The trade deadline is in the rearview, late-season acquisitions starting to settle into their new homes and over the next several weeks, much of the focus will remain on the post-season and wild-card races.
But for some of those who were acquired at or ahead of the deadline, somewhere in the back of their minds will be fleeting thoughts about how their performances over the next month or two or – for those who are blessed with lengthy playoff runs – more will impact contract negotiations come the off-season. In the cases of some, their output could be the difference between a team taking a one-year gamble or believing it best to hand out term.