good, but the American League isn’t exactly full of juggernauts. It’s a difficult time to make predictions in Birdland, but let’s give it a shot!

Over/Under 6.5 players with an OPS+ above 100

The Orioles entered the break with only five players with an OPS+ greater than 100. OPS+ adjusts a players on-base and slugging percentage to account for the ballpark and league that the player plays in. The number is weighted so that a league-average hitter possesses a 100 OPS+. An OPS+ in the triple digits indicates that the player has been an above-average hitter, while double digits indicates the opposite.

Baltimore’s offense was considered to be among the best in baseball heading into the season, but the team only has five everyday players with an OPS+ north of 100. Pete Alonso (129), Blaze Alexander (127), Samuel Basallo (115), Adley Rutschman (114), and Taylor Ward (113) have done their part, but Gunnar Henderson (95) and Jackson Holliday (98) have been disappointments.

It’s relatively easy to imagine Henderson and Holliday picking up a few more points, but could anyone else? Colton Cowser (83) is harmed by his brutal start to the season. Dylan Beavers (89) could maybe get there with a strong second half, but Leody Taveras (91) feels like he’s already maxed out. Jeremiah Jackson (87) is capable of getting hot, but Coby Mayo (83) would need to only face lefties for the remainder of the season.

Over/Under MLB players traded away 1.5

Over/Under MLB players acquired 1.5

I lumped these two together to let people take a crack at the whole buyers/sellers thing. Trevor Rogers and Taylor Ward will both be free agents at the end of the season and could help a team win games in the postseason. Yennier Cano is off to a great start, and Andrew Kittredge has the experience to help a contender down the stretch.

At the same time, the playoffs remain in reach for a motivated front office. The team has a glaring hole at third base with Blaze Alexander on the IL, and the bullpen needs multiple additions to be taken seriously.

There’s also a chance that the Orioles stand pat at see where the season goes. The organization could receive draft pick compensation if the Rogers and Ward leave in free agency after receiving a qualifying offer, but that’s up in the air with labor negotiations already underway.

Over/Under 4.5 combined saves for Ryan Helsley and Félix Bautista in the second half

Ryan Helsley is expected to avoid surgery despite some inflammation around his UCL. The Orioles signed Helsley to a two-year, $28 million dollar deal to be the their closer, but the former Cardinal has been sidelined multiple times with injuries. There’s no public timetable, but Helsley could return at some point in the second half. The 31-year old has eight saves this season.

The Orioles shared two weeks ago that Félix Bautista was throwing after undergoing surgery on his right labrum and rotator cuff last year. The team said The Mountain was throwing “really, really well” and believes Bautista could return by the end of the season. Whether the Orioles will be motivated to send out the flame-thrower could depend on their place in the standings.

Over/Under 11.5 home runs by Taylor Ward

In case anyone is feeling shy about sharing their picks, I’ll shed some light on my worst pick of the season. When asked for a wild prediction back in March, I said that Taylor Ward would hit more home runs than Pete Alonso this season. Baltimore acquired Ward after he tallied 36 homers for the Angels in 2025. I thought Ward would bring his power to Baltimore, and that Alonso could struggle early in the first year of his new contract. Alonso reached the All-Star break with a team-high 21 home runs. Ward hit six in 439 plate appearances.

Ward has reinvented himself with a team-high 75 walks, but the power is still in there somewhere. The free-agent-to-be should find the seats a little more often, but can he double his total over the final 65 games?

Over/Under 3.5th place in the AL Wild Card

This is an awkward way of asking if you think the Orioles will make the playoffs. The juice would definitely be on the under in this scenario. Fans had mostly given up hope last week, but the team picked up some momentum by winning four straight for the first time this season.

Baltimore will need a few more winning streaks to sneak into the playoffs, but they shouldn’t need to climb much higher than .500 for the season. Some team is going to take the third wild card slot. Why not the Orioles?

Rapid Fire

Over/Under a 2.84 FIP for Yennier Cano

Yennier Cano currently holds a 2.58 FIP. That number is south of his 2.84 FIP from his All-Star rookie season. The Orioles desperately need the reliever to keep it going. Will he?

Over/Under 0.5 players batting below .200

Tyler O’Neill (.195) and Coby Mayo (.193) both entered the All-Star break hitting below the “Mendoza Line.” Jackson Holliday is a lot closer than we’d like to admit at .210.

Over/Under 10.5 games played by Heston Kjerstad and Enrique Bradfield Jr.

This isn’t first time that we’ve wondered how many big league games Heston Kjerstad would play in a season. Kjerstad and Enrique Bradfield Jr. are both healthy and playing at Triple-A Norfolk.

Over/Under 161.5 games played by Pete Alonso

Alonso played 162 in 2024 and 2025. He did not miss a game in the first half.

Over/Under 11.5 wins for Brandon Young

Wins don’t move the needle like they used to, but Brandon Young is 7-2 this season. Does he get to 12 wins?

Over/Under

Thanks for following along. Share your picks in the comments below!

There is nothing more sad or more dangerous than the memory of a great player. Once a player is retired those memories are cherished and should be. We remember the best moments and hold onto those memories like a child holds onto its favorite toy. When a player is still active those memories can be dangerous. They could potentially blind you to what is. Whatever we may think of Jose Altuve, we should come in with eyes wide open.

We have been using bases per out to keep track of where players are in terms of production. The big league average is .676, but as we have seen when looking at catchers and first basemen in the American League that the big league average is hardly ever relevant when looking at specific positions. Altuve is a second baseman and should be compared with other second basemen. It becomes dreadfully important that we see him for who he is and not who he was.

The out is the blood currency of the sport. Pitchers are trying to get them and hitters are trying to avoid them. We measure effectiveness in the amount of damage one accrues or avoids depending on if they are a pitcher or a hitter. Bases per out are calculated by adding total bases, walks, stolen bases, and hit by pitches and dividing them by total outs. Like we said, the big league average is .676, but we will likely see something radically different when looking at American League second basemen. As a reminder, we are taking all players that have played second base and have accrued at least 120 outs.

	Outs	TB	BB	SB	HBP	BPO
Travis Bazzana	185	55	31	12	2	.751
Jazz Chilsohm Jr.	253	123	37	26	1	.739
Ezequiel Duran	220	121	22	7	1	.686
Luke Keaschall	236	104	34	12	10	.678
Richie Palacios	155	67	24	8	3	.658
Chase Meidroff	260	128	37	2	2	.650
Michael Massey	171	95	14	2	0	.649
Ernie Clement	254	150	12	2	0	.646
Vaughn Grissom	145	72	17	0	4	.641
Cole Young	264	134	25	2	7	.636
Jose Altuve	228	110	29	2	1	.623
Oswaldo Peraza	205	98	9	11	6	.605
Ben Williamson	156	62	19	7	1	.571
Jeremiah Jackson	165	81	4	2	1	.527
Maricelo Mayer	168	64	16	3	3	.512
Tristan Gray	131	55	9	2	1	.511
Jeff McNeil	218	80	21	1	4	.486
Mean	200.8	96.4	21.2	5.9	2.8	.629
Median	205	95	21	2	2	.641

Every data set is unique and second base is very different from catcher and first base. In this case, the lower scores are driving the mean down. So, in this case the median is higher than the mean. As per usual, the components of the median don’t match up to the number that is actually in the middle. Unlike the other positions, a majority of the second basemen were close to the mean and median. Mathematicians and statisticians would call that range.

These fancy terms are all very nice, but what do they actually mean? In the case of Jose Altuve, his numbers come in a little below the mean and median. However, he is close enough to the mean and median that a few hot days at the plate would drive him to the median and above. Altuve is essentially in the accumulation portion of his big league career. He is collecting hits, home runs, doubles, runs, and RBI needed to vault him higher on the all-time second base list. We have seen this before. This was Craig Biggio in his last three seasons.

The primary question is how quickly the decline will continue. Right now, Altuve has the appearance of a mediocre second baseman. Will he plateau there or will the decline continue. As philosophers might say, objects in the rearview mirror are clearer than the ones in the windshield. No two players’ career arcs are exactly the same. What we can do is look at the decline in recent seasons and guess what that could mean beyond this season.

	Outs	TB	BB	SB	HBP	BPO
2023	260	188	44	14	5	.965
2024	465	276	47	22	7	.757
2025	465	260	55	10	4	.708
2026	228	110	29	2	1	.623

The 2023 numbers were a bit out of context. It was a shortened season for him due to injury. The other seasons post the pandemic 2020 season were similar to 2024 and 2025. In other words, the decline is here. There is always the possibility for a bounce back season, but that becomes less and less likely with each passing season. If baseball is interrupted or canceled in 2027 then you can bet that such a bounce back is unlikely to happen.

Fortunately, the Astros structured Altuve’s contract in such a way that they anticipated this. He is due 30 million in real dollars this season and next. He will make 13 million in 2028 and 2029. So, when he will likely be at his worst he will be making less money. Give Altuve and the Astros some credit for recognizing that. Still, the future is not necessarily bright.

The 2026 All-Star Game has come and gone, and the American League defeated the National League 4-0. Though the final score was not ideal, the Atlanta Braves had five All-Stars, four of which played. Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, and Raisel Iglesias each made an appearance. 

Albies and Baldwin earned the starts for the National League but were unable to spark the offense, while Olson went hitless after entering later in the game. Iglesias, meanwhile, turned in one of the better performances of the night for Atlanta, tossing a scoreless inning in his first career All-Star appearance. Chris Sale did not pitch, as the National League managed just three hits in the shutout loss. 

The Braves have just a few days left of the All-Star break before hosting the Texas Rangers.

More Braves News:

Here is everything you need to know about the Braves’ draft picks and their sign-on value. 

From the Feed:

Which prospects make your Top 30 list?

The 2026 All-Star break is upon us, and while a handful of Yankees have enjoyed the festivities in Philadelphia this week, now is a good time to look back on a first half gone by. Through 96 games this season, New York sits three games out of first place in the AL East, and although this season has already proven to be an up-and-down venture, the Yankees haven’t gone without their big moments at the plate.

With the schedule empty until Friday night, let’s take a short stroll down memory lane and look at the biggest Yankee hits from MLB’s designated first half of the 2026 season.

April 7: Rosario’s second homer of the gameputs ’em ahead

By win probability, Amed Rosario’s game-tying blast from early April is the biggest home run of the 2026 season to this point for the Yankees (0.53 per Baseball Reference Stathead), giving the Yankees the lead against the A’s. It was his second of the season, the second of the game, a second-deck blast that snuck inside the foul pole, and the climax of a big eighth inning that led New York to victory. With runners on base late in the game, the bench bat’s swing was among the biggest so far in 2026.

April 13: Grisham’s homer ties it at 10

In a high-scoring thriller against the Angels, Trent Grisham’s game-tying blast in the ninth inning was the most important hit of the evening. Down by two runs with a runner on in the ninth, against Los Angeles closer Jordan Romano, Grisham rocketed a ball into the right field seats, sending the Bronx into a frenzy, and adding to the chaos of this eventual 11-10 victory. The Bombers won later in the ninth, when a wild pitch from Romano allowed the walk-off run to score.

April 15: Cabby’s Walk-Off double

This was a tough series for Jordan Romano, a familiar punching bag for the Yankees. Two days after their first dramatic win, the Yankees were once again trailing in the ninth against the Angels. This time, down by a run with to runners on, Caballero shot a ball into the left-center gap, while both runners went for a hit-and-run. With an aggressive send, in all fairness, Austin Wells just barely scored from first base, locking in yet another dramatic win to grant Caballero one of this season’s most thrilling moments at the plate.

May 24: Judge Walk-Off

Any win against the team you’re looking up at in the standings is a big one. This particular one, with an Aaron Judge walk-off blast sealing the deal, could eventually loom large in a divisional race that may stay close until the end. Stuck in a scoreless tie in the bottom of the ninth on May 24th (a battle between Ryan Weathers and Drew Rasmussen), the Captain stepped up and delivered his fourth career walk-off home run, and gave the Yankees about as important a win as they come. The fact that we know now that Judge did this with a stress fracture in his ribs makes it all the more remarkable.

July 10: Jazz’s game-changing homer in Washington

In a game that easily could have gone down as a disappointment, Jazz Chisholm’s go-ahead homer shifted the tide in the ninth inning. His two-run shot off of Matt Krook turned the Yankees’ deficit into a lead, and set the stage for more big hits throughout the weekend against the Nats. Although Jazz’s season has not gone exactly to plan, the 2025 All-Star is no stranger to providing big moments with the bat.

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Honorable Mentions

July 9: McMahon’s slump-breaker against the Rays

After a 12-pitch at-bat, Ryan McMahon’s RBI double down the line in right changed the vibe for the Yankess in the Trop. Trailing 1-0 at the time, and in the midst of a real offensive slump as a team, McMahon’s double snapped them out of it, and prompted a much-needed six-run inning for New York. Their eventual 12-4 win in this one was a much needed pounding against the rival Rays.

May 31: The 13-run inning

Yes, we are being creative to get this entire inning of 11 hits and 13 runs from that preposterous Yankees vs. A’s game at a minor-league park in West Sacramento. Perhaps most amusingly, the A’s actually pitched well outside of this frame, holding the Yankees to a walk on a baserunner that was quickly erased (and no hits). It’s just that this inning was an utter disaster for Mark Kotsay and company.

Meet the Mets

Danny Abriano listed five storylines to watch for in the second half of the Mets season.

Mike Puma doled out a myriad of Fs on his first-half report card for the New York Mets.

Mets first-round draft pick Carson Wiggins has officially signed with the organization.

The Mets’ ineptitude has made it more difficult for the league and fans to celebrate Juan Soto’s greatness.

Around Major League Baseball

Mike Trout made his long-awaited return to the All-Star Game on his home turf, and it was incredibly meaningful for the veteran outfielder.

MLB owners have given their support for major league players to play in the 2028 Olympics, but there are more factors complicating that possibility.

Jordan Walker hopes his Home Run Derby win inspires black kids to get into baseball.

A 1-of-1 Shohei Ohtani rookie card sold privately at auction for over $3 million.

Willson Contreras has made it clear he would likely reject any trade the Boston Red Sox try to include him in.

The All-Star Game red carpet featured MLB stars dressed to impress, with many of the outfits carrying some personal meaning to the players.

One such outfit was Jacob Misiorowski’s, with the young star’s jacket featuring an image of his beloved dog.

Justin Verlander appeared at his final All-Star Game last night, and his incredible legacy is one to remember.

Junior Caminero came out unscathed after getting hit by a pitch on his hand and having to leave the All-Star Game.

The American League won the game early, with the game-winning run coming in the first inning of a 4-0 shutout against the National League.

All-Star Game MVP Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice became the first Yankees teammates to each have an RBI in the Midsummer Classic since Roger Maris and Tom Tresh in 1962.

Despite being a open-and-shut victory for the American League, there were plenty of wonderful moments from the whole game.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

A Pod of Their Own returned with a new episode.

Linus Lawrence took a look at the former Mets participating in this year’s All-Star Game.

Linus also assembled an All-Star team full of former Mets who never made an All-Star team.

Chris McShane delivered this week’s Mets Minor League Players of the Week.

Steve Sypa wrote profiles for two more 2026 Mets draft picks: eleventh-round pick Kuhio Aloy and twelfth-rounder AJ Krodel.

Allison McCague released the Position Player Meter for the last two weeks of Mets baseball.

This Date in Mets History

Mets lefty Jon Matlack had a great day in 1975 at the 46th All-Star Game, but Mets right-hander (and broadcasting legend) Ron Darling wasn’t quite as lucky on this day 35 years ago.

If Red Sox buy at trade deadline, here are five intriguing targets originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox have given chief baseball officer Craig Breslow much to ponder with the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline looming.

Less than a month ago, they were obvious sellers as the worst team in the American League. They then proceeded to win 14 of 16 games, including nine straight heading into the All-Star break, putting themselves back into the playoff conversation.

Boston will begin the second half just a half-game back of the third AL Wild Card spot. While its 46-48 record doesn’t scream “contender,” the AL is wide open. Only the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, and Texas Rangers are above .500.

Upcoming series against the Rays, Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays will likely determine Breslow’s deadline approach. If the Red Sox pick up where they left off and stay hot, Breslow will be urged to invest in this year’s team for a postseason run.

If Boston does indeed buy, here are five potential trade targets who would fit the club’s needs:

Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels

AP Photo

Undoubtedly the priciest and least realistic trade target on our list, Neto would check several boxes for Boston. Right-handed power? Check. Middle-infield help? Check. Multiple years of control? Check.

The Red Sox reportedly “took several tries” to trade for Neto during the offseason. L.A.’s asking price was understandably high, but there’s a chance it has come down with the club owning the worst record in baseball (38-59). The 25-year-old shortstop is by far the Angels’ most valuable trade chip, and with the organization still not making any progress toward contention, it might be time to cash in.

Neto is slashing .235/.326/.453 with 19 homers and 45 RBI in 94 games this season. He posted WARs of 5.1 and 5.3 in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Gleyber Torres, 2B, Detroit Tigers

Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Torres hasn’t played since June 15 due to an oblique strain, but the veteran second baseman is set to return from the injured list shortly after the break. He began his rehab assignment on Monday.

While he wouldn’t be the franchise-altering addition that Neto would be, Torres could still help the Red Sox make a run in the second half. The three-time All-Star would fit in nicely as a power-hitting middle infielder. He has hit at least 24 homers in a season four times in his nine-year career, including a 38-homer campaign in 2019. He had a .790 OPS in 43 games this season before his injury.

Torres’ contract expires at the end of this season, so he should be reasonably affordable as a rental coming off injury for a struggling Tigers club.

Luis Arraez, 2B, San Francisco Giants

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Arraez has been among the few bright spots for the 41-55 Giants. The four-time All-Star and three-time batting champion has continued as arguably the best contact hitter in baseball after leading MLB in hits the last two seasons.

In addition to his usual success at the plate, Arraez has taken a huge step forward defensively this season at second base. Once considered a terrible defender, the 29-year-old suddenly ranks near the top of the league in Outs Above Average (10) and Defensive Runs Saved (8).

While Arraez wouldn’t be the slugger that most Sox fans covet, he’d still bring a significant boost to Boston’s lackluster offense. He hardly strikes out, consistently gets on base, and comes through with runners in scoring position (.345 avg. with RISP this season).

Like Torres, Arraez is set to hit free agency after this season.

A.J. Minter, RP, New York Mets

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Mets have been a dumpster fire this season, but Minter has been lights out in his 19 relief appearances. The 32-year-old southpaw owns a 1.42 ERA and 0.842 WHIP with 17 strikeouts and just one walk this season.

Contenders can never have enough bullpen help down the stretch, and the Red Sox could use a left-handed reliever after designating offseason addition Danny Coulombe for assignment. Minter would be a rental.

Ryan Jeffers, C, Minnesota Twins

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Twins are only three games back in the AL Central and currently tied for the third Wild Card spot, so it remains to be seen whether they’ll sell off pieces ahead of the deadline. If they do, Jeffers would fit in nicely with Boston as a power-hitting catcher who can also DH when needed.

Carlos Narvaez has taken a significant step back after impressing as a Red Sox rookie last season. Connor Wong has bounced back, but his ceiling is limited. Jeffers would be a strong upgrade over both options, though he’s a free agent after this season.

A broken left hamate has limited Jeffers to 39 games this season. He has looked great when healthy, slashing .292/.404/.538 with seven homers and 29 RBI.

Jordan Walker is a tough subject for Cardinals fans 2024-2025. The outfield, outside of stalwart Lars Nootbaar, had been a barren place. Jordan Walker was to at least partially fill the void from the lack of reinforcements after the tragic death of Oscar Taveras. He impressed with the bat as a rookie, and then went missing in action 2024 – 2025. Walker was expected to do much fron the begining.

Jordan Walker was born in Stone Mountain, GA in 2002. Jordan was selected 21st overall in the 2020 draft and is now 24 years old, signed through 2026. What will happen is anyone’s guess.

Accolades and Accomplishments

• Selected in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft, 21st overall
• 1st player born in 2002 to debut in MLB, making the 2023 Opening Day roster at under 21 years of age
• only Albert Pujols and Joe Medwick hit more home runs in Cardinals franchise history than Jordan Walker during his rookie age 21 season!
• Tallied the first ever Cardinals hit outside of north America, in London vs the Cubs on June 24, 2023!
• the Cardinals top prospect 2022-2023
• 5 hits September 1st, 2024 vs the Yankees
• 17 game hitting streak June 6th through 29th in 2023
• Home Run Derby Champion 2026

After a promising rookie season in 2023 where Walker had a line of .787 OPS and 16 HR in 117 games, while still learning the ropes in right fielder, Jordan began to tank in 2024 where he spent a bulk of the season at AAA and was a below average MLB player over 51 games.

That was not the low, however. In 2025 Jordan Walker would knock through his floor and find himself the worst MLB player with at least 350 PA, worth -1.3 fWAR. There were five worse players somehow, with less plate appearances than Walker. What a year!

Jordan Walker has now matched his total plate appearances of last season, where he was unworthy of playing time. Over that same amount of playing time, it is astonishing to report that Jordan Walker is worth 4 more WAR than last season, already!

Walker’s 143 wRC+ and .380 wOBA are in the top 15 of MLB players, and are the best ratings for hitting among the Cardinals. His 22 home runs is tied with Ohtani crammed into an expanded top 10 MLB home run hitters. And no one really saw this coming. Not this big of a turnaround. The only question is if Jordan will steal 20 bases this year.

Jordan Walker is no longer a liability to strike out, and is the Major League leader in RBI. The 6’ 6” 24 year old has so much history ahead of him, a legend in the making. After just over half of a miraculous turnaround season, Jordan Walker’s career numbers are now above average as far as wRC+ and WAR go.

A work in progress 2026

courtesy baseball savant / statcast info

I think Walker should just let what he is doing this year ride, but if anything he could work on his chase and whiff rates, and improve on striking out, while taking a few more walks. Post-All Star Break tweaks! Of just keep doing what you’re doing…

1992 in Music (Heavy Metal Edition)

As I work my way through the years, researching albums I have both heard and not heard, I have found myself stuck in the year 1992. This third part covering over 50 albums total, will sum up my research and experience in 1993 music releases. In past weeks, i have covered 15 albums a week, 30 albums total, which excluded heavy metal music. But now’s the time to unleash the fury that is heavy metal 1992.

• Sleep – ‘Holy Mountain’ one of the best heavy metal albums of all time, despite it being a vintage throwback to 70’s Sabbath… it is done so well on every level that it is my heavy metal album of 1992. The precursor to bands High On Fire and OM, and Sleep’s best album by several light years.
• Brutal Truth – ‘Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses’ the early grindcore classic! masterpiece of extreme metal, and yet they’d get even better after… pioneers.
• Melvins – ’name redacted’ (excerpt from album) the Melvins most sludgy album of all and perhaps their most exemplary release, named after a popular cleaning product that made them remove the name from the release, or sometimes calling it “Lice All” …full of epic heaviness and avalanches of sound, perhaps my favorite Melvins of all!
• Nocturnus – ‘Thresholds’ one of those bands that were so ahead of their time but made it sound classic at the same time, defining a new subgenre: progressive death metal with keyboards! Masterpiece.
• Eyehategod – ‘In The Name of Suffering’ New Orleans legends melding roasted southern Black Sabbath sounds with hardcore punk and whatever you want to call what the Melvins did in the late 80’s. I find this more punk than metal, but it’s up to the ear of the beholder. Some call it sludge.
• Morpheus Descends – ‘Ritual of Infinity’ my big find that I had never heard before, magnificent!
• Sinister – ‘Cross The Styx’
• Seance – ‘Forever Laid To Rest’
• Atrocity – ‘Todessehnsucht’
• Purtenance – ‘Member Of Immortal Damnation’
• Mercyless – ‘Abject Offerings’
• Eternal Dirge – ‘Morbus Ascendit’
• Napalm Death – ‘Utopia Banished’
• Chemical Breath – ‘Fatal Exposure’
• Massacra – ‘Signs of the Divine’
• Epidemic – ‘Decameron’
• Arachnid – ‘Arachnid’
• Nuclear Death – ‘All Creatures Great and Eaten’
• Solstice – ‘Solstice’
• Fleshcrawl – ‘Descend Into The Absurd’
• Altar / Cartilage – ‘Ex Oblivione / The Fragile Concept of Affection’
• Cemetary – ‘An Evil Shade of Grey’
• Cenotaph – ‘The Gloomy Reflection of Our Hidden Sorrows’
• Sadus – ‘A Vision of Misery’
• Miasma – ‘Changes’

As you can tell, death metal was all the rage in 1992. What an absolutely stacked year full of unending amounts of awesomeness. I ran out of time this week, so I couldn’t really describe all of that, but you just have to hear it anyway. Nothing out there like heavy metal from 1992.

Thanks for reading! I wish I had more this week but I have been busy watching the home run derby and all star game for the first time in years!

The Boston Red Sox, for lack of a better term, have been pitching their dicks off. You know this is typed and not a live performance, right? Like, you could ask someone for a better term or at least think on it for a little while, Jake. Fine. I lied. It’s not because I lack a better term. In fact, I could think of countless. I just think pitching their dicks off sounds funny, so it’s staying in. Lay off. Stop talking to yourself and get to the point. Fair enough, let’s talk pitching.

Despite injuries ravaging the staff (Sonny Gray is the only pitcher from the opening day rotation still on the active roster) the starting pitcher seemingly works into the sixth inning or later every night, giving the team a chance to win the game. The latest pitcher to join the rotation is Patrick Sandoval.

Last Thursday, Sandoval made his first appearance in two years against the White Sox, throwing 4.1 innings, surrendering one run on five hits while striking out five and walking one. The outing was short, but for a first start in two years, I’d give him passing marks. Plus, the way the rest of the rotation has thrown the ball makes it easier on the bullpen, who were able to give the final 14 outs to secure the victory.

The question, as always, is: was the outing legit, or was it a case of good luck? Last week, I broke down Sandoval’s arsenal and was skeptical about how effective he would be. My major concerns were his changeup shape and the walks that have plagued him throughout his career. Those walks, in large part, are due to a four-seam fastball that doesn’t miss bats and is punished when thrown over the plate. On Thursday, he walked only one man and featured his four-seam 25% of the time, making it his third most-used pitch.

It worked in his first outing, for a few reasons. One of which was his fastball command.

For the most part, he kept his fastball at the top of the zone and above. A few leaked down over the plate, two of which went for hits, but he was largely near the top of the zone. The velocity was a pleasant surprise as well, reaching 96 mph a few times. Extra velocity is never a bad thing, but first-start-in-two-years-adrenaline might have had something to do with the extra oomph.

While the pitch worked in his first outing, it’s not a plus offering. The velocity helps, but if it settles in closer to 93 mph as expected, the location becomes that much more important. Even on Thursday with good location and higher velocity, it only returned 1 whiff on 12 swings. Because of that, he’ll need to find ways to keep hitters off of it, which means throwing strikes with his other pitches.

Wow, Jake, what a great segue. It’s almost as if you thought about the flow of the article and the order in which you’d relay the important information. What a nice thing to say, thank you. Here’s a look at his slider, which was his most-used pitch.

Unlike the fastball location, this isn’t what we’re looking for. The zone rate is low at 35%, and hitters weren’t expanding the zone either. Those factors, along with the one swing and miss returned, combined for a 50% strike rate. For a pitch leading his arsenal, that isn’t going to cut it. During his best years, the strike rate sat between 65 and 70%, though the swinging strike numbers were much higher.

If you’re looking for a reason to believe in his slider, allow me to give you one. Of the pitches he showcased on Thursday, the slider looked the most different from his previous seasons. The current shape has more lift and presents closer to a cutter. Hopefully, with time, he finds the feel for the pitch and can better locate on the glove side. The shape and velocity should allow it to play against both sides of the plate, but location will ultimately determine its effectiveness.

I’d like to talk about his changeup now, but I don’t have a natural way into it as I did above. That’s okay, Jake. We knew that was coming because we’re educated baseball fans. You’re right. You are smart fans. There’s no need for handholding.

The slow ball has always been Sandoval’s best pitch, and it continued to be on Thursday. He threw 18 of them, getting four whiffs, four called strikes, and two outs on three balls in play. He kept the ball down and away, and hitters couldn’t lay off. While a changeup alone can’t carry his whole arsenal, a changeup of Sandoval’s quality can do a lot of the heavy lifting. He can throw it in the zone for called strikes, but needs chases and whiffs to continue to be effective, which requires his other pitches going for strikes. The fastball managed to be good enough in his season debut, but it’s something to monitor going forward.

Here’s an example of what his changeup can do for him. Sandoval only got to four 3-ball counts on Thursday, but didn’t give in by throwing a fastball over the plate in three of them. In the bottom of the fourth, with a runner on first and nobody out, Sandoval went to 3-2 against Junior Perez. Sandoval doesn’t want to give Perez a free pass and put a runner in scoring position, but he still turned to his changeup rather than his fastball. Perez is looking for something hard and swings over it for strike three.

Sandoval’s changeup is his best pitch, and his ability and willingness to throw the pitch for a strike in any count is key in keeping hitters off his other pitches.

One sample is hardly enough to making a sweeping determination on how Sandoval’s season will go, but it did give us a look at what he’s trying to accomplish. I’m skeptical about his ability to locate his fastball and slider consistently to take some of the burden off the changeup. Given the mixture of injuries and young arms on the roster, they’ll need Sandoval to provide a few starts down the stretch to keep arms fresh if they continue to push for the postseason, so he’ll continue to get opportunities and try to earn himself some money in 2027.

The 2026 All-Star Game festivities have come and gone. The dust has settled, and for the first time since 2024, the American League came away victorious by shutting out the National League 4-0 at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday.

Scoring was scarce on Tuesday, as the four runs the AL scored came in only two innings. Former Dodgers MVP Cody Bellinger had the deciding hit in his first All-Star Game since 2019, driving in two against Cristopher Sánchez. As a result of him driving in half of Tuesday’s final score, Bellinger was awarded with the All-Star Game MVP honors, becoming the first Yankee to do so since his teammate Giancarlo Stanton in 2022.

From being atop the baseball summit, to the pitfalls he experienced with the Dodgers in 2021-22, to reviving his career with the same organization his father played for, Tuesday marked a full-circle moment for Bellinger, as he envisioned being in the All-Star game regularly following his first three big league seasons, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll be here every year,’” Bellinger said. “It took a long time to get back. It’s such a competitive league. It’s hard to be an All-Star. Health, performance, it all has to come together.”

Another former Dodger, though lacking the hardware Bellinger earned in Los Angeles, added the exclamation mark for this year’s Midsummer Classic. Miguel Vargas tattooed a 433 foot home run into the second deck of the left field bleachers against Justin Wrobleski, bringing the score to its final mark. With his home run, Vargas now joins Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordoñez as the only White Sox with a home run in the All-Star Game.

Vargas spoke with Tom Verducci of FOX Sports following the game, noting how making his All-Star debut felt just like his big league debut with the Dodgers back in 2022.

“It’s an unbelievable experience. I have no words to describe it, but I’m glad to be here and be around all these superstars.”

Last year, I noted that Andy Pages was a noticeable snub from last year’s All-Star Game. The situation was rectified this year with Pages being an actual starter, but it seems I wasn’t alone in my assessment last year. Freddie Freeman noted prior to Tuesday’s game that Pages should have been an All-Star last year as well, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“It should be his second. I think he should have had it last year,” said Freddie Freeman, who will be in the NL’s starting lineup alongside Pages at his 10th All-Star Game. “Andy has been great for a couple years now. So I’m glad he’s getting the recognition. I’m glad the fans are gonna get to see him in Philadelphia.”

Great minds think alike, Freddie.