MLB Rumors: Pirates gaslight Austin Hedges into thinking team woes were his fault
Rangers catcher Austin Hedges got jolted out of his shoes a bit when he got booed at PNC Park prior to the deal. The ex-Pirate got traded to Texas on August 1, but for the last few months, Pirates fans very vocally made their opinion about Hedges known at home games.
Hedges, fed up with the jeers, genuinely wanted to know why the Pirates fans were booing him as much as they did. On Monday, he said on a podcast that the boos were "wild" and he "didn't expect that."
"I was really excited for this year. Things offensively didn't go as well for me as I would have wanted. Then when they started calling up some catchers… [the booing] was like out of nowhere on one day. Was there a group text? How did they all know?"
In all likelihood, there was no group text. Just a ripple effect of a few disgruntled Pittsburgh fans who started gaslighting Hedges into thinking the Pirates' losses were his fault.
Currently, the Pirates sit last in the NL Central with a 53-66 record. The team was doing Hedges a favor by shipping him to one of the best teams in the AL, and besides, it was clear he had outstayed his welcome in Pittsburgh.
Blaming the Pirates' offensive woes on Hedges makes little sense. Hedges came to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 season to contribute on defense and mentor the youth, and he executed those two tasks well; improving the Pirates' limp offense should not fall anywhere near him.
In any case, both sides got what they wanted. The Pirates fans can find someone else to pick on, and Hedges can keep playing baseball in October.
MLB Rumors: Mike Trout can't 'bear' wrist pain, has no timetable for return
One day, a streaming service will make a documentary about how the Angels wasted the prime years of two generational talents in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. In the meantime, Angels fans have more solemn news to read about concerning Trout's recovery from his wrist injury.
The star outfielder has been out since July 3 due to a fractured wrist, and more than a month later, he's still complaining about pain in the area.
Per multiple reports, Trout has been progressing well in his rehab, even hitting off the machine, but as of now, there's no set date for his return.
Trout told reporters that it was a "pain tolerance thing," and once the pain gets "bearable," he'll take the field again.
The second natural step in Trout's recovery would be to face live pitching, which the Angels could schedule for him within the next few days.
Trout was hitting .263 with 18 homers and 44 RBIs before suffering his injury. With the Angels 6 1/2 games out of a wild card spot, the team will need its top slugger to squeak into the postseason. Prove that future Netflix docuseries wrong.
MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani still heavily rumored to land on Dodgers, Giants
A famous musician once wrote: Second chances don't ever matter, people never change. In the case of Shohei Ohtani's future, second chances do, in fact, matter a lot.
Ohtani himself hasn't changed. The two-way phenom is slashing .305/.408/.665 with a 3.17 ERA this season. The Angels decided to hold onto him at the trade deadline, but with his free agency looming this winter, even Arte Moreno has to look up at the roaring tsunami forming over him and brace himself for the likelihood that Ohtani will not be an Angel in 2024.
Which teams could have a second swipe at him? FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray named the Dodgers and Giants as two teams that fit Ohtani's requirements and could cough up $500 to $600 million to secure him for the future.
Ohtani and the Dodgers have danced for a while now. Letting Eduardo Rodriguez slip through their fingers at the deadline could make the Dodgers hungrier to sign a monster talent at the end of the season. The Giants, who have swung and missed on superstars like Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, are also expected to be in the mix for Ohtani and have the short- and long-term flexibility to bring him on.
Which West Coast heavyweight will win the second round? No one knows for sure, but the fight for Shohei Ohtani will be one that keeps everybody on their toes.