Couple of thoughts going thru my Baseball Notebook coming off vacation.

PADRES..Big discussion points, will San Diego be a ‘Buyer-or-Seller’ at the trade deadline?  Bigger questions, who have they got they could trade that anyone would want?  No one will take on the massive contracts of Machado-Bogaerts-Cronenworth, unless the Friars pay some of the deal, and what value is that?  

They need to stop trading the farm system away.  AJ Preller has dealt away 60-prospects in the last 6-years.  And the Friars have been to get to the World Series doing business this way.

No idea how they land a mid-level rental starter named Freddy Peralta, Robbie Ray, Seth Lugo, or the likes.  Let’s not waste my time talking about Tarik Skubal.  

I fear Joe Musgrove does not come back.  Stress fracture of the elbow, another bone spur, just think 10-years of wear and tear has taken a toll.

Do believe Nick Pivetta will give them starts in late August, coming off his own set of elbow problems, but who knows about his quality of those starts.

1-area the Friars have depth is catcher, and there are 6-clubs desperate for someone behind the plate, but what kind of pitcher do you get for Campusano-Fermin-Duran?

Oh by the way, count me out of any conversation about dealing away Mason Miller-Adrian Morejon too.

And the huge question once beyond the August 3rd trading deadline, if this team misses the playoffs and the back end of the schedule is as bad as what we have just witnessed, an (18-30) tailspin, will new ownership do its own probe of Preller, and want to bring in their own leader.

DODGERS…Yes in first place at (61-36), but no not a complete team.  It is a team with some mystery questions at this hour.

Yes Ohtani and Yamamoto are great talents.  But Sasaki has not found any form of consistency.  The younger guys, Wroblewski-Sheehan have been surprising but are they about to hit a wall.

You tell me, Blake Snell-Tyler Glasnow turning into bad investments, all the injuries, all that money, two years in a row?

The bullpen is erratic and we wait to see in a week if Edwin Diaz (LA version) can be as good as Edwin Diaz (Mets version) before all the injuries.

Of course Dodgers dollars can buy alot, so if they go after Skubal themselves, it would just be the Dodger Way of doing business.

Yes lots of age in lineup, but understand this, the best collection of everyday outfielders and infielders at AAA-AA.  As much as is said and written about the Evil Empire, the Dodgers payroll etc, they draft well develop well, and don’t trade them away.

ANGELS…Yes you can hope that ex-Cardinals exec John Mozeliak can reinvent his St Louis success at the Big A, but rebuilds don’t get done in 15-minutes.

Rumors everywhere he will rebuild this by possibly dealing pitchers Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers, having decent years.

You’d think they could get a great haul for Mike Trout, but he seems committed to want to stay and play.

If Mozeliak is going to fix this mess, he needs to tell Arte Moreno to give him the (55M( he took out of the payroll last year.

Of course Angels fans, who don’t deserve this mess, probably want Mozeliak to trade Moreno away too.

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