Talking Trade Deadline... and Immaculate Grid!

Before I get to this week’s Brilliant Reader Challenge — I’d say that about 30 of you have asked for this one — MLB trade deadline stuff is happening, so let’s talk about trade deadline stuff. And then, by popular demand, we will talk some Immaculate Grid. Let’s get to it!

Angels Trade for Lucas Giolito

For a couple of weeks now, I’ve been popping on radio shows and knocking on strangers’ doors to say that I didn’t think there was any way that the California Angels would trade Shohei Ohtani. I understood the simple logic — he’s a free agent at the end of the year, the Angels seem very unlikely to sign him, the Angels seem unlikely to make the playoffs, they should get SOMETHING for him — but I just couldn’t see a team trading away the most remarkable player any of us have ever seen.

Here’s why: