Occasionally you may have the thought “sure I can handle a bottle and a half of wine, I’m still capable and I’ve paced myself.” You are wrong, and I was too. As a result, these links are faintly sweet-smelling and have a slight wobble to their gait. I apologize for nothing.

We had a mixup in coverage yesterday, so this is a weekend’s worth of links packed into Sunday:

In Mariners news...

• ICYMI, the Pirates claimed RHP Parker Markel off waivers, while Seattle claimed OF Keon Broxton from the Orioles. Broxton was a well-regarded prospect at one point with the Brewers, but the 29-year-old has struggled with consistency.
• An MLB record has come to close:

• Following Ryan Divish’s heart-wrenching write-up of the state of Félix, the Mariners intend for him to throw another BP session today, then determine when he’ll begin his minor league rehab.
• MLB Pipeline has updated their Top-100 list, as well as their team rankings, including the J2 International signees and new draft classes.

Seattle places five players on the list: Jarred Kelenic (24th), Logan Gilbert (51st), Julio Rodriguez (54th), Evan White (74th), and Justin Dunn (77th). Unfortunately, Justus Sheffield’s struggles dropped him off the list entirely, and down to 9th on Seattle’s list behind 1st round pick George Kirby, Cal Raleigh, and Jake Fraley. None of Seattle’s J2 signings made the list from the jump, but Comp Pick Isaiah Campbell (11th), 2nd rounder Brandon Williamson (17th), and 5th rounder Austin Shenton (29th) made the cut.

• Mac Williamson has officially been released so he can sign with a team in Korea.
• How did Mariners second rounder Brandon Williamson go from his scouting videos being listed as “comedy” on YouTube to a top-100 player in the nation? From the Everett Herald, it was a process.
• A big yikes from down in Tacoma - in 20% of the Rainiers games they’ve allowed 10+ runs. Somehow they’re only fourth to last in the league in runs allowed per game.

Around the league...

• From Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic ($) recent firing of a long-time MLBPA official has highlighted a seeming intent for a more engaged Player’s Union, but what form that may take is unclear as we approach a potential work stoppage in 2021.
• Justus Sheffield and the collective return for the James Paxton trade haven’t looked as sharp as hoped, but it’s been bumpy going on both ends:

• On the subject of another big lefty formerly of the Mariners, Luiz Gohara has had a nightmarish year and unfortunately it’s only getting worse.

• The Braves also shook up their scouting department, letting go of a few notable scouts, including ones with some recent stars to their credit.
• Though there’s little doubt anywhere at this point, it’s staggering how the ball has had an impact - and is even propping up offense - at the AAA and MLB levels this year.

• It’s not quite a basket catch, but pretty impressive all the same:

• David Ortiz has been released from the hospital, in a huge sigh of relief after a bizarre and frightening saga.
• The trade deadline has gotten off to a slow start, but a few relievers have headed to contenders. First: LHP Jake Diekman went from the moribund Royals to the red-hot Athletics in exchange for a couple low-hype minor leaguers: OF Dairon Blanco and RHP Ismael Aquino.
• The second deal of note was a curious one, as the Twins acquired righty specialist Sergio Romo from the Marlins for pop-up prospect 1B Lewin Diaz. The Twins also received a prospect of their own, however, in RHP Chris Vallimont, as well as a PTBNL.
• The Royals also made another move, DFAing struggling veteran 1B Lucas Duda, who somehow never actually became a Mariner.
• The Cubs also made a minor deal to start the weekend, though not a Mike Minor deal, acquiring LHP Derek Holland and cash from the Giants for... also cash. Figure that one out, I guess.
• Carlos Correa kept his cool with a mid-game mariposa on his shoulder.

• A kerfuffle arose between the Rangers and Athletics after A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano admired a home run of his longer than Texas pitcher Adrian Sampson felt was appropriate. Laureano was later drilled by a pitch, leading the benches to clear. The benches-clearing incident came with a history as Sampson stepped on Laureano’s bat a few weeks back.
• Brewers rookie Keston Hiura walked off Craig Kimbrel and the Cubs last night to tighten a fascinating NL Central race. Kimbrel’s numbers in 12 outings since signing a 3-year/$43 million deal with the Cubbies show plenty of rust: a career-low 27.5% K%, 15.7% BB%, and a 6.75/8.01 ERA/FIP. Yikes.

John’s picks...

• MLB has 30 teams in it. By my reckoning, 15-20 of those teams have color schemes that boil down to red and/or white and/or blue, and/or gray. The reason everyone goes gaga for the A’s uniforms is that they are sharp, yes, but they also stand out for being **gasps** green! Even a bit more creativity in the style, if not variation in the color can make things more exciting. I guess what I’m saying is bring back the 70s, like the Phillies and Braves did last night.