In baseball, the lineups of late July can look like relics within a week. Six years ago on Friday, the Mets used left fielder John Mayberry Jr. as their cleanup hitter against Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Eight days later, Yoenis Cespedes was on his way to New York; the Mets were on their way to the World Series; and Mayberry’s career in the majors was over.
The end of July is decision time in the majors. Contenders shed replacement-level retreads and upgrade through trades. Also-rans dump veterans, save money and gather prospects. Teams in the middle tread carefully and tend to stay right where they are.