We are down to the final three days before Tuesday's 4:00pm trade deadline in Major League Baseball, and these last two days prove that teams are feeling the pressure of the final countdown. Two more big-time trades took place on Friday, starting with the Arizona Diamondbacks closing in on a deal to acquire Eduardo Escobar from the Minnesota Twins.
The 29-year-old switch hitter is batting .274 this season and leads all of baseball with 37 doubles. He has played three different infield positions this season, giving the D-backs plenty of options down the stretch. Arizona sent three minor league players the other way to make this deal happen. They came in to play on Friday just a game and half behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, and just a half game behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card race.
Escobar also adds even more offensive punch in the Diamondbacks lineup, as they already rank seventh in the National League with 461 runs scored. Although, one stat they could improve in is their .705 team OPS, which is good for just 12th in the league. The team also just sent infielder Jake Lamb to the disabled list after he left Thursday's game with a shoulder contusion.
Another switch-hitting infielder changed teams on Friday, as Asdrubal Cabrera stayed in the NL East by going from the New York Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies sent Double-A right-handed pitcher Franklyn Kilome to New York.
The 32-year-old veteran has produced plenty for the Mets this season, batting .277 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs, en route to an All-Star berth. He was a two-time All-Star with the Cleveland Indians in the American League earlier in his career.
He has played plenty at the Phillies home ballpark during his time in the big leagues, in fact, 24 times, which he has recorded at least one extra-base hit in 12 of them and has a 1.053 career OPS at Citizens Bank Park. After splitting time between second base, third base, and shortstop last season, Cabrera has only played at second base this year. In his final game with the Mets, he homered twice and drove in four in a 12-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. He is expected to make his Phillies debut on Saturday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
The 29-year-old switch hitter is batting .274 this season and leads all of baseball with 37 doubles. He has played three different infield positions this season, giving the D-backs plenty of options down the stretch. Arizona sent three minor league players the other way to make this deal happen. They came in to play on Friday just a game and half behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, and just a half game behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card race.
Escobar also adds even more offensive punch in the Diamondbacks lineup, as they already rank seventh in the National League with 461 runs scored. Although, one stat they could improve in is their .705 team OPS, which is good for just 12th in the league. The team also just sent infielder Jake Lamb to the disabled list after he left Thursday's game with a shoulder contusion.
Another switch-hitting infielder changed teams on Friday, as Asdrubal Cabrera stayed in the NL East by going from the New York Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies sent Double-A right-handed pitcher Franklyn Kilome to New York.
The 32-year-old veteran has produced plenty for the Mets this season, batting .277 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs, en route to an All-Star berth. He was a two-time All-Star with the Cleveland Indians in the American League earlier in his career.
He has played plenty at the Phillies home ballpark during his time in the big leagues, in fact, 24 times, which he has recorded at least one extra-base hit in 12 of them and has a 1.053 career OPS at Citizens Bank Park. After splitting time between second base, third base, and shortstop last season, Cabrera has only played at second base this year. In his final game with the Mets, he homered twice and drove in four in a 12-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. He is expected to make his Phillies debut on Saturday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
