Stock Up, Stock Down: Dodgers, Angels, Red Sox, Orioles

It was been an interesting week around the majors, to say the least. There were some impressive performances, some strange and odd decisions, and some movement on the waiver wire.

The calendar is officially on September 1 and the 2023 season is in the final stretch with teams either playing for something or teams playing out the string. With the season coming down the stretch, it’s time for the latest Stock Up, Stock Down for this season.

Stock Up: Mookie Betts makes his return to Boston with the Los Angeles Dodgers

In February 2020, the Boston Red Sox traded superstar outfielder Mookie Betts along with pitcher David Price for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong, and prospect Jeter Downs. Verdugo is still with the Red Sox albeit likely his last season, Wong is an average catcher for Boston and Downs is currently with the Washington Nationals. Betts? He’s just humming along in L.A. and put on a show last weekend at Fenway Park.

The Dodgers won two out of three over the Red Sox and put a big dent in Boston’s postseason chances. Betts played a big hand by going 7-for-15 in the series with five runs scored, four RBI, a home run, and a standing ovation Friday night before his first at-bat in a 7-4 Los Angeles victory.

In Sunday’s 7-4 win, Betts capped off the weekend with a two-run shot in the sixth inning to give them some breathing room and a 5-2 lead. This trade might be a move that haunts the Red Sox for a long time and it haunted them last weekend and just about dashed their postseason chances.

Stock Down: Red Sox manager Alex Cora makes curious decision Monday night

File this under you never thought that you would see something like this. Ever. There’s taking one for the team, then there’s what Boston manager Alex Cora did to relief pitcher Kyle Barraclough against the Houston Astros Monday night.

Called up before the opening game of a three-game series in a pivotal series in the American League Wild Card race, Cora brought Barraclough on in the top of the fifth in relief of Chris Sale with the Red Sox down 3-2. Cora elected to let Barraclough finish the game and it wasn’t pretty. He allowed 10 runs, all earned, on 11 hits, five walks, and two home runs, including a shot to Jose Altuve to complete the veteran’s cycle in the game.

After the game, Cora explained his thinking and he was looking at the long-term picture rather than the moment of a winnable game.

“For us, it’s tough,” said Cora. “But this is where we’re at. It’s 16 games in a row. And a lot of teams go through this and we just have to get over that hurdle. Right now for us, this is where we’re at. We’re going to be in better shape [Tuesday] bullpen-wise. Much better.”

Take that any way you want, but it sounds like a guy frustrated with decisions made above him, being given a hand he doesn’t like and maybe, just maybe, beginning the steps of leaving in some capacity this offseason.

Stock Down: Angles waiving the white flag and trying to give pieces away

At the trade deadline a month ago, the Los Angeles Angels went all-in to get to the playoffs with superstar Shohei Ohtani. Now 30 days later, they are waiving the white flag, trying to shed payroll, and are in a position that nobody wants to be in heading into what should be considered a franchise-alterting winter.

Falling quickly out of the AL Wild Card race, the Angles on Tuesday placed trade deadline trade additions Randal Grichuk, Lucas Giolito, and Reynaldo Lopez now waivers along with Matt Moore. Any team that claims them needs to pay them their remaining salary for the 2023 season.

Meanwhile, things for the Angels are going in the opposite direction of the Dodgers, who could very well swoop in this offseason and steal Ohtani in free agency. Making the decisions they did at the trade deadline was risky and it has backfired on them, big time. These decisions could set the franchise back further than they already are.

Mike Trout is back on the injured list, Ohtani is not going to pitch the rest of this season and his free agency is going to be the talk of the offseason. Not a good position for the Angels to be in considering their struggles to even get to the postseason in Trout’s and Ohtani’s prime seasons.