Chicago Sports

According to a report, there’s a lack of leadership in the White Sox clubhouse

It is not the season many fans on the South side have been hoping for. The Chicago White Sox find themselves stuck in third place in mid-July playing below .500 baseball. To put it bluntly the White Sox are a disappointment.

Following a four-game series with the Detroit Tigers that they split, the White Sox are 41-43 and  five games back in the division. That record includes a poor 19-25 record at home. So what exactly is going wrong?

Well MLB writer Bob Nightengale is reporting that he’s hearing whispers that there is unrest and a leadership problem in the clubhouse:

“No one has been more disappointing than the Chicago White Sox, who must take a good hard look at what went wrong if they miss the playoffs. There have been a lot of whispers of unrest, cliques and the lack of player leadership inside the clubhouse tearing this talented team apart,” said the senior baseball writer.

And Nightengale is certainly right, the energy in the locker room has seemed to absolutely disappear.

Twitter user EloyGarcia84 shared a video showing the locker rooms reactions to Tim Anderson being announced as an all-star during 2021 and 2022.

2021 All Star announcement when Tim Anderson was a reserve (didn’t play) vs 2022 All Star announcement when he is announced as a starter. If you watched the whole announcement, you can tell that locker room is dead. #ChangeTheGame pic.twitter.com/Nnj0SGmhBr

— Eloy (@EloyGarcia84) July 9, 2022

The reaction is truly night and day. It seems as if the locker room is dead. It is not entirely clear what caused this but a leading theory circle back to manager Tony La Russa. La Russa has been a hard sell since day one. Hiring a 77-year-old who hadn’t coached in 10 years didn’t make much sense. Considering the promise of this squad a younger manager may have worked better. Most of those doubts were silenced following a strong 2021 campaign. It seems the relationship between players and coach may have soured.

Are the White Sox Struggling because of Tony La Russa?

La Russa still faces troubles stemming from his 2020 Dui arrest in Phoenix and doesn’t seem to be relating well to the players. La Russa has been slow to pull the trigger on pulling pitchers during poor performances and has been subject to “fire La Russa” chants at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Injuries are certainly partly to blame for a poor season but a fractured locker room potentially from La Russa’s doing is not helping. La Russa continues to make poor decisions on the field, leading to costly mistakes. Those mistakes add up when you are playing below .500 ball in July. The AL Central should be a very easily winnable division for the White Sox based off of talent alone but if the team isn’t playing as a team, that’s where the losses pile up.

La Russa’s lax leadership style and a locker room without a clear leader may be what is going wrong for the White Sox. A few players have come to La Russa’s defense but based off of the video and Nightengale’s reporting it seems like the rest won’t be. Missing the playoffs would be a massive disappointment and it may come down on La Russa in the offseason. If this team hopes to salvage anything from 2022 they will have to start playing like a team immediately.

 

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Lance Briggs had this to say about the Bears leaving Soldier Field

By the day it is more clear the Chicago Bears will not stay at Soldier Field. Even as the city attempts to offer what it can to keep the Bears, the team doesn’t seem interested. One former Bears player thinks the relationship between the Bears and the city is beyond repair.

Last week, reports came out that Chicago was beefing up their proposal with a dome and other goodies. One of the city’s mock-ups also caused an uproar, as it showed a distasteful play by the Bears. The Bears released a statement a few days ago that the team was not pursuing other deals including renovations to Soldier Field while under contract with the seller of the property in Arlington Heights.

Former Bears linebacker Lance Briggs spoke on “Unfiltered with David Kaplan” recently. The All-Pro athlete answered whether he thought Chicago could persuade the Bears to stay. Here are Briggs quotes per staff at NBC Sports:

Too little, too late,” Briggs said. “There was plenty of time to get this stuff done and now that the wheels are falling off, it’s like, ‘Alright, we’re getting desperate now, it’s really happening. What can we do to keep you?’

“No, you’re supposed to do that beforehand. You’re supposed to take care of business. Take care of the team and make sure that they’re in their foundation for years to come. And that didn’t happen so too little, too late.”

Lance Briggs nailed the dismount

The city of Chicago has had decades to prepare for this to come. Soldier Field wasn’t really updated correctly the last time it was renovated. Most citizens I’ve talked to think the stadium teeters on embarrassment. The stadium looks more like a giant spaceship, a sort of prop for the next Star Trek franchise than an NFL one.

Where has the city’s leadership been in the meantime? It appears as if most of these proposals are coming ad hoc after the Bears were spotted doing a walkthrough with the moving crew. And it sounds, if Lance Briggs is correct in saying it, that city hasn’t taken care of the Bears for a while. The ramifications of taking the Bears for granted are going to sting for years to come.

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Breaking down the narrative of the Blackhawks NHL draft picks at an early stage.

The Chicago Blackhawks have some new faces that have fans excited. After a wild 2022 NHL Draft selection class, and from what has transpired it looks like Chicago were winners by adding much needed speed with skill to an ailing lineup, given the need was to build for the future.

The shift takes forth towards the farm-team and how they will develop the players mentally and physically, with one to say a few who will be suiting up this upcoming season for the Blackhawks, after evaluating the players in the pre-season time frame.

For one, it is time to believe that there is promise and to believe that this will shape up the future of Blackhawks history once again, due to the reason the dynasty that had started in 2010 had taken its time to develop. But with today’s game and good old hockey, the team may develop faster, depending on the developmental team associated with the organization.

Why general manager made these particular moves was because of the need to build now for the purpose of dumping two hefty contracts and making room for the cap space for next year, and providing the team with enough room to make more bold acquisitions to fit the teams needs as well.

The big question is how far along would the new draft picks take them at an early stage?

Given that the defense is the strongest feat of the team at this time, it was wise to go with two defensemen and build on a stable selection that gives the team that much added depth to help with managing the team’s focus on on offense.

Breaking the limit on the defense system in the NHL for Chicago.

Not only does it help with veterans like Seth Jones, who will look to lead the rookies, but also pieces such as Jake McCabe and Eric Gustafsson.

The upside of the forwards and wingers from this past draft is that most of them will play in the farm leagues for at least one more year before being recalled, but the main ideal concern is how far will these youngsters take this team during the season and hopefully come playoffs.

On a positive note however, come this free agency it is evident general manager Kyle Davidson will not be holding back and the offer to moves will be making there way out there.

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Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner is proving he should be a main piece for the future

The Chicago Cubs are heading for another year of being sellers at the deadline. This is something that Cubs fans do not like to hear on their end. Even though this has not been a great year for the Cubs there has been some positives up this point in the season.

Some of those positive moments are Seiya Suzuki making his debut, the arrival of Christopher Morel, glimpses of Keegan Thompson and Justin Steele on the mound, among other moments as well. Another positive that cannot go unnoticed is the success of Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner this season.

The former 2018 first round pick by the Cubs in Hoerner is having a fantastic year at the plate and in the field.

With the trade deadline fast approaching names like all star catcher Willson Contreras, outfielder Ian Happ, among others in the bullpen who possibly are on their way out the door in the next few weeks.

One player who will not be going anywhere anytime soon is Hoerner. The talented shortstop is under club control through 2025.

The Cubs won four straight series before the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Three out of the four teams in the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and the Milwaukee Brewers find themselves right in the thick of things for playing well into October.

Hoerner takes a lot of pride in both offense and defense for Cubs

Hoerner had a lot to do with winning those series against teams toward the top of the standings. He comes into play Sunday against the Dodgers hitting .307, an OBP of .342, slugging .430 and an OPS of .757.

It has not only been at the plate where Hoerner has flourished. Hoerner is flashing the leather In the field. Coming into the Dodgers series he has only committed 6 errors in the field, plus a DWAR of 1.3.

In a recent interview with NBC Sports Chicago, Hoerner went on to discuss how much he works on his craft in everything he does in baseball. His quote below from that interview really has shown this season.

“Playing the complete game is something I take a lot of pride in” Hoerner said. “My favorite players growing up always did it.”

Hoerner has had a successful season so far in 2022 because he has been able to stay on the field. Hoerner has played in 71 games this year which is a career high in his short big league career. Hopefully the major injuries are in the past for him and he can continue to stay healthy and remain on the field.

Will Hoerner be Cubs future shortstop?

Where will Hoerner play in the future? That will be seen moving forward as their have been rumors flying that the Cubs will make a play for one of the top free agent shortstops in the upcoming free agent class.

We have seen Hoerner play well at other positions besides shortstops at the major league level for the Cubs. He has played well at second, thurd, and even has some reps under his belt in the outfield. Hoerner was a finalist for the Gold Glove award at second base during the 2020 season. Versatility is very underrated and something that makes Hoerner that much more valuable for the Cubs future plans.

The Cubs are still a year or two from getting back to competing like they were from the 2015 season through the 2020. There is no reason why an organization like the Cubs should be rebuilding twice in the last ten years. One guy that definitely should be here once the Cubs are again in the postseason is Hoerner. Cubs fans are hoping that he is one of the main guys who help bring a championship back to the north side of Chicago.

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A spectrum of concern was cast over the White Sox after Michael Kopech’s first-inning struggles Sunday were compounded by his tardiness in covering first base for the first out of the second inning.

But after convincing manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Ethan Katzand a trainer that his right knee was healthy enough to remain in the game, Kopech provided enough quality with creativity and guile.

“I’ll give you an explanation that was given to me when it’s appropriate, I use it,” La Russa said. “You really want to be a productive winner, player, pitcher, there’s a huge box that you gotta check beyond the talent. It’s guts.”

Despite early control issues and a noticeable dip in velocity, Kopech pitched 5 1/3 innings of four-hit ball that allowed the Sox to rally for a 4-2 victory over the Tigers.

“Absolutely, I didn’t have my best stuff,” said Kopech, who threw his first five pitches for balls before Javy Baez hit his next pitch for a two-run homer. “Probably one of the games where I consider having my worst stuff.”

Kopech’s fastball topped out at 94 mph, about five mph slower than what he usually touches. So he leaned more on his slider and cut fastball that worked effectively.

“Working with what you got, you got to get as deep as you can to give your team a chance to win,” Kopech said. “I didn’t get super deep, but I felt like I was able to fight with what I had.”

Kopech hurt his right knee one month ago, so the Sox were concerned when he was late in covering first on a grounder by Robbie Grossman. But Kopech needed only one warmup pitch to convince them he was fine.

“When I’m out there, I don’t feel it so it’s working with what I have that day,” Kopech said. “If it’s affecting me, I don’t notice it in that moment. I’m giving what I have that day.”

Anderson lone All-Star, for now

No Sox players or pitchers were selected to the American League All-Star team, leaving shortstop Tim Anderson as the lone representative to the July 19 Midseason Classic at Dodger Stadium.

The biggest omission was pitcher Dylan Cease, who was second with 133 strikeouts and fourth with a 2.45 ERA. Cease and other players, however, could be added if other players selected decline to play.

All about the legs

Luis Robert and other Sox players were told last month to not exert themselves on outs to protect their legs from further injury.

But Robert didn’t let up Sunday as he hustled into second base on a dropped fly by Grossman and scored the go-ahead run.

Afterwards, La Russa clarified the distinction.

“Here and again there have been conversations about not running balls out,” La Russa said. “I even heard there was one guy I respect a lot on TV who said they shouldn’t play if they can’t run the ball out.

“It’s easy for you to say. You need talent out there because they have to protect themselves. For him to run it out with the game on the line, that’s what he’s got to do.”

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LOS ANGELES – Lefty Drew Smyly was the second Cubs starter to return from the injured list in as many games.

The Cubs activated Smyly to start against the Dodgers on Sunday, in his first appearance back from a six-week stint on the 15-day IL with a strained right oblique.

The Cubs fell 11-9 to the Dodgers, completinga four-game sweep. But Smyly and right-hander Marcus Stroman’s returns this weekend bode well for a rotation that’s been shorthanded for much of the season.In a corresponding move, the Cubs optioned reliever Michael Rucker to Triple-A.

“[Smyly has] felt ahead of schedule since he started the rehab process back,” manager David Ross said of Smyly’s return from a notoriously finicky injury. “He’s a veteran guy that we put a lot of trust in, and he’s given us a ton of feedback. And it’s been nice. Been able to keep him off the 60-day, and now he’s back.”

Smyly took the mound in the bottom of the first inning with a 5-0 lead. The Cubs’ opening rally included catcher PJ Higgins’ first career grand slam.

An already long inning dragged on as Smyly allowed three runs on three hits and a leadoff walk. Smyly and Dodgers starter Julio Ur?as combined to throw 81 pitches in the first inning.

Smyly rebounded with a quick second inning, inducing ground balls for all three outs. But when he gave up a leadoff double to Dodgers star Freddie Freeman in the third, Smyly’s pitch count had climbed to 56, and Ross pulled him.

Smyly was charged with four runs in two-plus innings.

The Dodgers rallied for six runs in the third, wiping away the Cubs’ lead, and the home team never trailed again.

All-Star brothers

Catcher Willson Contreras’ family received more good news on Sunday. Two days after Contreras was named an All-Star starter, MLB announced his brother William had been voted into the All-Star Game via player balloting.

Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper, who was named an All-Star starter, will be inactive (broken thumb) for the midsummer classic. So, William Contreras, one of five Braves All-Star selections this year, will take Harper’s place in the starting lineup.

Willson and William Contreras are set to be the first brothers to appear in the same All-Star Game since Aaron and Bret Boone in 2003, the first on the same All-Star team since Roberto and Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1998, and the first in the same starting lineup since the Alomar brothers in 1992.

Madrigal exits rehab game

Cubs second baseman Nick Madrigal left a rehab game with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday after one at-bat. He was serving as the designated hitter, as part of his ramp-up process.

Madrigal felt tightness in his groin Sunday, according to the Cubs, which originally landed him on the IL about a month ago. Madrigal was set to get the issue checked out in Chicago as a precautionary measure.

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Overall ratings have been leaked for the Chicago Bulls starters in NBA 2K23

With the release of NBA 2k23 only about 2 months away, fans and gamers alike are eagerly anticipating the new game, with updated rosters and overalls to reflect the past offseason. While the Bulls did not make any moves that should impact the starting lineup, fans are always excited to see how their team will stack up in the new game. Luckily for Bulls fans, we don’t need 2 more months to see how our starting lineup will look in the new game.

According to Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans, the rankings for the starting five are as follows:

Lonzo Ball: 81

After opening 2k22 with an 82 overall, Ball has declined by 1 overall after his first season in Chicago. Despite last season being his best in terms of field goal percentage, three point percentage, steals per game, and blocks per game, the Bulls’ point guard played only 35 games last season, and his slight decrease is likely due to the questions regarding his health heading into the 2022-23 campaign.

Zach LaVine: 86

LaVine opened last season at an 87 overall, and despite a season as an All-Star, the Bulls’ shooting guard’s splits did decrease slightly from the season before. His production also decreased slightly from the year before, but most of this could be due to the introduction of DeRozan as a teammate and a high-volume scorer. Lavine was able to get his rating up to an 88 by the end of last season, so a similar progression is hopefully in play for the star guard.

DeMar DeRozan: 88

DeRozan started last season as an 85 overall and by February, he was up to a 91. NBA 2k has brought the guard/forward back to Earth a little bit, but still, DeRozan is the highest rated Bull for this season. Alongside Lavine, the two create a lethal one-two scoring punch that is rivaled by few teams across the NBA. However, as a player that was at least mentioned in the MVP voting only a season ago, it is somewhat surprising to see DeRozan not break a 90 overall.

Patrick Williams: 75

Bulls’ fans seem to be some of the only people nationally that truly understand Williams’ impact, and how different the team looks when he is playing versus when he is not. Williams started last season as a 75 overall as well, eventually declining to a 74 by the end of the season, but his value, especially on the defensive end of the court, is clear to even casual viewers. As a career 40% 3pt shooter, Williams is a solid 3-and-D player, and his overall should rise as the young forward looks to go to the next level in his 3rd season.

Nikola Vucevic: 82

Vucevic was certainly, at least in 2k’s eyes, the most volatile Bulls’ starter last season, as the former Orlando Magic center started the season as an 85 overall, dropped all the way to an 81, and then rose back up to an 83 by the end of the season. Now at an 82, Vucevic struggled last year as a shooter, but still averaged a double-double with nearly 20 points. This is pretty good production out of a veteran center who may not even be the third option when the team is healthy, but as 2k showed last year, they are more than willing to increase his rating if necessary.

These leaks tell us little about the bench players who will be big in certain situations for the real-life Chicago Bulls’, such as Alex Caruso, Coby White, and even the newly acquired Andre Drummond, but for the video game team, the starting lineup average an 82.8 overall. This shows that the Bulls’ have a talented starting lineup with little to no weaknesses, but we will likely have to wait until September to see how this stacks up in the Eastern Conference and across the NBA.

Who do you think in the Bulls’ starting lineup is ranked too high or too low? Who will improve the most in game throughout the NBA season? And how do you expect this team to stack up with other starting lineups in the game?

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An eight-game, seven-day trip against the Guardians and Twins remains an ominous task.

But the inconsistent White Sox overcame an array of challenges Sunday to seize a remarkable 4-2 victory over the Tigers to help their task of eventually overtaking the Guardians and Twins not so insurmountable.

They pounced on an error by left fielder Robbie Grossman — his first after 440 errorless games — with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning, as pinch-hitter AJ Pollock hit a tie-breaking single off Gregory Soto and Eloy Jim?nez followed with an insurance RBI hit.

This came after starter Michael Kopech overcame a brutal start and a lack of his overpowering fastball to last 5 1/3 innings, and the offense produced four two-out RBI hits after being blanked for four innings by unheralded Drew Hutchison.

“Hopefully these two wins get us (momentum),” manager Tony La Russa said after the Sox (41-43) cut their deficit to one-half game behind the Guardians (41-42) and stayed five games behind the Twins (48-40) in the American League Central.

“I know because I listen to the conversations in the locker room. They know starting this week, and then what’s ahead playing the eight games in seven days. They know what a challenge that is and how deep the team is going to have to dig to compete and see how many wins we can get.”

Gavin Sheets, who hit his second homer in as many games, a tiebreaking shot off Hutchison in the sixth, concurred.

“Get after it,” said Sheets, who is batting .423 (17-47) with four doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI in his last 15 games. “We got a couple games, and then we got a four-day break. It could be a tough stretch, but we got a break coming, so there’s no reason for us not to get after it and get some wins.”

The Sox earned the victory without All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson, who rested his groin and could get a break during one of the games during Tuesday’s day-night doubleheader against the Guardians.

“You’ve just got to pay attention and communicate a lot with the coaching staff and training staff,” said La Russa, alluding to the fact that Anderson returned July 4 after missing three weeks due to his groin injury. “You play in your division, those are two-for-one games. But if the guy shouldn’t play, he shouldn’t play.”

But Luis Robert wasn’t thinking about his sore legs as he sprinted to second after Grossman’s dropped his fly in the sun and wind.

Nor was Kopech, started the game by throwing five balls before Javy Baez hit the next pitch for a two-run homer, leaving the game after he was slow to cover first base in the second and required medical attention.

“Well, there ain’t no bad win,” La Russa said. “The win Saturday (8-0) was a real good one. Coming from behind, hanging in there, because of what our pitchers did to keep us in the game and some clutch two-out hits. It’s supposed to and I think it’s just momentum is confidence.”

Kopech’s resiliency typified the Sox’s determination to regain a semblance of the “authority figure” they established in winning the 2021 AL Central, according to closer Liam Hendricks.

“Just inside this clubhouse, gain that (sense of) we are better than everybody else and we can do this,” Hendricks said. “We need to get that mindset back, and that’s something we’ve had spurts of but hasn’t really caught fire yet. I’m hoping games like Saturday and (Sunday’s) wins will help spark that fire a little bit.”

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It gets real now for Kyle Davidson.

The Blackhawks young, bold, unproven general manager has committed to his plan: tearing down the Hawks and building them back from scratch with a long-term approach.

But picking a plan is the easy part. Committing to it is a bit tougher, and Davidson deserves credit for at least doing that –a sharp contrast to predecessor Stan Bowman. Making it work will be quite difficult, although Davidson fully understands that. And making it popular will be practically impossible.

A huge segment of the fan base is already furious about the Alex DeBrincat trade. Seven Twitter users have so far used the hashtag “Fire Kyle Davidson;” hundreds, if not thousands, more will join them over the coming years of inevitable pain.

Outside Chicago, a huge segment of the hockey world is eyeing the Hawks with serious skepticism. A significant portion of that segment is outright making fun of the franchise’s state of disarray.

The confusion and doubt will only increase Monday, when it becomes official that Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik won’t be tendered qualifying offers and will be allowed to walk away for nothing as free agents.

That’ll leave the Hawks without five of the seven forwards who tallied more than 25 points for them last season, and the futures of the other two –Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews — are hardly more secure. Philipp Kurashev, if re-signed, would be the Hawks’ third-highest returning forward scorer –and he tallied just six goals and 21 points. It’s truly a mystery at this point who will populate the Hawks’ first and second lines next season.

Davidson, from all outward indications, firmly believes this drastic rebuilding plan is the correct one. He comes across as secure, confident and assertive, while acknowledging this is “not fun” for anyone.

And why wouldn’t he be confident? He has the full support of management and ownership. He has reached the pinnacle of his career, having achieved a lifelong dream. He has no baggage weighing on his decision-making, no past mistakes smudging his track record.

That clean slate has come in handy several times already. He wasn’t the one who hired Jeremy Colliton; thus, firing Colliton didn’t reflect poorly on him. He wasn’t the one who drafted Kirby Dach third overall; thus, it wasn’t an admission of error to trade him for the 13th pick. He wasn’t the one who traded Henri Jokiharju for Alex Nylander; thus, he could flip Nylander for Sam Lafferty guilt-free.

If a time comes where the Hawks need to jettison Seth Jones’ enormous contract and use sweeteners to convince someone else to take it, that colossal mistake won’t be blamed on him, either.

As time passes, however, the Hawks will become more and more Davidson’s team. His acquisitions and draft picks and signings will be his responsibilities. Their failures will be his to own — just as their successes will be, but there could be a lot more failures than successes for a while.

Already, Davidson and his regime are on the clock for how 2022 first-round picks Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel pan out –and how DeBrincat, Strome, Kubalik, Kirby Dach and Brandon Hagel fare with their new teams. That list will only increase in size as more players come and go over the years.

There’s no chance every single one of Davidson’s decisions work out well. That’s an impossible standard for every GM.

But what will his hit rate be? Will he be able to admit and fix mistakes when they occur? Will he stick to this plan long enough? Will he know when the right time comes to pivot toward trying to contend? Will he be able to orchestrate the build-up as thoroughly as the tear-down?

His actions will answer those questions.

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The Chicago Cubs will be sellers at the deadline but which players will stick around?

The Chicago Cubs organization has to face some tough decisions as the trade deadline quickly approaches here in July. The team itself is currently not in position to make a postseason run, meaning there is some retooling and rebuilding on the horizon.

Certain pieces, such as Willson Contreras and Ian Happ are long-tenured players, but their value in the market may mean their days in Wrigley are limited. With so many futures uncertain, who are three players that will likely remain with the team beyond the trade deadline?

Patrick Wisdom

Some may not see Wisdom as a long-term solution at the hot corner, citing his extended struggles with high strikeout numbers and occasional fielding error. However, Wisdom has proven himself valuable and reliable as a hitter, despite his disproportional strikeout numbers. At this point in the 2022 season, Wisdom is leading the Cubs lineup in terms of runs, home runs, and runs batted in. Without Wisdom’s contributions during offensive droughts, this Cub’s offense, which thrives in terms of on-base percentage yet ranks 10th in the National League in RBI’s, would hardly compete in high-scoring outings.

Wisdom’s high-strikeout rate, currently first in the NL, may dissuade trade partners from making a move for the veteran, but his dependability to drive in runners in scoring position and versatility may signify a longer future in the Windy City.

Andrelton Simmons

It can tough to argue to Simmons extending his time with the Cubs considering how short his stint has been to this point. As a member of the Cubs, Simmons has only seen action in 33 games so far, and only managed to produce one extra-base hit in that entire run. It’s no major revelation that Simmons struggles at the plate, but his value to the organization comes in his elite defensive versatility. Both Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal have spent time on the injured list throughout the season, and when Hoerner went down with injury it was Simmons who stepped into his place without missing a beat defensively.

The infield is a portion of the team that could see plenty of overhauling throughout the trade deadline, but Simmons is a valuable, experienced player whose defensive prowess could keep him safe from being moved.

Kyle Hendricks

Hendricks name has appeared in trade rumors for multiple years at this point. While not a workhorse starting pitcher at 32, Hendricks is still reliable and was one of the pieces that held enough appeal to start speculation about where he may be traded. However, in his most recent outing on the mound against the Brewers, Hendricks left after only three innings due to shoulder soreness.  This ailment, similar to the soreness Hendricks experienced at the beginning of June, has depreciated his market value significantly and will leave him sidelined for at least two weeks on the injured list.

The timeline for Hendrick’s return does leave for some time before the August 2nd deadline for Hendricks to showcase his recovery and compile potential trade partners to move. However, it’s more than likely that The Professor won’t be a trade piece.

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