Happy Wednesday, everyone!
Let's get right to it.
😎 Good morning to everyone but especially to ...
FRAMBER VALDEZ, JUSTIN VERLANDER AND THE HOUSTON ASTROS
The Astros have thrown two World Series parades in the past six years, and if they make it three in seven, they'll look back fondly on Tuesday, one of the greatest regular-season days any team has ever put together. Hours after Houston acquired Justin Verlander from the Mets in a blockbuster deadline-day deal, Framber Valdez delivered an utterly dominant no-hitter against the Guardians in a 2-0 win.
- Valdez needed just 93 pitches, the fewest in a no-no since David Cone's perfect game in 1999.
- It's the 16th no-hitter in Astros history and the first done completely by a lefty.
- If you include the postseason, the Astros have three of the last five no-hitters across MLB. It's also the third no-no overall this season coming after the Yankees' Domingo German in June and the Tigers' combined effort in July.
- Martín Maldonado has now caught three no-hitters, tied for the third-most ever.
To say the Guardians were overwhelmed would, somehow, be an understatement. They managed just one walk -- by Oscar Gonzalez in the fifth -- and that was erased two batters later with Will Brennan grounding into a double play. As a result, Valdez faced the minimum. Cleveland did not have a single ball in play with a 50%-or-better chance to be a hit, according to Statcast.
In a perfect full-circle moment, it's the first solo no-hitter by an Astro since ... Verlander in 2019.
Speaking of Verlander, it never felt right -- and too often didn't go right -- seeing him in a Mets uniform. Now, he's returning to where he reached his peak powers, leaving one of MLB's most disappointing teams for a perennial contender he helped build.
- Verlander, 40, got hurt just before Opening Day and then struggled out of the gates but really turned things around with a marvelous July: 4-1, 1.69 ERA. Overall, his brief cameo with the Mets -- one that started with sky-high expectations -- resulted in 16 games played, a 6-5 record and a 3.15 ERA. Not bad but a far cry from what he did in Houston.
- Then again, pretty much everything would be a far cry from what Verlander's done in Houston. With the Astros from 2017-22, Verlander went 61-19 with a 2.26 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. Those are all the best marks by any player with a team (minimum 100 starts) in the live ball era (since 1920). Verlander also won a pair of Cy Young awards and a pair of World Series titles with Houston.
- The Mets, meanwhile, got outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford in return. Both were top five-ish prospects in Houston's system.
- This trade came shortly after the Mets sent fellow multi-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to the Rangers. The Mets also traded David Robertson (to Miami), Mark Canha (to Milwaukee) and Tommy Pham (to Arizona), among other moves. The Mets still owe Scherzer and Verlander roughly $90 million combined.
- Mike Axisa addressed where the Mets go from here.
Houston gets an "A" grade from R.J. Anderson for getting its superstar back:
- "For now, we feel comfortable writing that he greatly improves the Astros' chances of not only winning the AL West -- though the souped-up Rangers should continue to give them a fight -- but of winning another World Series ring. ... Sure enough, SportsLine's forecast model has Verlander adding nearly two percentage points to Houston's title odds (from 14.3% to 16.1%). That's worth sacrificing two solid prospects for in our book, even if they happen to be the two best in your depleted system."
What an incredible day for Houston.
👍 Honorable mentions
- Tiger Woods joined the PGA Tour policy board.
- Could the Raiders and Josh Jacobs restart negotiations?
- Bryce Young revealed his side hustle as an Alabama freshman.
- The Aces clinched a playoff berth.
- Kentucky men's basketball dipped its toe into Croatia for its latest recruit.
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😬 And not such a good morning for ...
THE NEW YORK YANKEES AND BOSTON RED SOX
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" does not apply today. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox were on the wrong side of Matt Snyder's trade deadline winners and losers -- not for what they did but rather for what they didn't do, which is much at all. Despite entering deadline day respectively 3.5 and 2.5 games out of a playoff spot, New York and Boston were largely bystanders.
- The Yankees brought in relievers Keynan Middleton and Spencer Howard, who are fine but not likely to be season-changers.
- The Red Sox snagged Luis Urías, who has eight hits for the Brewers this season and spent the last month in the minors.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman said, "We're in it to win it." His moves, though, don't back up that claim for either this year or next, as Anderson explains:
- "The Yankees had two possible paths -- go all-in and try to make the postseason or step back and focus on 2024 and beyond -- and they chose neither, which is the worst possible thing they could have done. ... The trade deadline makes you wonder whether anyone upstairs, specifically Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner, has a grasp on reality and the team's current situation. Are they honest with their self-evaluation? Do they understand they have an aging roster and have struggled to finish off the development of their young players at the MLB level, or that the other four teams in the AL East are on the rise? They're so sure of themselves even though the team on the field inspires no confidence."
👎 Not so honorable mentions
- Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp could be sidelined a few weeks with a hamstring injury.
- The Dodgers tried but failed to get Eduardo Rodriguez.
- Iowa State starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers was accused of betting on his team.
- The Revolution placed Bruce Arena on administrative leave for alleged "insensitive" remarks.
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⚾ MLB trade deadline: Grades for all 30 teams and more
You get a trade! You get a trade! You get a trade! Everyone -- yes, everyone -- gets a trade! A wild last few weeks leading up to the deadline saw every team make at least one deal. Our live blog was going crazy. Here were the biggest trades from deadline day (apart from Verlander):
- The AL-best Orioles got righty Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals. It's a big boost to Baltimore's rotation.
- Also leaving St. Louis is Paul DeJong, who is headed to the Blue Jays. Toronto also got good news regarding Bo Bichette's injury.
- The Marlins nabbed Josh Bell from the Guardians and Ryan Weathers from the Padres in last-minute deals.
- The Phillies added All-Star Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers.
- The Padres got Ji-Man Choi and Rich Hill from the Pirates.
- Here's our trade tracker, which was updated every two minutes it seemed.
But which of these deals are actually going to help the most? Anderson handed out trade grades for all 30 teams. Here's a good one ...
- "Angels: Once the Angels decided to keep Shohei Ohtani, they went into buy mode. That approach netted them Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, C.J. Cron, Randal Grichuk, and Dominic Leone. The Angels' capacity to upscale was limited by a weak farm system, but we think they did about as well as could've been reasonably expected at patching over some holes on their roster. If and when Ohtani leaves, they'll need to reset anyway, so why not take their chances? Grade: A"
and a not-so-good one ...
- "Twins: The Twins did not engage with the deadline beyond swapping out Jorge López for Dylan Floro. We like that deal for the Twins, since it seems to us that Floro just needs a better infield behind him to be good again. Still, for that to be their only move seems like a misfire considering the closeness of the American League Central race. Grade: F"
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🏈 Preseason CBS Sports 133: Ranking every FBS team
The NFL gets a lot of our preseason football attention, but you know what season actually starts this month? College football! As such, we proudly present the 2023 Preseason CBS Sports 133, and it's no surprise who comes in No. 1: two-time reigning champ Georgia. Here's the top five:
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Michigan
- 3. Ohio State
- 4. LSU
- 5. Alabama
Yes, that's three SEC teams in the top five. The conference also has nine of the top 30, while both the Big Ten and (what's left of) the Pac-12 placed five teams in the top 25.
Here the two biggest upward movers, with analysis from Chip Patterson:
- No. 23 Texas A&M (+47): "Last season's 5-7 showing was an aberration compared to how most teams finish with a roster as talented as that of Texas A&M."
- No. 19 Wisconsin (+35): "The expectation is that Luke Fickell will have Wisconsin once again competing for the Big Ten West title and a shot at the conference championship."
You can see all 133 -- from Georgia to UMass -- right here.
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📺 What we're watching Wednesday
⚽ We're watching the Women's World Cup. Here's how.
🏀 Wings at Storm, 10:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
