There is just over a week left in July, meaning general managers across Major League Baseball are busier than ever working the phones to buy and sell as the trade deadline approaches. However, baseball GMs weren't the only ones in the spotlight over the past week.
It may seem like odd timing for the Carolina Panthers to fire their now former GM Dave Gettleman, as they did earlier this week, but believe or not, making an NFL GM change in the summer has its benefits: "Making a change in the summertime at least buys the organization time to make a change and not have the successor under intense scrutiny from the minute that person takes over."
Now interim GM Marty Hurney, who previously served the same role, will look to address the issues that cropped up in the Panthers' Super Bowl hangover that was 2016. He, of course, is not alone in trying to sort out his roster, as every NFL team has a big question as training camps start:
Of course, with July nearing its end, MLB GMs are trying to make the most of the trade deadline. In particular, the Orioles need to unwind past deals if they are going to rebuild: "It is far from unfair to say that Gausman, Tillman and Jimenez have been among the worst starters in all of baseball on the year, but the fact that this is all that the team has to offer is s comedy of errors in judgment by general manager Dan Duquette."
As a result, the Orioles look a team that should sell in the hopes of upgrading with prospects in the pitching department. That's the organization's biggest need right now. What about the rest of Major League Baseball? Glad you asked. We laid out every MLB team's biggest need as the trade deadline approaches:
One team that looks like it may be just fine even without making a major move is the team pacing the NL West. Yes, the Dodgers are a complete juggernaut right now: "The Dodgers are not only leaving their divisional competition in the dust, but they're starting to leave the rest of baseball in the dust as well. Going into their game on Thursday night, they had won 11 straight games and were on a 31-4 tear."
As for the teams on the opposite end of the spectrum, a few have already moved some of their major pieces. One such team is the Chicago White Sox, who sit dead last in the American League. They've already dealt Jose Quintana to the cross-town Cubs and moved Todd Frazier to the Yankees, and now they've handed the team over to Yoan Moncada, the prize of the team's offseason trade with the Boston Red Sox for Chris Sale.
Thus, we created the 'Yoan Moncada era starts now' quiz to send you into the second-to-last weekend before the MLB trade deadline day commences:
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