Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard are two of MLB's biggest potential trade-deadline prizes
Robert Woods Jersey Elite , and they probably aren't going anywhere.The New York Mets right-handers are 30 and 25 years old, respectively. DeGrom is under club control through 2020; Syndergaard won't hit free agency until after the 2021 season at the soonest. DeGrom is in the midst of a Cy Young Award-caliber season, and Syndergaard, injury issues aside, owns one of baseball's most electric arms.The Mets are buried in last place in the National League East. But those are the type of assets you build around, not the kind you ship away.What if New York could loan out its co-aces, however, with the assurance they'd return to Queens after the season?It's nothing more than a thought exercise, obviously. League officials won't rewrite the trade rules in the middle of summer.There is a precedent, however. Professional soccer players in the English Premier League can be "loaned" out for limited periods before returning to their club of origin. Sometimes, they make a significant difference for their new squads.What if the same standard were applied to MLB?To give credit where it's due, NBC Sports' Christopher Crawford recently floated the notion:Christopher Crawford Crawford_MILBA thought:Lets say that MLB had a rule where a team could quot;borrowquot; an MLB player starting July 31. It would be like any other trade, only the player -- if hes under contract -- returns to the team in November.What would a player like Mike Trout get in that situation?That's a fascinating hypothetical. What wouldan offense-hungry contender pay for a few months of Mike Trout's services? At least one top-level prospect, probably, plus ancillary pieces.The Los Angeles Dodgers surrendered power-hitting prospect Yusniel Diaz to the Baltimore Orioles to rent Manny Machado in June. Diazbecame the Orioles' No. 2 prospect, perMLB.com, and the O's also nettedbat-missing right-hander Dean Kremer and third baseman Rylan Bannon
http://www.losangelesramsteamonline.com/robert-woods-jersey , who'd hit 20 homers at High-A, as well as right-hander Zach Pop and infielder Breyvic Valera.Renting out Trout would help the Los Angeles Angels to rebuild their farm system and set them up for future contention. And it would put the game's best player in a position to perform on the postseason stage, where he's logged a scant 15 plate appearances in seven-plus big league seasons.Picture Trout temporarily in the middle of the Chicago Cubs' or New York Yankees' lineups. Are you not intrigued?Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesThe same could be said for any number of star players who are toiling for teams on the fringe of or essentially eliminated from contention: the Miami Marlins' J.T. Realmuto, the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner, the Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto. They'd tip the balance of power wherever they landed while adding exponential excitement to October.This proposal will engender hired-gun cynicism. It's the antithesis of loyalty. If your loyalty lies with the guy donning the laundry of your choice above all else, surely you're fuming.But as MLB wrestles with declining attendance and waning enthusiasm, it needs to get creative. It needs to find ways to put the best players in the spotlight and crank up the drama.Plus, free agency has already decimated the concept of franchise fealty. Whatever lip service they pay to the fans and cities they temporarily call home, most players follow the money. As they should.Let's cast aside the charade, then, and admit it's about entertainment. Many in the NBA have embraced the superteam, where contenders load up on superstars intent on winning a title. Why shouldn't baseball follow suit?"I'd give up everything I have, all of the individual awards I've ever won, for a World Series," Trout said in June, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "It would be so sick to win the World Series, ride around with that trophy
Authentic Alex Smith Jersey , and see everyone so happy. That's something you dream about."Jae C. Hong/Associated PressUnfortunately for Trout, the Angels entered play Sunday 13 games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and eight games off the wild-card pace. The odds that he'll realize his dream with the Halos in 2018 hover somewhere in the vicinity of zero.Would it be as sweet if he did it in another uniform? That's an open question. But it would be sweeter than watching the postseason from his couch.Trout, deGrom, Syndergaard et al. will likely remain with their current clubs in 2018. If you root for the Angels and Mets, then you're probably happy about that.If you're a fan of the game, on the other hand, it's an unfortunate reality鈥攚ith a possible, if drastic, fix. The Chicago White Sox will try for back-to-back wins against the top team in baseball when they host the Boston Red Sox for the third game of a four-game series Saturday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.Chicago (54-81) is coming off a 6-1 win over the Red Sox on Friday in a game that included a two-hour, nine-minute rain delay. The White Sox have won six of their last eight games and 12 of their last 17.Boston (93-43) has lost five of its last six road games but maintains a healthy lead atop the American League East. The Red Sox will try to bounce back at the plate after being held to one run or fewer for the 17th time this season.Article continues below ...White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (6-3, 2.70 ERA) is set to make his 15th start. The 25-year-old is experiencing his best stretch of the season but draws a tough assignment against the Red Sox. He has yet to beat Boston in his career, posting an 0-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in three previous starts. In his only start against Boston this year, Rodon gave up four runs (two earned) and six hits in five innings and took the loss in a 4-2 defeat on June 9.Overall Rodon has recorded nine consecutive quality starts, which is the longest streak by any White Sox pitcher since he registered 10 quality starts in a row from Aug. 11, 2015, to April 13, 2016. Rodon is the team’s first pitcher with nine straight quality starts in a single season since Jose Quintana accomplished the feat in 2015.During Rodon’s current nine-start streak
Alex Smith Jersey Elite , he is 5-0 with a 1.84 ERA. He has allowed only 32 hits in 63 2/3 innings.The strong performances from Rodon, as well as several other starting pitchers, have helped Chicago collect more wins.“This month has been refreshing for us, the way we’ve been playing,” Rodon told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s something to look forward to and try to carry it out the rest of the season and transition that into spring training and into next season.”For the Red Sox, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (11-3, 3.44 ERA) will come off the disabled list and make his 20th start of the season. He has not pitched for Boston since July 14 because of a right ankle sprain, but he looked good during a minor league rehabilitation stint.Before his injury, Rodriguez did not allow a run in three consecutive starts, logging 17 scoreless innings during that span. Rodriguez will look to build upon that streak as teammate Hector Velazquez returns to the bullpen.“He’s a full go,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told MassLive.com. “I think bringing him back is going to help us not only in the rotation but … it’s going to help our bullpen. Getting Hector back in the bullpen, having Drew (Pomeranz) in the bullpen is going to help us as far as how to manage a game if something happens early in the game.”In two career starts against the White Sox, Rodriguez is 0-0 with a 3.75 ERA. He has walked four and fanned 12 in 12 innings. This will be the 25-year-old’s first appearance against Chicago this season.Avisail Garcia has eight RBIs in his last eight games for the White Sox.Meanwhile, Mookie Betts is hitting .325 (13-for-40) with two doubles, two homers and six RBIs in his last 11 games for Boston.