[OutsiderFan]

There is a lot of pressure on contending teams to improve their weaknesses, not just to secure a division or playoff spot, but to put them over the top to win a World Series.

It is a fact that no acquisition guarantees anything, but just because you never know, doesn’t mean you don’t try improving your team. Moreover, trading for capable players sends a message to the players on a team that they are going for it. It’s a sellers market when it comes to adding quality pitching.

I don’t understand the Mets acquiring Stroman and wanting to move Syndergaard, but I believe the Mets are better than the Giants. Fangraphs actually picks the Mets to finish ahead of the Giants right now, maybe in part because the Giants have the toughest remaining schedule of all the NL wild card contenders.

No single one guy is going to put anyone over the top for sure, but contending teams with expectations have a lot of pressure on them to improve or at least make it look like they are trying. The sellers don’t have any obligations to sell. The buyers are the desperate parties in most cases and need to make assets worth selling. The Giants and D-Backs are both in intriguing positions, with trade assets and also being threats to wild card teams if they aren’t weakened. They need good offers to sort of beg out of contention.

[OutsiderFan]

There is a lot of pressure on contending teams to improve their weaknesses, not just to secure a division or playoff spot, but to put them over the top to win a World Series.

It is a fact that no acquisition guarantees anything, but just because you never know, doesn’t mean you don’t try improving your team. Moreover, trading for capable players sends a message to the players on a team that they are going for it. It’s a sellers market when it comes to adding quality pitching.

I don’t understand the Mets acquiring Stroman and wanting to move Syndergaard, but I believe the Mets are better than the Giants. Fangraphs actually picks the Mets to finish ahead of the Giants right now, maybe in part because the Giants have the toughest remaining schedule of all the NL wild card contenders.

No single one guy is going to put anyone over the top for sure, but contending teams with expectations have a lot of pressure on them to improve or at least make it look like they are trying. The sellers don’t have any obligations to sell. The buyers are the desperate parties in most cases and need to make assets worth selling. The Giants and D-Backs are both in intriguing positions, with trade assets and also being threats to wild card teams if they aren’t weakened. They need good offers to sort of beg out of contention.