Opinion

Many Yankees fans have been hoping that Cliff Lee would end up in New York this season via trade with the Seattle Mariners.

But it will never happen.

The Yankees seem content with the current starting rotation: Javier Vasquez has turned around and A.J. Burnett seems to be coming back to his usual form as well after a miserable June.

Believe it or not, the Yankees have a budget. Which was one of the reasons they didn't make the best offer to Johnny Damon.

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, it is patience that gives a baseball team confidence.

In just a matter of days, things have gone from bad to worse for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Injuries and losses continue to mount, all the while the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets have increased their lead in the NL East.  And, division aside, the Phillies currently sit fifth in the Wild Card standings.

After a brief revival from the offense, it has seemingly gone back in the tank. Heck, pitchers must be starting to feel like they need to hurl a perfect game to win—although that almost didn't work for Roy Halladay.

With the Milwaukee Brewers starting to turn things around over the past few weeks,their recent performance brings up an interesting question: Will the Brewers be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?

The worst part about their turnaround is the fact that they are still nine and a half games back of the first place Cincinnati Reds and nine games back of the wild-card leading-Mets.

Unless the Reds or Mets have a two-week collapse, it looks like the Brewers will almost certainly be sellers at the trade deadline.

Buster Olney tweeted on Saturday morning that Seattle continues to look for "big bat potential" in exchange for Cliff Lee.

He listed two potentially available prospects who fit the bill: Cincinnati's Yonder Alonso and Texas' Justin Smoak. 

The Mariners have made it known that they are seeking bats in return for the top-tier southpaw. They have been linked to several top catching prospects, including Minnesota's Wilson Ramos and the New York Yankees' Jesus Montero.

Angel fans have been spoiled. From 1996 to 2008 it was just about automatic, the game was over in the 9th inning. Between Troy Percival and Francisco Rodriguez , Angel fans saw the two relievers combine for an amazing 524 saves. Rodriguez lead the league in saves three times including a Major league record 62 in his final season with the club in 2008.

Bruce Bochy hasn't done anything differently from the San Francisco Giants' fast start in April to the roller-coaster ride that got them spiraling downward in a seven-game losing streak.

Bochy didn't make Tim Lincecum, oddly, less dominating. The manager didn't have anything to do with Pablo Sandoval's struggle at the plate. The bullpen many like to insist he mismanages really just isn't very good.

There's no reason to fire Bochy, unless you believe in momentum and chemistry and "shaking things up in the clubhouse."

So how did we get here?

When talking about under-the-radar players in Major League Baseball this season, Houston’s Jeff Keppinger should be a reoccurring name—regardless of the Astros awful overall record.

Houston doesn’t need a newspaper column with a photo of a graveside and RIP to know their season is practically over.

Fans, writers, and announcers for the Astros have already swallowed that reality pill and realize Houston is in the process of rebuilding.

And that’s putting it nicely.

Remember Tim Lincecum, that phenom who won the last two NL Cy Young Awards in his second and third seasons?  

Lincecum, enjoying a merely excellent season, has become yesterday's news as a variety of new star pitchers emerge in the National League, including guys like Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, and Ubaldo Jimenez, but also Jaime Garcia, Carlos Silva, and Mat Latos.