Baseball is a game of streaks, and right now, no one is feeling that more than Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. After launching 60 home runs and finishing second in AL MVP voting last season, "Big Dumper" has been mired in a brutal slump—one that reached an 0-for-38 stretch before he finally broke through with a single last night. The catalyst? A foul ball that found a very unfortunate spot. Sometimes, you take the hit—literally—to get back on track.
Mike Petriello dives into what's gone wrong for Raleigh, while Karl Rasmussen puts the streak in perspective by ranking the five longest hitless stretches in MLB history. Raleigh's skid came up just short of knocking a current Cub off that list. Meanwhile, Jay Jaffe breaks down the trade that sent catcher Patrick Bailey from San Francisco to Cleveland, and Ken Rosenthal reports that Giants team president Buster Posey has been making bold moves that aren't paying off—yet. Posey reportedly grew frustrated with Bailey's game management and weak bat, and Kerry Crowley suggests more trades could be coming.
Elsewhere around the league, the Dodgers snagged outfielder Alek Thomas from the Diamondbacks after he was designated for assignment. Kiley McDaniel offers five early questions about next winter's free agency, and Jason Foster checks in on both Rookie of the Year races. For the Astros, Japanese rookie Tatsuya Imai's struggles continue—he came off the IL yesterday but got rocked for six runs in four innings. And over in Atlanta, Thomas Harrington highlights a key change in Matt Olson's approach: more fly balls, and the power numbers are soaring.
From slumps and trades to rookie races and swing adjustments, the MLB landscape is shifting fast—and we've got it all covered for you.
