A couple months ago, when the Washington Nationals had just about hit rock bottom, the most unthinkable of ideas started to surface: Trade Max Scherzer.

As blasphemous as the notion seemed, it wasn't completely looney-tunes. On May 24, Washington was 12 games under .500 and had the third-worst record in the National League. Lineup cornerstones Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner had already returned from injuries and, contrary to forecasts, had failed to cure the Nats. The bullpen was historically abominable and there was no reason to think it was just a phase. In short, the 2019 season was a lost cause.

Locally and nationally, it became a foregone conclusion the Nats should go into sell mode. Not a complete Miami Marlins kind of fire sale, but rather a judicious auction process that would help a talented but underperforming team stock up for annual pennant runs in the near term. Not a rebuild, but a reload.

Closer Sean Doolittle, who was an All-Star last season and has an extremely budget-friendly team option for 2020, would have plenty of sizzle on the trade market, particularly in a year when so many contenders need bullpen help. Rendon, a premier third baseman who could be the top free agent this coming winter if Washington doesn't sign him to a contract extension before then, would be the 2019 version of Manny Machado, fetching a small army of prospects in return for his services down the stretch. And then there was Scherzer.

With two-plus seasons remaining on his contract and a Hall of Fame résumé in his pocket, Scherzer would be the trade chip to end all trade chips. Much like his former Tigers teammate Justin Verlander did when Houston acquired him in 2017, the three-time Cy Young winner would seismically shift MLB's competitive complexion both this season and beyond. In the process, Scherzer would supply Washington with a colossal cache of prospects. Maybe even a current big leaguer or two. Combine that haul with a talented core that features Turner and young outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles, not to mention a stout rotation anchored by Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, and presto -- the Nationals would be the first team in MLB history to win back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back World Series titles.

Only one problem: How in the world do you justify trading Max Scherzer? If you're general manager Mike Rizzo and owner Mark Lerner, how do you tell your fan base -- the very same fan base that watched Bryce Harper walk away and shack up with Philly this past winter -- that you just shipped out a guy who's not only the current face of the franchise, but arguably the best pitcher of this millennium? How do you convince the masses that in doing so, in giving up on this season, you haven't also given up on 2020 and 2021 and every single year for the rest of baseball eternity?

The answer to all those questions is, you don't.

"If at any point you want to be competitive, wouldn't you want to start with a guy like that?" Doolittle said during the final homestand of the first half. A headline deadline acquisition himself in 2017, Washington's closer simply couldn't fathom the Nats' front office doing what all those armchair execs and talk radio hosts had been suggesting. "I can't imagine them trading him away. If Max isn't safe, then nobody's safe."

As it turns out, Washington's ace is safe. Unlike last summer, when the Nationals reportedly came dangerously close to dealing Harper, the idea of trading Scherzer never amounted to anything more than a water cooler what-if. For that, Mad Max has himself to thank. Over his past nine starts, the 34-year-old right-hander has almost single-handedly willed Washington into playoff contention, going 7-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 64 innings. During that time, the Nationals have gone from would-be sellers to should-be buyers.

From late May to early July, a span of just over six weeks, Washington went from third-worst in the NL to third-best. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Nats had won 28 of their previous 39 games and were in possession of the top wild-card spot.

"We're hitting our stride at the right time," said catcher Yan Gomes, who spent the past several years in Cleveland, where the Indians have made an art form out of turning slow starts into playoff finishes.

Added Strasburg: "We're playing good baseball right now, and we're going to continue doing that."

"If at any point you want to be competitive, wouldn't you want to start with a guy like that? I can't imagine them trading him away. If Max isn't safe, then nobody's safe."

Nats closer Sean Doolittle

Unfortunately for Strasburg and the Nationals, doing what they've been doing might not be enough. Sure, they've been beating up on the competition lately. But it's one thing to do it against lowly squads in early summer (Washington's final 12 games pre-break were against Miami, Detroit and Kansas City). It's quite another to do it against the top dogs in early fall. If the Nats have any intention of fulfilling their preseason promise and beating talented teams like the Dodgers and Braves come October (or the Astros or Twins or Yankees, if things should progress that far), they'll need to address their flaws before the end of the month.

With two weeks left until MLB's July 31 trade deadline, Washington's no-brainer need is bullpen help. Free-agent signing Trevor Rosenthal didn't pan out and was released in June. Fellow offseason acquisition Kyle Barraclough has battled inconsistency and injury. Underrated righty Justin Miller has also had trouble staying healthy. Even Doolittle, who's borne a heavy workload out of necessity and has admitted to feeling fatigued, hasn't been his usual efficient self.

Just how thin is the Nats' pen? So thin that in the past couple months, Rizzo has seen fit to sign a 42-year-old with an ERA above 9 (Fernando Rodney, released earlier this season by Oakland), and a three-time Tommy John survivor who'd been cut by division rival Atlanta (34-year-old Jonny Venters). Yes, the Rodney signing has worked out well so far. And yes, Nats relievers have performed better lately, posting a 4.09 ERA since Memorial Day (sixth in MLB). Still, of all the contenders who need bullpen bolstering -- a list that's only slightly shorter than Arya Stark's kill list -- Washington is still right at the top.

As usual, there's no shortage of attractive arms out there. Closer Will Smith headlines a deep Giants bullpen that, with San Francisco looking to rebuild, could be the hub of this summer's supply chain. The Blue Jays will almost certainly sell, and closer Ken Giles will be one of their featured items. If the middling Padres decide to be vendors, All-Star closer Kirby Yates could spark a bidding war. Ditto for the Pirates and closer Felipe Vazquez, who came up with Washington before being shipped to Pittsburgh in the 2016 deal that brought Mark Melancon to D.C.

Speaking of the Melancon/Vazquez deal, it's but one piece of evidence that suggests Rizzo and the Nationals will make a move between now and the start of August, and that said move will involve the back end of the bullpen. Behold the following list of midseason trades:

2015: Nationals acquire closer Jonathan Papelbon from the Phillies
2016: Nationals acquire closer Mark Melancon from the Pirates
2017: Nationals acquire closer Sean Doolittle and setup man Ryan Madson from the A's, and closer Brandon Kintzler from the Twins
2018: Nationals acquire closer Kelvin Herrera from the Royals
2019: ???

Here's the catch: Thanks to all the wheeling and dealing in recent years (including the 2016 trade that sent Lucas Giolito and two other pitching prospects to the White Sox for Adam Eaton), there's not a whole lot left in the kitty. Middle infielder Carter Kieboom is a top prospect who would likely be coveted by any team looking to unload a marquee reliever, but it's doubtful the Nats would be willing to part with him, as he figures heavily in their future plans. So maybe Rizzo lowers his sights and goes after someone with less name recognition. Even then, it takes talent to get talent.

In the meantime, Nats fans can rest assured that there's one player who won't be used as trade bait. His name is Max Scherzer.

The trade deadline is two weeks from Wednesday. And remember: July 31 is the only trade deadline this year. None of those August waiver deals like we saw in years past, like Justin Verlander going to the Astros in 2017 or the Yankees acquiring Andrew McCutchen last season. That also means teams have two weeks to decide if they're contenders or pretenders, and what happens between now and then could potentially open up a trade market that right now is somewhat limited in available talent.

As always, there will be many relievers moved and there could be some intriguing starting pitchers traded -- including one very big name with a very big history of pitching well in the playoffs. In fact, when Madison Bumgarner carried the Giants to the World Series title in 2014, he carried a wild-card team. Does that give hope to all those teams that might not win a division title but remain in the chase for a wild card? Maybe. But those teams must weigh the odds of just making the playoffs, let alone defeating one of the powerhouse teams in the American League or the Dodgers in the National League.

Let's have some fun and speculate a little on what might happen by July 31. Let's find one player every team should acquire or trade away -- with the general guideline that we can't put Bumgarner or any other player on five different teams. After all, if the Giants do trade him, only one team can acquire him.

AL East

New York Yankees: Acquire Madison Bumgarner

The Yankees don't need to pick up a starting pitcher. A playoff rotation of Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, Domingo German and CC Sabathia is perfectly fine for the state of pitching in 2019. All four own better-than-average ERAs and when combined with the Yankees' bullpen should give New York enough pitching to go all the way, and that's before factoring in Luis Severino (although it's looking more and more like the Yankees can't count on him for 2019).

Except Paxton and German have never pitched in a playoff game, Sabathia is old and doesn't pitch deep into games, and the bullpen is really only four reliable relievers deep, depending on how you feel about Chad Green's performance and Dellin Betances' return from injury. No, it's not 2014 and trading for Bumgarner and expecting a similar level of October dominance isn't realistic. But do you want this guy on the mound in a big game? Of course you do. The Yankees haven't even been to a World Series since winning in 2009. This is the guy most likely to help push them over the top.

Tampa Bay Rays: Acquire Dominic Smith

They need offense, but it's not clear any of the hitters available are upgrades over what they already have in their mix-and-match lineup. So, they'd have to think outside the box. Smith doesn't have an obvious role in New York: Pete Alonso is the first baseman, and Smith isn't really a left fielder, where he's getting time with the Mets. With Tampa Bay, he can DH, play some first base or some occasional left field and get a chance to see the field more regularly. The Rays already have two lefty-hitting first base/DH types in Nate Lowe and Ji-Man Choi, but Choi has just a .727 OPS since early May.

Boston Red Sox: Acquire Ian Kennedy

They already acquired Andrew Cashner, who had been surprisingly effective with an awful Orioles team, but it doesn't take an MIT rocket scientist to figure out the team still needs more bullpen help. Kennedy has been effective for the Royals with a 3.41 ERA and strong peripherals: 45-8 strikeout-walk ratio and just two home runs allowed in 45 innings. He could serve in any late-inning capacity, including closer.

Toronto Blue Jays: Trade Marcus Stroman

Stroman has had a bounce-back season -- actually, that's not quite accurate. He basically has been the same pitcher as in 2018, except for his ERA:

2018: 5.54 ERA, 0.8 HR/9, 3.2 BB/9, 6.8 SO/9

2019: 3.25 ERA, 0.8 HR/9, 2.8 BB/9, 7.2 SO/9

He has been a little better around the edges, and he has been healthy. He also is under team control through 2020, which makes him a valuable trade chip. The Blue Jays won't be contenders next season, so it makes sense to cash in Stroman.

Baltimore Orioles: Trade Mychal Givens

With Cashner gone, there isn't much trade value here, and the O's aren't likely to deal Trey Mancini. Givens has been a steady, durable reliever, and while he isn't having his best season (4.50 ERA, eight home runs in 36 innings), the stuff is still there with 51 K's. That would still make him the second-best reliever on the Nationals, although with the animosity between the two organizations, maybe a trade here is unlikely. Givens still could land with another contender as deep bullpen depth.

AL Central

Minnesota Twins: Acquire Noah Syndergaard

The Twins have no glaring weaknesses. Entering Monday, they led the AL in runs per game, just a hair better than the Yankees and Red Sox. Minnesota had the fewest blown saves at any point of a game in the majors with just six (Rocco Baldelli's handling of the bullpen has been one of the underrated keys to the season). The rotation ranked second in the AL in ERA behind only Tampa Bay. The Twins have a chance at the best record in the AL and home-field advantage -- and I would think avoiding a potential Game 5 or Game 7 at Yankee Stadium or Minute Maid Park is something to push for.

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have focused on small, cost-efficient moves during their tenure running the Twins. Now it's time to think big. If the Mets make Syndergaard available, he's a great fit for Minnesota -- for 2019 and beyond, since starters Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson and Michael Pineda are all free agents at season's end. They'd probably have to part with top prospect Royce Lewis or outfielder Alex Kirilloff and a pitcher like Brusdar Graterol or Jordan Balazovic, but Syndergaard could be a beast away from the circus in Queens. Plus, as they say, flags fly forever.

Cleveland Indians: Acquire Nicholas Castellanos

Buster Olney wrote about Cleveland's dilemma in shopping Trevor Bauer (and closer Brad Hand):

According to FanGraphs, the Indians' chances of winning the division are just under 10%, and their chances of earning a wild card are at about 36%. So, they're at worse than 50-50 odds at the moment to get into the postseason. After a couple of weeks of games against American League Central opponents, Cleveland will have to run a gauntlet of teams in August -- the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

There is serious interest in Bauer despite the right-hander's inconsistency this season, and rival teams are frothing after Hand, the left-handed closer whose contract will keep him under team contract at a solid rate through the 2021 season. The trade value for each player might never be higher than it is right now.

Still, before they get to that August gantlet, the Indians have 14 games in a row against the Tigers, Royals, Blue Jays and Royals again, starting Monday and running through July 28. That's when the Indians will decide whether to make this trade deadline a lot more interesting.

My take: If they knew more about the health of Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber, it would be easier to deal Bauer. For now, they need Bauer in the rotation (even if they do desperately need help on offense). I would keep Bauer and try to improve the offense around the fringes and hope Jose Ramirez learns to hit again. If the division title is a long shot, you never know what might happen in the postseason with a rotation of Bauer, Kluber, Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger (and maybe Carrasco).

Chicago White Sox: Trade Alex Colome

Jose Abreu is a free agent, but the White Sox value his leadership and will presumably look to bring him back for 2020. The White Sox acquired Colome in the offseason from the Mariners for Omar Narvaez, and Colome has been excellent as the closer, with 20 saves in 21 opportunities, a 2.21 ERA and .132 average allowed. He is under team control for another year, and while this season has proved it's not that easy to build a bullpen, this is the kind of player who has higher value at the trade deadline than during the offseason.

Kansas City Royals: Trade Ian Kennedy

Yes, Whit Merrifield's name will continue to be brought up, but general manager Dayton Moore isn't going to trade him. Merrifield's four-year, $16.25 million extension signed last winter makes him even more valuable, so it's likely he would cost a team three major league-ready young players. Moore also said that he can't imagine Alex Gordon in another uniform (plus Gordon has 10-and-5 veto rights), so that leaves Kennedy as the one guy the Royals probably deal.

Detroit Tigers: Trade Shane Greene

Teams will be asking about Matthew Boyd, who has a 3.95 ERA with 152 K's in 114 innings. (He has the fourth-highest strikeout rate in the majors, behind three guys named Cole, Scherzer and Sale.) Boyd certainly would net a nice return, in part because he is still cheap and under team control through 2022. But that's why I wouldn't trade him. The Tigers can try to build a rotation around Boyd, Spencer Turnbull, Casey Mize and Matt Manning in the immediate future. That leaves Greene, who is having a career year with 22 saves and a 1.04 ERA.

AL West

Houston Astros: Acquire Marcus Stroman

This one lines up perfectly. The Astros love to trade for a pitcher with more than one year left of team control (see Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole). Acquiring Stroman improves a rotation that has struggled to fill the back end behind Verlander, Cole and Wade Miley. Fast-forward to October and Stroman also gives them a third right-handed starter to match up against the Yankees and their righty-heavy lineup. Finally, with Cole a free agent, Stroman would provide insurance for 2020 in case Cole signs elsewhere. The question: What will it take to get Stroman? The Blue Jays will ask for Kyle Tucker.

Oakland Athletics: Acquire Caleb Smith.

The A's already added Homer Bailey, but they still need an actual good starting pitcher. Without another addition to the rotation, they're just headed for another loss in the wild-card game (or, escaping that, a division series flameout). Smith is a great fit for Oakland's park and a perfect fit for Billy Beane's payroll. The A's have some toolsy prospects they can dangle in front of the Marlins, including Jorge Mateo or Austin Beck (while still holding onto the cream of the system, pitchers Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk).

Texas Rangers: Acquire Brandon Belt

Just about everything has gone right for the Rangers, and a lot has gone wrong for the Astros. And Texas still begins the week nine games behind Houston -- and Oakland has passed the Rangers, as well. I don't think you can sell out a team that is still in the wild-card chase, so I'm not trading Mike Minor or Lance Lynn -- plus you want them in your rotation when you move into the new park in 2020. They need a first baseman and Belt's numbers would take a leap moving over from San Francisco. The Giants will have to pay down part of Belt's contract (he is signed for 2020 and 2021 at $17.2 million per season), but he would be a major upgrade over Ronald Guzman.

Los Angeles Angels: Trade Kole Calhoun

After sweeping the Mariners, the Angels' playoff odds went from 1.3% all the way up to ... 2.3%. It's difficult to imagine a second-half run here as they'd have to leap over the Rangers, Red Sox, Indians and A's just to win the second wild card and at least three of those teams are more talented. They're probably the most likely team not to do anything at the deadline. Calhoun is having an OK season at .238/.323/.485 and has either a $14 million team option or $1 million buyout for 2020, making him a cheap rental, so he could provide a useful bench piece/platoon outfielder for a team like the Indians, Phillies or Cubs.

Seattle Mariners: Trade Roenis Elias

The Mariners would love to trade Dee Gordon. Nobody wants Gordon and his .293 OBP and $13.8 million salary for 2020. I'm not sure anybody really wants Mike Leake, who has alternated some good outings (complete-game win over the Astros in June, 7⅔ scoreless innings against the Cardinals on July 3) with some terrible outings (eight runs against Baltimore in June, knocked out in the first inning against the Angels in his most recent start). Jerry Dipoto will try to trade Gordon and Leake, but he'll have to eat most of their money just to get a low-level prospect.

NL East

Atlanta Braves: Acquire Will Smith

Smith is the best reliever available (unless the Padres decide to offer up Kirby Yates), a lefty who gets righties out and is in the midst of a second straight dominant season. Every contending team will be in on him, as every contending team could use bullpen help. The Braves, however, have the deepest farm system of the contenders and should take advantage to add a key piece for their playoff run. The idea of acquiring both Smith and Bumgarner has been tossed out there and it's an intriguing consideration, but that would take a buy-in from Braves ownership and signing Dallas Keuchel might already fit the "one big move" you're going to get from penny-pinching Liberty Media.

Washington Nationals: Acquire Shane Greene

The good thing about Greene is that he is under team control for another season, so if the Nationals can acquire him, they would actually enter 2020 with two good relief pitchers -- a novel concept that Mike Rizzo should consider trying. With their only-the-Orioles-are-worse 5.93 bullpen ERA, the Nationals would be wise to add more than just Greene, however, and look for additional help such as Sam Dyson and Reyes Moronta of the Giants.

Philadelphia Phillies: Relievers ... or starters

After Monday's blowout loss to the Dodgers, the Phillies fell to 15-22 since the beginning of June. Their staff ERA is 26th in the majors during that span. For the season, the bullpen has 23 saves and 12 blown saves. The rotation ERA since May 22 is 5.26. Sure, the park doesn't help, but they need help up and down the staff -- a disappointing scenario since they believed back in March that pitching depth was going to be a strength. The farm system also has been disappointing, with several of the top prospects struggling or battling injuries, leaving their ability to make a blockbuster kind of trade in doubt.

New York Mets: Trade Todd Frazier

This blurb was supposed to be all about Zack Wheeler, then he landed on the injured list on Monday with shoulder fatigue. As Jeff Passan wrote in ESPN's trade deadline page, Wheeler's injury "more or less destroys his trade value. He had interest far and wide across the league. Perhaps a team still takes a crack in hopes he returns, but the Mets' hopes to cash in at the deadline have evaporated."

Wheeler still might return in time to make one final start before the trade deadline, but this is just the latest disaster. Without rehashing all the crimes and misdemeanors that have happened this season, let's just say things haven't worked out for the Mets and they began the week with playoff odds of 6%, according to FanGraphs.

So, it's not impossible! But not likely. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen has a difficult choice: After going all-in during the offseason, do you punt on 2019? That could mean still trading Wheeler for whatever you can get (he is a free agent), but also trading Syndergaard and others. It doesn't seem to be in Van Wagenen's DNA to admit his plan for contention backfired. In Miami on Friday coming out of the All-Star break, a reporter asked if the team's record -- 40-51 at the time -- was on him, and Van Wagenen's response was: "I think any time a team struggles it's on the organization."

Should the Mets trade Syndergaard? I'd probably keep him and hope for better results in 2020 -- from the entire organization. That leaves Frazier as an easy trade candidate as a role player somewhere, but that's hardly a deal that will restock the farm system like a Syndergaard deal.

Miami Marlins: Trade Caleb Smith

We could list "trade Sergio Romo," but that would be boring. The Marlins can't hit, the farm system isn't exactly as pretty as the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and the bullpen isn't very interesting. What they do have are some young starting pitchers. Smith has a 3.46 ERA and 94 K's in 78 innings, while missing time with hip inflammation. He is back now, and while he is inexpensive (under team control through 2023), it might be time to cash in on him and get some position player prospects. After all, by the time the Marlins have a chance to be competitive, Smith will be deep into his arbitration years -- and the Marlins will be looking to trade him anyway.

NL Central

Chicago Cubs: Acquire Ken Giles

The Cubs really should be running away with this division. Their run differential entering Monday was plus-67, as compared to the Brewers' minus-24, and yet the Cubs held just a 2.5-game lead over Milwaukee. And taking the division still might happen for the Cubs even if they don't do anything. The rotation has been healthy and fine, and now the pen has Craig Kimbrel. The biggest weaknesses have been at center field (Albert Almora Jr. hasn't hit) and at left field (Kyle Schwarber has been only a league-average hitter with below-average defense); but those aren't glaring have-to-fix kind of holes, and there aren't that many good bats available anyway (David Peralta could be a fit if Arizona moves him). So maybe just go for another upgrade in the pen. Giles has been terrific (1.45 ERA, 53 K's, two home runs in 31 innings), as he has rediscovered his slider. Given Kimbrel's early struggles, Giles would even offer another option for the ninth inning.

Milwaukee Brewers: Acquire Zack Wheeler

The Brewers are 19th in the majors with a 4.71 rotation ERA, but that has ballooned to 5.62 in July. Bumgarner would be a possible fit, but the Brewers probably don't have the minor league depth to beat out other teams for his services -- or for one of the other pitchers with team control beyond 2019. Wheeler is obviously a wild card given his health, but the Brewers are in a position where they have to roll the dice.

St. Louis Cardinals: Trade Kolten Wong

For all the complaints about the pitching, it's the offense that has been the bigger problem, ranking 11th in the NL in runs per game, while the pitching is third best in runs allowed. Most of the rumors have them seeking pitching help. Wong could be part of a pitching package, with Yairo Munoz taking over at second base. The best bet for the Cardinals, of course, remains on Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter improving their production.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Trade Corey Dickerson

This makes sense:

#Pirates are 4 games under .500 & 17 games under .500 against teams > .500. Next 9 are 3 in STL, then home for 3 w PHI & 3 more w STL. They will have played 101 gms. If I'm GMNH, team has to go at least 5-4 for me to consider adding. If 3-6 or worse, it's over. Time to sell.

— David Todd (@DTonPirates) July 15, 2019

Trevor Williams just allowed eight runs in his most recent start. He allowed eight runs over 12 starts during his incredible hot streak in the second half of last season. The point: The Pirates should not be buyers. They're not going to trade All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez, although it would be fascinating to see what he could net in return, given his team-friendly extension. That leaves mostly a bunch of spare parts (Dickerson, Melky Cabrera, Francisco Liriano). Given what happened last year, maybe it's better if the Pirates think small this year.

Cincinnati Reds: Trade Tanner Roark

It's not quite time for the Reds to wave the white flag, but they are in last place and have eight teams ahead of them in the wild-card race. Barring a run that gets them to .500 before July 31, they probably will become sellers, and Roark is a pending free agent. He would have more trade value than Yasiel Puig, another free agent who is hitting .260/.306/.502 (after a terrible April) but who might be viewed as too much of a disruptive headache for a team to want him.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers: Acquire Kirby Yates

The Dodgers aren't a perfect team -- the catchers haven't hit much and maybe they're a little too left-handed in the lineup -- but this is the best team of this run that will reach a seventh straight division title. The biggest flaw, however, is the bullpen. It's not terrible -- 10th in the majors in ERA -- and it will be better in the postseason when Kenta Maeda or another starter is moved there. Still, the guys in front of Kenley Jansen have yet to prove their reliability, and Jansen himself has struggled in October. The Dodgers need a big-time reliever to shore up the endgame. This is basically their Gleyber Torres-for-Aroldis Chapman moment. Do what it takes to get Yates.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Acquire bullpen help

Like the Reds, the next two weeks will tell us which direction the Diamondbacks go. FanGraphs gives them a 17% chance of making the playoffs; but how much in prospect capital do you want to surrender merely for a wild-card run? True, Zack Greinke could pitch that game and it could give them a chance. On the other hand, they even could listen to offers on Greinke (but he makes $35 million over each of the next two seasons) or outfielder David Peralta (who is signed through 2020). Most likely, it's a minor addition in the bullpen or a bench bat.

Colorado Rockies: Acquire Trevor Bauer

The up-and-down Rockies lost their final six games before the All-Star break, dropping their playoff chances from 27% to 11.6%. Then they began their second half with a 17-9 loss on Saturday to the Reds and a 19-2 loss in the first game of a doubleheader to the Giants on Monday. Coors Field has been so ridiculous this year that it's almost impossible to evaluate Rockies players, but those two blowouts probably suggest the need for pitching help. I suggest Bauer only for the entertainment value of his explaining the analytics of pitching at altitude.

San Diego Padres: Trade Kirby Yates

After getting swept by the Braves to begin the second half, the Padres have seen their playoff odds dip to 7.2% entering Monday. Even then, they're not going to catch the Dodgers, so they're playing for a wild card. That's a bigger deal for the Padres -- who haven't made the playoffs since 2006 -- than it is for other organizations, but another year of patience is probably the wise choice here. If they do make a trade, it should be a starting pitcher under team control beyond 2019, such as Stroman or Syndergaard.

Barring that, they should look to cash in on Yates. He is not a one-year wonder -- he was great in 2018, as well -- but he has just one year of team control, and his trade value will never be higher. In the year of the home run, he has allowed just one in 41 innings while striking out 64. Intradivisional trades are rare, but the current regimes of the Padres and Dodgers have worked together before.

San Francisco Giants: Trade Madison Bumgarner (and others)

Farhan Zaidi gave this group one last chance, as he had a quiet offseason. But as the Giants stumble to a third straight losing season, it's clearly the end of an era, and the difficult rebuilding process must officially begin. That will start with trading Bumgarner, as difficult as it will be. Buster Posey was the best player on the 2010-14 Giants that won three World Series, but Bumgarner was the most valuable in October. He won Game 4 of the NLDS as a rookie, then tossed eight scoreless innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series. In 2012, after Barry Zito beat Justin Verlander in Game 1, Bumgarner beat Doug Fister 2-0 in Game 2. Then came Bumgarner's heroic effort in 2014, the greatest we've ever seen -- or likely will see -- in October.

Results from the Welsh Championships, Snowdonia Marathon, WMRA World Cup and more

Click the links below for further recent coverage:

Herculis EBS Diamond League, Monaco, July 12

English Schools Championships, Birmingham, July 12-13

European U23 Championships, Gävle, Sweden, July 11-14

World University Games, Italy, July 9-13

Welsh Championships, Cardiff, July 13-14

Sam Gordon clocked 10.08 to take the Welsh 100m title and although assisted by a 4.3m/sec wind, the time is the fastest any Welshman has ever recorded for the distance and moves Gordon closer in his bid to become the first Welshman under 10 seconds.

Hannah Williams won the women’s title in 11.96 ahead of Olympian Mica Moore in 12.02.

Ieuan Thomas stepped away from his preferred 3000m steeplechase event to claim a 1500m title in 3:49.27, while Jade Williams retained her 800m title on Saturday before claiming 1500m gold in 4:26.51 a day later ahead of 2018 British 10,000m champion Charlotte Arter.

Commonwealth athletes Bethan Davies and Heather Lewis faced off in the 5000m race walk, with British champion Lewis taking the title in a PB of 21:41.

Brett Morse claimed another title in the men’s discus with a best throw of 56.79m, while Adelle Nicoll recorded a discus and shot double with 43.02m and 16.34m respectively.

In the women’s long jump, T38 Paralympic medallist Olivia Breen eclipsed her own Commonwealth record from the Gold Coast with a best of 4.88m.

Snowdonia Marathon, July 14

Nick Swinburn and Kirsteen Welch claimed victory at the event which incorporated the trials for the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships taking place in Argentina later this year.

Swinburn won the men’s race in 3:18:10 ahead of Seb Batchelor (3:19:45) and Jack Wood (3:23:10).

Welch won the women’s title in 4:07.52, with Sara Willhoit second (4:10:15) and Georgia Tindley third (4:13:54).

Grossglockner Berglauf, WMRA World Cup, Austria, July 14

Britain’s Sarah Tunstall and Eritrea’s Filimon Abraham claimed victory at the third stage of the WMRA World Cup.

Tunstall, who was the 2015 WMRA World Cup winner, claimed victory in 1:26:23 for the 12.67km race featuring a total elevation gain of 1494m.

Stage 3 winner @s_tunstall talks about her targets for the upcoming season. Today's win at #mythosglockner was a big achievement for the brit-runner #mountainrunningworldcup#MOUNTAINRUNNING @SnowdonRace @BrokenArrowCA @SierreZinal @iaaforg @CarrerasMontana @corsainmontagna pic.twitter.com/FO2WWHR4O3

— WMRA (@WMRAmountainrun) July 14, 2019

Kenya’s Purity Kajuju Gitonga was second in 1:27:28 and Austria’s Alexandra Hauser third in 1:28:12.

Abraham won in 1:11:56, 23 seconds ahead of defending champion Geoffrey Gikuni Ndungu of Kenya. Kenya’s Timothy Kimutai Kirui was third and Britain’s WMRA World Cup leader Andrew Douglas fourth.

Lee Valley Open, July 14

Nathan Douglas achieved his best jump since 2015, recording 16.88m (1.4m/sec) in the triple jump.

Varberg, Sweden, July 15

Discus world leader Daniel Stahl had an impressive four 70m-plus throws with a best of 70.89m on home soil. Fedrick Dacres threw 65.92m.

Whatever your event, core muscles are crucial for stability and injury prevention. Dr Sean Carey suggests ways to wake up these anti-gravity muscles

Whether you are a sprinter, high jumper, distance runner or hammer thrower, you are, I’m sure, very familiar with the numerous exercises that can be used to strengthen your core, such as ab curls, planks (of all sorts) and bridges.

All are designed to strengthen your ‘core’ – which includes your abdominal muscles and the muscles of your pelvis, hips and lower back. Some coaches believe that it is the core, rather than, say, how the feet land, that should be the starting point for athletes keen to optimise their technique and maximise their speed, power and endurance. However, others contend that strengthening exercises per se, core or otherwise, do little good if problems linked to inefficient movement patterns are not also addressed.

On this issue, I’m definitely in the latter camp. Indeed, in this article, I want to suggest that it’s much better to think holistically about how your musculature works rather than focusing only on your core.

The power of posture

More of our body weight is in front of our spine and this means the torso is heavier than the legs. This creates the natural tendency while standing to topple forward. Of course, this doesn’t happen because of the way our brain and skeleton, especially the double S-shaped spine, work in concert with the whole of the body’s powerful anti-gravity musculature.
The calves, quadriceps and hip, back and neck extensor muscles all hold us in place.

FM Alexander, the founder of the Alexander Technique, a method of kinaesthetic (psychomotor) re-education, widely used by actors and musicians, discovered that moving from vertical into a controlled bending movement, without losing length along the spine or stiffening the ankles, knees and hips, can generate elastic tone in the anti-gravity (extensor) muscles of the neck, back and legs. This is because of the massive muscular demand required to maintain body balance against the pull of gravity. He also recommended that the bending movement should be performed slowly in order to facilitate a high level of feedback between the brain, joints and muscles to re-educate the kinaesthetic system.

A further point: for Alexander, developing or maintaining muscular elasticity should always precede the pursuit of muscular strength. Why? Well, long, elastic muscles are much more efficient than chronically shortened, stiff muscles, not only in terms of kinaesthetic feedback but in terms of the balance in work or functioning between your muscles’ red (slow twitch) and white (fast twitch) fibres.

Alexander discovered that because of a variety of environmental factors, the most important of which was sedentarism, most of his students attempting to bend were not starting out from a balanced vertical attitude but from either an upright slump or collapse, or a stiff, military-style posture. Both positions are biomechanically inefficient, for example, standing up straight military-style takes up around 30% more energy than relaxed standing.

Yet, whatever the situation, Alexander would get to work with his hands, simultaneously explaining to his student what he was doing. He would aim to reorganise their musculature, initially focusing on the balance of their head on their neck and then, while maintaining that head-neck relationship, going on to integrate the muscles of their torso, arms and legs. Perhaps not surprisingly, he called this manually-induced holistic change in body shape ‘lengthening the stature’.

When the appropriate stature lengthening was achieved, Alexander would ask his students to bend their knees and then, after a slight pause, pivot forward from their hip joints. The really important point for the student was not to stiffen anywhere in the movement cycle (which, as I know, is easier said than done). If that happened, Alexander would bring his student back to upright and ask them to think clearly in order to prevent any unnecessary muscular tension before and as they moved.

He would then begin the process again. Once a student was bending appropriately, that is, they had achieved better general coordination, Alexander would suggest that they stayed in what he called the ‘position of mechanical advantage’ for several minutes in order to strengthen their now elastically stretched anti-gravity musculature.

Knowing how to stand-up

The problem in carrying out bending without the aid of the hands of a competent Alexander teacher is that most of us spend so many hours in slumped positions sitting at work or at leisure that we no longer possess good vertical alignment in standing. We’re habitually shortening our stature, perhaps by stiffening through the shoulder girdle and arms, hollowing or over-flattening our lower back, tensing our buttocks, hyperextending our knees, and so on.

Put slightly differently, even if we are very fit aerobically, we can still be (literally) out of shape. The result is that when we bend, the stiffening or compression we habitually carry out in normal standing actually increases.

In which case, some additional help is required. In order to more clearly define the length of your spine and its vertical orientation, stand with your back to a wall with a smooth surface (to minimise friction). Your heels should be positioned three or four inches away (slightly more if you’re tall), with your feet around hip-width apart and slightly turned out with an angle of around 35 degrees between them. If possible, use a full-length mirror to monitor your progress. Don’t rush, allow plenty of time.

It’s important your head is poised on the top of your spine. To help ensure you’re not lifting the front of your chest, arching your lower back, “holding” on with the buttocks or abs, or grabbing the floor with your feet. Now, let yourself fall backward and upward (not backwards and downwards) from the pivot point of your ankle joints (toes should stay on the floor), so that the whole length of your back from shoulders to your buttocks – though importantly not your head – are gently supported by the wall. It’s also important your heels maintain good contact with the floor throughout and are able to transmit your body weight effectively.

Now, bend your knees a little while maintaining your height (keep your head where it is in space). If you’ve been successful and maintained the light contact of your whole back with the wall, you can now bend your knees over your toes some more. This time, of course, bending your knees will result in you sliding down the wall. You will notice, perhaps, that this sliding movement is very useful in undoing any unnecessary muscular tension in your lower back, buttocks and hips – a release which will stimulate your kinaesthesic sense as well as facilitate free and easy breathing.

Feel free to pivot forward a little from your hips, while bending your knees over your feet a little more, and maintaining a light contact with the wall with your tail. Your heels should also maintain good contact with the floor. Allow your arms to hang out of your back, without collapsing, rounding or hunching your shoulders. Additionally, you will want to think of the back of your head and neck releasing away from your tail, to allow your spine to reach its maximum length, your back muscles spreading sideways away from your spine, while your knees release away from your pelvis over your turned-out feet.

To get a measure of the relative freedom or elasticity of your leg musculature you can move your knees outwards and inwards “Charleston” style a few times. Note, the movement of your legs should be free and easy not stiff or heavy. Now, maintain your bending position for a minute or two, or until you pick up signals that you are beginning to stiffen, and then slowly return to upright by going through the bending movement in reverse. See if you can find a way to walk away from the wall while maintaining your lengthening of stature and better general coordination – that is, without needing to push off with your buttocks or shoulders.

Alternatively, because you are an athlete and have to bend to a greater or lesser extent as a requirement of your event, try the following to return to upright. While in your forward bend position simply let yourself lean forward slightly more from your ankles so that your buttocks are no longer in contact with the wall. Pause. Now without distorting or disturbing the rest of your body, and without any undue shift of weight or muscular stiffening, from your slightly forward balance position, peel one foot from the ground and then the other, to walk forward.

Maintain this almost ape-like shape, and then, while continuing to walk forward, slowly come to upright, by straightening your knees and hips but avoid stiffening your neck muscles, raising your chest, tightening your buttocks or hollowing your back.

Your muscles and mind will have had a good workout, which with practice over time to improve your kinaesthetic sense, you will be able to use in multiple fast-moving or other strenuous activities.

Giants Rosner, Coll, Serme and Perry are top seeds in French Open
By SEAN REUTHE and JAMES ROBERTS

Defending champions Declan James and Nele Gilis have been handed difficult draws at the Open de France – Nantes 2019 presented by Tailor Capital, which will take place at Chateau des ducs de Bretagne between September 9-14.

James lifted the biggest title of his career to date when he beat former World No.1 James Willstrop in last year’s final held at Théâtre Graslin, and the World No.17 is seeded seventh this time around. He receives a bye into round two, where he will play either Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet or India’s Ramit Tandon, while he is seeded to play No.2 seed Paul Coll in the quarter-finals.

Men’s top seed Simon Rösner will line up against either Spain’s Borja Golan or England’s Richie Fallows in round two, while he is seeded to play three-time winner Gregoire Marche in the last eight.

Elsewhere, Welshman Joel Makin iis seeded three in the first tournament of the new season as he and cach Robert Owen plan a further assault on the world rankings.

Makin is the highest-ranked British male player in the world and he is set to face home player Baptiste Masotti or Alan Clyne in round two, while Egypt’s Zahed Salem will play either Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu or PSA Men’s Young Player of the Year Youssef Ibrahim in the last 16.

A repeat of the 2018 women’s final could be played as early as the second round, with Gilis set to face either last year’s runner-up Emily Whitlock or Egypt’s Menna Nasser.

The winner of that match with Gilis will play No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry, who will begin her title challenge against either Julianne Courtice or Alexandra Fuller’s first round match.

French No.1 Camille Serme is guaranteed to begin her tournament against a compatriot. World No.34 Coline Aumard and Word No.44 Melissa Alves will battle it out in round one for the chance to do battle with the top seed.

Engand’s Alison Waters features on the same side of the draw as Serme and will play either Belgium’s Tinne Gilis or wildcard Enora Villard in round two, while United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy will face either compatriot Haley Mendez or Egyptian Mayar Hany.

The Open de France features equal prize money for the first time, with $147,000 up for grabs across both draws. La Maison du Squash will host round one matches, while round two matches will be split between there and the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne. The Chateau des ducs de Bretagne will host all matches from the quarter-finals onwards.

All of the action from the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour. 

Who wants to be the French Open champion? James Roberts’ preview feature here

Open de France – Nantes 2019 Presented by Tailor Capital.

Men’s Main Draw:
[1] Simon Rösner (GER) [bye]
Richie Fallows (ENG) v [9/16] Borja Golan (ESP)
[9/16] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Nathan Lake (ENG)
[6] Gregoire Marche (FRA) [bye]
[5] Fares Dessouky (EGY) [bye]
[WC] Benjamin Aubert (FRA) v [9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER)
[9/16] Alan Clyne (SCO) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
[3] Joel Makin (WAL) [bye]
[4] Zahed Salem (EGY) [bye]
Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [9/16] Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
[9/16] Chris Simpson (ENG) v Ben Coleman (ENG)
[8] James Willstrop (ENG) [bye]
[7] Declan James (ENG) [bye]
Ramit Tandon (IND) v [9/16] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[9/16] George Parker (ENG) v Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) [bye]

Women’s Main Draw:
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) [bye]
Melissa Alves (FRA) v [9/16] Coline Aumard (FRA)
[9/16] Milou van der Heijden (NED) v Olivia Fiechter (USA)
[8] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) [bye]
[5] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) [bye]
Farida Mohamed (EGY) v [9/16] Lisa Aitken (SCO)
[9/16] Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [WC] Enora Villard (FRA)
[4] Alison Waters (ENG) [bye]
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [bye]
Haley Mendez (USA) v [9/16] Mayar Hany (EGY)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Lucy Turmel (ENG)
[7] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) [bye]
[6] Nele Gilis (BEL) [bye]
Menna Nasser (EGY) v [9/16] Emily Whitlock (ENG)
[9/16] Julianne Courtice (ENG) v Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
[2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [bye] 

Pictures courtesy of  

Australian utility back James O'Connor could make his international return this weekend after a six-year absence.

The 29-year-old was released by Sale Sharks earlier this month and has now joined Queensland Reds, making him eligible to play for Australia.

O'Connor was released by the Australian Rugby Union in 2013 after various off-field incidents.

"I'm finally ready to return and make amends," said O'Connor, who is eligible for World Cup selection.

"I want to do right by the team and the fans, and I intend to deliver the very best of my energy."

O'Connor, who has also played for London Irish and Toulon, is with the Australia squad for Saturday's opening Rugby Championship match against South Africa.

Having made his Wallabies debut aged 18, he has 44 international caps and has also scored 551 points in 71 Super Rugby games in Australia.

In April 2017, he was ordered to attend a behavioural awareness programme because of a drug offence in Paris.

"He's matured and understands the leadership roles both on and off the field," said Rugby Australia's director of rugby Scott Johnson.

"He's been honest and transparent throughout this whole process. We want to back the man to be the player we know he can be."

Edinburgh back-row Magnus Bradbury has vowed to improve his consistency as he seeks to secure a place in Scotland's World Cup squad.

Bradbury was part of the 42-man training squad that flew out to Portugal earlier this month, but that number will be reduced to 31 for the start of the tournament in Japan.

He knows head coach Gregor Townsend has plenty of back-row options.

"You can't pick one right now," Bradbury said.

"The whole season - guys like Jamie Ritchie, Sam Skinner, Matt Fagerson - all these guys have been quality.

"John Barclay has just come back from a big injury and he's been quality as well.

"It would be awesome to be in the squad. Since my suspension, it's been about getting back playing for Edinburgh - then playing for Scotland after my injury. Hopefully I can keep the good run of form going and get called up. It would mean a lot."

Bradbury admits there is a friendly rivalry between the players seeking selection.

"We might all be mates, laughing and joking every day, but there's always the World Cup in the back of everyone's head," he said.

One thing that Bradbury knows he must improve on is his consistency over a full match, something the Scotland head coach has spoken to him about.

Scotland will face Georgia and France in the next two months, both at Murrayfield and abroad, as they continue their preparations for the start of the World Cup.

"He talks to me about being that physical presence in the back row," Bradbury added.

"I've been guilty before of playing well and putting in a good shift for 50-60 minutes and then poorly for the last 20.

"So, for me, it's first of all about playing well but also playing well for the full 80 minutes."

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — The opening weekend of the 32nd annual NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week tour will have a cooler start with this Thursday through Sunday’s event times pushed back to later in the evening.

On Thursday, July 18 at Gas City I-69 Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., front gates open at 5 p.m. and hot laps begin at 7:30 p.m. On Friday, July 19 at Plymouth Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., front gates open at 5 p.m. and hot laps get on track at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, July 20 at Kokomo Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., front gates open at 4 p.m., and hot laps start at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, July 21 at Lawrenceburg Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., front gates open at 5 p.m. and hot laps get underway at 7 p.m. All times Eastern.

USAC is committed to running an efficient program each night with only two divisions on the event card.

Following the first four events, NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week continues with more USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship racing.  The second half of ISW kicks off Wednesday, July 24, at the Terre Haute Action Track before heading to Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville on Thursday, July 25, Bloomington Speedway on Friday, July 26, and the finale at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt on Saturday, July 27.

AKWESASNE, N.Y. — Mat Williamson has won three out of four DIRTcar 358 Modified Series races and two back to back.

His unbelievable run continued Monday night at Mohawk Int’l Raceway as the No. 6 358 Modified parked in victory lane four times in four days in DIRTcar competition.

Billy Dunn was running Williamson down but ran out of laps and settled for second place. Star driver Erick Rudolph missed the podium by a bumper last night but the No. 25r stayed ahead of fourth-place Tim Fuller on this occasion.

Mat Williamson padded his DIRTcar 358 Modified Series points lead with a show of force at the top of the field. It’s a mighty feat no matter what the circumstances but given this is one of the most competitive groups of 358 modifieds on the tour in years, it’s especially impressive.

“We are certainly rolling,” Williamson said. “My car owners make it easy for me to go and race one hundred-something times a year and not wear our guys out. It’s pretty cool. It’s nice to win in multiple cars at multiple race tracks. It seems like right now we’ve got a good car on restarts and short runs. The cautions can help in these races.”

It was a caution that gave Williamson the chance to jump then-leader Erick Rudolph and the No. 6 motored away to the lead.

In the previous night’s race at Cornwall lapped traffic almost cost Williamson the win but at Mohawk the No. 6 car was able to cut through the backmarkers.

“We could maneuver. I could get through lapped traffic pretty easily. It was kind of nice. Erick [Rudolph] seemed really good in the beginning but faded. We needed a caution to get rolling,” said Williamson.

Dunn advanced 11 positions and fell just short of making a run at Williamson for the lead.

“I’ll take second any day starting from 12^th,” Dunn said. “It was really tough to pass. I don’t know if I had anything for Mat [Williamson] or not but I certainly would have liked the chance. I thought I used my stuff up a little bit getting to the front. As soon as I got there I knew that was about as good as I was gonna get. I would have liked a late caution but we’ll take second for sure.”

Rudolph was content with the finish and noted, “Third ain’t bad with the competitors that are here. Any time you can end up on the podium at any of these races it’s a good thing. We had the lead and it just slipped away from us. We were better on the longer runs and he [Williamson] was a little bit better on the short runs. Can’t complain.”

The finish:

Feature (75 Laps): 1. Mat Williamson 2. Billy Dunn 3. Erick Rudolph 4. Tim Fuller 5. Danny Johnson 6. Mike Mahaney 7. Michael Maresca 8. Carey Terrance 9. Dave Marcuccilli 10. David Herbert 11. Kyle Dingwall 12. Ryan Arbuthnot 13. Corey Wheeler 14. Chris Raabe 15. Mario Clair 16. Jordan McCreadie 17. Demetrios Drellos 18. Michael Parent 19. Chad Brachmann 20. Yan Bussiere 21. Anthony Perrego 22. Ryan Bartlett. 23. Brian MacDonald. 24. Mike Stacey 25. Preston Forbes 26. Luke Whitteker 27. Ronnie David III 28. Lance Willix Jr. 29. Louie Jackson Jr. 30. Tyler Meeks 31. Steve Bernard.