2022 MLB Trade Deadline Preview:

 

Central:

Twins: Buyers

Pitchers(bullpen and starting) 1B/3B/LF

Guardians: Buyers

Hitters C/SS/RF/LF

White Sox: Buyers:

Bullpen 2B

Tigers: Sellers

RHP Andrew Chafin RHP Michael Fulmer RHP Joe Jimenez LHP Drew Hutchison

RHP Tarik Skubal LHP Gergory Soto C Tucker Barnhart C Eric Haase

UTL Harold Castro INF Jeimer Candelario OF Robbie Grossman

Royals: Sellers

RHP Amir Garrett RHP Zach Greinke RHP Brad Keller INF Hunter Dozier 

UTL Whit Merrifield OF Andrew Benintendi OF Michael A Taylor

East: 

Yankees: Buyers 

Relivers C

Blue Jays: Buyers

Pitchers(bullpen and starting)

Rays: Buyers

Outfielders/C/Pitchers(bullpen and starting)

Orioles: Sellers

INF Ramon Urias INF Rougnd Odor 1B Trey Mancini OF Anthony Santander

C Robison Chirinos SP Jordan Lyles SP Austin Voth 

Red Sox: Sellers

C Christian Vazquez OF Franchy Cordero OF Jackie Bradley Jr UTL Rob Refsnyder

RHP Jake Diekman RHP Ryan Brasier 

West:

Astros: Buyers

Relivers

Mariners: Buyers

Pitchers(bullpen and starting) C

Rangers: Sellers

OF Kole Calhoun UTL Charlie Culberson RHP Garrett Richards LHP Martin Perez

LHP Matt Moore RHP Matt Bush

Angels: Sellers

OF Magneuris Sierra INF Andrew Velazquez INF Phil Gosselin C Kurt Suzuki

RHP Ryan Tepera LHP Noah Syndegaard LHP Aaron Loup

Athletics: Sellers

OF Stephen Piscotty UTL Chad Pinder INF Tony Kemp OF Ramon Laureano

C Stephen Vogt SS Elvis Andrus RHP Lou Trivino RHP Franke Montas

RHP Paul Blackburn

Central:

Brewers: Buyers

Outfield depth 3B Pitchers(bullpen and starting)

Cardinals: Buyers

Backup CF C Pitchers(bullpen and starting) 

Cubs: Sellers

OF Rafael Ortega OF Ian Happ INF Patrick Wisdom INF David Bote

C Yan Gomes C Willson Contreras RHP Marcus Stroman LHP Drew Smyly

RHP David Robertson RHP Chris Martin RHP Mychal Givens LHP Steven Brault

Pirates: Sellers

OF Bryan Reynolds OF Ben Gamel UTL Josh VanMeter INF Yoshi Tsutsugo

INF Michael Chavis RHP Duane Underwood RHP Chris Statton LHP Jose Quintana

RHP Manny Banuelos  

Reds: Sellers

OF Tommy Pham OF Tyler Naquin INF Donovan Solano INF Matt Reynolds 

INF Brandon Drury INF Mike Moustakas RHP Hunter Strickland RHP Mike Minor

LHP Buck Famrer RHP Luis Castillo

East: 

Mets: Buyers

Relivers C

Braves: Buyers

2B Relivers

Phillies: Sellers

SS Didi Gregorious INF Johan Camargo RHP Core Knebel LHP Brad Hand 

RHP Kyle Gibson RHP Jeurys Familla 

Marlins: Sellers

2B Joey Wendle SS Miguel Rojas 1B Jesus Aguilar C Jacob Stallings

RHP Tanner Scott LHP Trevor Rogers LHP Steven Okert LHP Pablo Lopez

LHP Dylan Floro LHP Richard Bleier RHP Anthony Bass

Nationals: Sellers

DH Nelson Cruz OF Juan Soto OF Lane Thomas 2B Cesar Herandez 3B Maikel Franco

SS Alcides Escobar 1B Josh Bell RHP Anibal Sanchez RHP Hunter Harvey

RHP Kyle Finnegan RHP Paolo Espino RHP Carl Edwards RHP Steve Cishek LHP Patrick Corbin

West:

Dodgers: Buyers

Outfield depth Relivers

Padres: Buyers

OF Relivers 

Giants: Buyers

C Relivers

Diamondbacks: Sellers

OF David Peralta 1B Pavin Smith OF Jordan Lulplow 1B Christian Walker

2B Ketel Marte RHP Joe Manitply RHP Chris Devenski RHP Noe Ramirez 

RHP Ian Kennedy RHP Caleb Smith

Rockies: Sellers

OF Randal Grichuk 1B Connor Joe SS Jose Iglesias RHP Chad Kuhl RHP Jose Urena

RHP Daniel Bard RHP Alex Colome RHP Carlos Estevez

The Stars Beneath my Feet-James Blunt Album Review:

 

James Blunt decided to come out with a greatest hits album with two discs which is a great idea for a successful musician with six studio albums but the twist was he released some new music on it. The new music is his first new release since the end of 2019 just before the pandemic.

He has four official new songs on the album(Love under pressure, Unstoppable, I came for love and Adrenaline) and all have the same tone of his music style-emotional lyrics sung well/catchy choruses and the music is well put together with him either on guitar or piano. One of those songs “Adrenaline” hit #1 on the charts in China which proves he was never a one hit wonder. Songs like “Smoke signals” and “Cuz I love you” are songs I am not familiar with is because they were considered bonus tracks on previous albums with the later being a live version.  That is one of the few issues with this greatest hits collection-by putting bonus tracks on it when most fans only have the original album version to go by, adding a song he did on someone else’s album with the song “OK” with someone I never heard of, and adding a cover by the Pixies “Where is my mind” as well is not how you put together a greatest hits album.

If he wanted to come out with new material he could have done what the Foo Fighters just did with their latest album and make it like an EP where they only did eight songs for “Medicine at Midnight” which was a great album. By adding four new songs, a cover and two bonus tracks is very similar to what 3 Doors Down did with their greatest hits album by having nine number one hits but with three new tracks.

He pretty much got most of his best songs picked for this greatest album collection but he missed out on plenty of tracks from his 2010 album “Some kind of trouble” only picking one track, two of the best songs off his 2017 album “The Afterlove”, picked the three singles off his 2013 album “Moonlanding” instead of picking the best tracks and a few tracks off his 2007 album “All the lost souls”. This is what happens with four wasteful tracks and the four new songs taking up spots on the greatest hits collection. It was about time he had a greatest hits collection but most of the time a record label comes out with it and decides what is on there so this time at least he decided what would go on it.

James has come a long way from being just discharged from the British army playing his guitar singing sad songs with his writing skills and musical genius over the past 17 years as his music has grown more positive with each album he puts out. This is just another great addition to his discography of music even with the blemishes.

Dawn FM-The Weeknd Album Review:

 

Abel Tesfaye AKA The Weeknd is back with his first new album in two years his fifth overall in Dawn FM. This album has too much techno, hip-hip, EDM sound to it compared to his last album which was an R&B masterpiece. He decided to make it an artistic album that has a theme as it is a chilled-laid back FM station with a DJ talking(Jim Carrey hosting the station), some voice over work by Quincy Jones, ads, and his singing the jingles as well to really sell it. He gets big time stars like Jones and Carey talking on tracks narrating, rappers Lil Wayne and Tyler the Creator as well, but sometimes you do not need all the guest stars to make a great album. “After Hours” was such a good album that is hard to follow up great success with even more success, but give him credit for sixteen tracks which most artists do not do and having a theme he sticks to.

The album starts with his usual great singing before Carey takes over which doesn’t help in enjoying the song but the catchy jingle brings you back plus he ruins the song “Out of Time” by talking in the end. That song is classic Weeknd track with him realizing he still loves his ex but ran out of time to be with her and it is great 80’s funk/R&B style to his great vocals. “Every Angel is terrifying” has interesting music but like the Jones and Carey track it is wasted with a voice over this time an ad instead of lyrics. “Here we go again” is his classic music style which reminds of you his older tracks as it is about the caution to the dark side of love and how its consuming beauty makes it impossible to avoid but like a lot of the album a guest spot ruins the track. Like a previous tracks “I Heard you're married” gets ruined by a rapper coming onto the track. But the song is about him getting involved with a woman he finds out is taken and wants her to leave her man for him because he takes relationships seriously and doesn’t want to share.

  Tracks like “Gasoline”, How Do I make you make you love me" and “Take my Breath away” the backing music doesn’t always fit the track with either techno/EDM sound because it doesn’t bring out the best in his vocals as it can be simpler with vocals but as always he has a catchy chorus in it. He continues to writes about being alone and hoping he doesn’t die from overdose and again mentions the band REM/Losing my religion the song which is cool; the last minute is a waste as it leads into the lead single. “Take my Breath away” is great song but on the album it is an extended version that it seems way too over produced and long as it has intro plus an extended bridge added.

The quality songs with no issues are: “Best Friends”, “Is there something else?”, “Starry Eyes”, “Less than zero”, “Sacrifice” and “Don’t break my heart”. Some of these tracks deal with is ever growing maturity in relationships as he is doing for friends with benefits, but doesn’t want them falling for him as he isn’t healed/he knows he has been unfaithful and knows when people aren’t faithful everyone gets hurt. While others are always emotional with him dealing with the theme of the album of being cautious to love and his quest for the dream girl even if she has scars too/how his exes view him now as a zero but he knows he made mistakes that he regrets. Plus knowing his worth that he doesn’t need to sacrifice for others that maybe he is ok with being alone which is great growth from the last album. My personal favorite “Don’t break my Heart” is a very classic Weeknd style of emotional great vocals where he cannot take another heart break with a potential new girl which we all can relate to.

In the end let’s give him credit- it is hard to follow up a huge successful last album by coming back with a full length 16 track album which most artists don’t do anymore and sticking to a theme even if it is not really putting his musical talents on a full display.