Michael Cuddyer didn’t hurt himself professionally with his reaction to the Johan Santana diatribe after the deadline. “[General manager] Terry Ryan never came down and asked me why I swung at a 3-0 pitch and grounded out to third,” Cuddyer said. “It’s not my job to make trades or say trades are bad.” … Here’s why some of the smartest GMs won’t commit more than 15 percent of their team’s payroll to one player. The Yankees are 4-8 in Roger Clemens’ starts this year; Houston was 10-9 with him starting a year ago. Texas went 326-358 with Mark Teixeira in the lineup and 39-30 in the games he missed during his five seasons there. … If not for Barry Bonds, Commissioner Bud Selig would have been at Miller Park for Tom Glavine’s first run at 300 victories and probably at Wrigley Field on Sunday. “I got to know Tommy through labor negotiations,” Selig said. “I have enormous respect for him.” He hasn’t said the same about Bonds. …
The Red Sox told Jonathan Papelbon they were pursuing reliever Eric Gagne before making the trade for him. They didn’t have to do it, but Papelbon understood the move better because they did. … Give Indians GM Mark Shapiro credit for not letting Cliff Lee’s $14 million contract (and $2.75 million salary for this season) get in the way of sending him to Triple A. He had become a drain on the team and is more likely to get himself together at Buffalo than under stretch-run heat. … Kid center fielder Adam Jones is under the gun in Seattle, where some veteran players were surprised he had been given a job with the Mariners in contention. “This team has been good with what we have, and I don’t think that’s what we need,” outfielder Jose Guillen said. “He’s a No. 1 prospect, and he’s going to be here sooner or later somehow, some way, but I just completely don’t understand that move right there.” … While Carlos Zambrano sizzles, Michael Barrett still hasn’t gotten back on his feet from the rude awakening in Chicago. He has hit .226 with no homers and no walks in his first 93 at-bats with the Padres. …
According to execs with other teams, Arizona GM Josh Byrnes couldn’t take on a big salary at the deadline, stopping him from adding a veteran arm or two. Micah Owings and Yusmeiro Petit have been lifesavers for a rotation lacking Randy Johnson. They did pick up left-hander Joe Kennedy off waivers from the A’s on Saturday, a day after grabbing right-hander Byung-Hyun Kim from the Marlins and infielder Jeff Cirillo from the Twins. And Chris Young, the center fielder acquired from the White Sox, is starting to be mentioned among the best young players in the NL. He has validated his 30/30 potential with 19 homers and 16 stolen bases. … If you think the Cardinals still have a run in them, you’re not paying attention. Their pitchers entered Saturday with a 5.45 ERA in the second half, with opponents hitting .312. … The Rockies have a league-best 3.41 ERA since the break.
