Every day is Ohtani day; plus Reds have trade deadline options and Mets are selling

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“Well at least the Shohei Ohtani saga is settled,” I thought, closing my laptop. “He’s not being traded. No more Ohtani stories in the first position. At least for one day.” I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!

Ohtani Story, First Position

Sheesh, OK we get it, you’re the face of the sport.

On Wednesday the news broke that the Angels would not be trading Ohtani after all, and just in case you didn’t believe them, they doubled down, trading two of their top prospects to the White Sox for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López. It was absolutely not the most pragmatic move, but I can’t help but respect the enormous volume of the caution that was just thrown to the wind.

On Thursday, Ohtani responded to the vote of confidence by hoisting that caution atop a one-man hurricane. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Tigers, he threw a one-hitter for the first shutout of his career. In the second game — and again, this is after throwing 111 pitches — he went 2-for-3 with two home runs.

He was removed from the game for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning, because apparently even superheroes get cramps. The Angels won both games, and are now just three back in the wild-card race. Not only that, they’re starting a series in Toronto against the Blue Jays — who currently hold that final playoff position.

Fortunately, it’s Friday, so we can’t lead with another Ohtani story until at least Monday.

More Angels: Bubba Harkins claims he was scapegoated for the “sticky stuff” usage. Three years after his firing, his defamation case against the Angels is scheduled to go to trial.

The Reds are not going to trade second baseman Jonathan India for prospects when their farm system is already loaded. They are not going to trade him for a two-month rental when he comes with three additional years of club control. Perhaps the only way they would trade him would be if they could acquire, ahem, a controllable starting pitcher, and good luck trying to make such a deal happen.

India, 26, still looms as a potential odd man out, but the Reds are far more likely to move him during the offseason than at the deadline, according to sources briefed on the team’s thinking. Sure, they’re looking for rotation help, like virtually every other contender. But India, the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, is probably not the piece who will help them get it. Same goes for the team’s top prospects, at least when it comes to the rental market.

Jonathan India (Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

The Reds took great care to assemble their wealth of young talent. If they acquire a rental, they will not part with the best of those players. A number of them already are in the majors. Others are getting close. And still others figure into the team’s picture for 2024.

Consider Triple A right-hander Connor Phillips, who was the player to be named in the Eugenio Suárez-Jesse Winker deal with the Mariners in March 2022. Phillips, sporting a combined 3.09 ERA in 19 starts between Double A and Triple A, is on track to join the Reds at some point this season.

Or consider third baseman Noelvi Marte, who at age 21 has batted .329 with a .898 OPS in his first 76 at-bats at Triple A. Marte could be the Reds’ third baseman in all-24-and under infield next season, with Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, Matt McLain at second base and Christian Encarnacion-Strand at first.

Those players will be less expensive than India, who will be entering his first year of arbitration. They also possess more upside. India the past two seasons has been a slightly below-average offensive player, according to OPS+. His defense ranks near the bottom of all second basemen, according to the leading defensive metrics. At some point, he still figures to be edged out.

More from Ken: here’s his “What I’m Hearing” column from last night.

Does this mean the Mets are open for business?

Late last night, news broke that David Robertson, who did not pitch in the 2-1 loss to the Nationals, had been traded to the Marlins for two minor leaguers: infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernández.

Vargas was not one of Keith Law’s top Marlins prospects back in February. Hernández was ranked No. 18. At time of trade, MLB.com had Vargas at No. 18 and Hernández at No. 21.

It’s not a surprise that the Mets are selling — the loss dropped them to 48-54, 17 games behind the Braves and seven games out of a wild-card position — but it’s still always feels like there’s a little extra bleach on the white flag when a closer is traded to a division rival. Robertson has a 2.05 ERA with 14 saves and 48 strikeouts against just 13 walks in 44 innings this year.

What might be more surprising is the return. While some suspected “sellers” — the Cardinals, for example — are said to be targeting returns that can help them win as early as next year, both Vargas and Hernández are in rookie ball.

That might not signal that the Mets are gearing up for a multi-year rebuild, but it certainly raises the antenna on just how thorough this year’s sell-off will be. Tommy Pham seems a likely candidate to be dealt (just ask … Tommy Pham), but the last 24 hours have seen an increased number of rumors that Justin Verlander is also on the trade block.

This has been the month of the signing bonus, as recently-drafted players sign their first professional contracts, including a record-breaking $9.2 million for first pick Paul Skenes. But Chandler Rome’s story today is about how a couple of unheralded draft picks who signed for $1,000 each are helping the Astros as they chase another division title.

Chas McCormick is hitting .278 with 13 home runs and an .890 OPS, having accrued 2.8 bWAR — all three rank third on the 2023 Astros — as he patrols all three outfield positions. He’s been a catalyst for Houston as they climb back into the AL West pennant chase, hitting .339/.436/.708 (1.144 OPS) for the month of July.

A few spots down in seventh on that fWAR list at 1.9 is J.P. France, who has done his best to stabilize an injury-mottled rotation. He’s 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts, having made his big-league debut on May 6. Like McCormick, he has heated up in July, going 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts this month.

More J.P. France: He and other young pitchers talk to Eno Sarris about their pitch development process.

Handshakes and High Fives

You want trade predictions? We have a whole league worth of trade predictions in today’s All-30.

Maybe Weird and Wild is your flavor? Well, do I have news for you: it’s a double-dip today, as Jayson Stark looks at the Angels’ travel-buddy return from Chicago and that day earlier this month when it seemed like everyone scored in double digits.

If you somehow haven’t seen this Joey Votto interview yet, please do yourself a favor and check it out. He’s always been extremely intelligent, but in the later stages of his career, he has really let his guard down and allowed himself to have (and be) fun without worrying about if he’s passing any “cool” tests. As a result, he’s becoming one of the most easy-to-root-for players in recent memory.

Dave O’Brien takes a look at Isaiah Drake, who is part of an encouraging MLB trend: an uptick in Black baseball players being drafted after years of declining numbers in the game.

It’s not anything like a blockbuster, but Carlos Santana adds a sixth team, which should help you win your immaculate grid. He was traded from the Pirates to the Brewers yesterday.

Noah Syndergaard joined the Guardians in Chicago and is set to debut on Monday. He spoke about his time with the Dodgers, and what he hopes to accomplish in Cleveland.

On TABS: The 3-0 Show is covering the “all-in” Angels and other deals as trade season heats up.

(Top photo: Mark Cunningham / MLB Photos via Getty Images)