Short Term Rentals

Three days to go until the deadline, as the pace of trading picks up. In just the last 36 hours, the Mets sent Asdrubal Cabrera to the division rival Phillies, JA Happ moves from Toronto to the Bronx, Cole Hamels swaps his Rangers uni for the Cubs' blue and white and Mike Moustakas says goodbye to Kansas City and hello -- for the next 60 games -- Milwaukee.
All these players have one thing in common: their contracts expire at season's end. None were likely to receive qualifying offers. So their old teams concluded that it was better to cash them in now for second- or third-tier prospects, than watch them leave town for nothing.
With the memory of Justin Verlander's turnaround after his arrival in Houston late last season, there's also the cross-your-fingers hope that Moustakas, Hamels and Happ -- all of whom played on World Championship teams -- might raise their game once back on a contender. Maybe that chance to get back to the World Series rekindles the old spark.
Expect more familiar names to be on the move before Tuesday's 4pm deadline.

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