Greg Amsinger On MLB Trade Deadlines
MLB Network's Greg Amsinger called into the Haynie and Zinno Show to talk about the recent struggles of the Orioles, the Washington Nationals' pitcher Stephen Strasburg, and his picks for the World Series.
The Orioles have lost seven of their last eleven games, but Amsinger cautions people about labeling this a bad year for the Orioles.
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"Look where we are in the month of July. Their a half a game out of the Wild Card. You cannot sit there in Baltimore and say 'another down year.' No way," he said.
However, Amsinger said that this class of pitchers for the Orioles have really let the team and organization down.
"This pitching class has really let this organization down. That's the way you've got to look at it. I don't want to hear that they have to grow up and the maturation process is in the toughest division in baseball, the AL East. The Orioles could be talking Wild Card come September, but the young [pitching] starters hold the key to that," he said.
Recently, the Washington Nationals have made headlines by announcing that they will sit Strasburg after a certain number of innings and not allow him to pitch again until next season. Amsinger said Strasburg's agent, Scott Boras, has more to do with this decision than the Nationals.
"I think they are looking forward in the next three years, when Strasburg becomes a free agent, that he'll be a 200 million dollar pitcher somewhere else. I think that's the way they are looking at this. It's all about money," he said.
With the season in its second half, Amsinger said he sees the Yankees in the World Series representing the American League, while the National League has no clear contender.
"I don't know in the National League. The National League's a mess. I want to say the Yankees for sure. To me it's the Yankees in the American League. I think the Yankees are club that everyone's been looking past. Look at the standings right now: their nine-and-a-half [games] up on the Tampa Bay Rays. Their on a roll," he said.
-Sarah Davis
