• NO-NO! Astros Tie World Series With Historic Performance

    NO-NO! Astros Tie World Series With Historic Performance

    Image: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports It seems strange to be talking about a no-hitter in November. I would be just as puzzled at the notion of seeing Santa at an Easter Egg hunt. But here we are – the Astros chose to tie this 2022 World Series in the most historic of fashions, collecting themselves…

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  • 2022 World Series Preview

    2022 World Series Preview

    The 118th World Series begins tonight, and I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the cross purposes our two combatants find themselves in. In one corner stands the Houston Astros, a 106-win juggernaut that rolled the American League West with the relative ease of flicking crumbs off of one’s knee, and then swept…

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  • FTT: MLB Trade Deadline Recap

    FTT: MLB Trade Deadline Recap

    The first trade deadline in the history of Five Tool Talk is now in the books and what a historic deadline it was! It would be journalistic malpractice to start anywhere other than San Diego, where general manager A.J. Preller pushed all his chips onto the table and consummated the most consequential trade in trade…

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  • Soto to San Diego makes too much sense

    Soto to San Diego makes too much sense

    If Jeff Passan is to be believed, the odds of Juan Soto being dealt by Tuesday’s 5pm CT trade deadline is about 80/20. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Padres, Dodgers, Cardinals, and Rangers are the best-positioned teams to pry Soto away. But let’s be crystal clear – only one of…

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  • Orioles are a natural match with Astros ahead of deadline

    Orioles are a natural match with Astros ahead of deadline

    The Baltimore Orioles catapulted themselves into the playoff picture just before the All-Star break, running off ten straight wins to improve their record from 35-44 on July 2 to 45-44, the latest they’ve been above .500 since September 2017. Top prospect Adley Rutschman is already among the best catchers in all of baseball after just…

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  • Yankees strike first! Acquire Benintendi from Royals

    Yankees strike first! Acquire Benintendi from Royals

    Outfielder Andrew Benintendi is on his way to the Bronx after a late-night deal was struck between the Yankees and Royals. None of this is remotely shocking considering A) The Yankees’ need for a left-handed impact bat to replace the hollowed-husk of Joey Gallo, B) The desire to not lose much or any athleticism defensively,…

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Quote of the week

On getting released from his team, “They broke it to me gently. The manager came up to me before a game and told me they didn’t allow visitors in the clubhouse.”

~ Bob Uecker