TSN Baseball Analyst Steve Phillips answers several questions surrounding the game each week. Toy Story Sale . This weeks topics include the Blue Jays future plans, the slumping Detroit Tigers, the greatness of Mike Trout and Major League teams expanding their rosters. 1) With the Toronto Blue Jays chances of making the post-season looking bleak for this season, given the limited contractual time remaining on their core a€“ most have either one or two years left, should the club look to rebuild in the off-season by trading away key players like Jose Bautista? Absolutely not. I have said all season long that this was a season to go for it because the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays (the Big Three) were all less than what was expected. Plus I dont believe the Orioles have the kind of pitching to win in the playoffs. I know that the Big Three will aggressively try to improve for next season. The Red Sox have already started the reconfiguration. But I am not convinced that any of the three will be able to dramatically improve. That means that the division will be up for grabs again. The Jays still have two years left in their window to win. They have Bautista, Reyes, Lind, Encarnacion, Lawrie and Dickey all under control through 2016. Plus they have their bevy of good young arms to support this core. The Jays have an enough offense. If they had added a pitcher or two at any point this year they may have been able to win. It is not time to rebuild. Just because the Jays have young pitchers doesnt mean they need young position players. It seems like everyone thinks trading Jose Bautista is an key to rebuilding the Jays. He is the key to winning now. He is a major power bat who is still very productive. He has two years left on his deal at $14M/year. That is a steal. He is a bargain. The Jays have one of the most club favorable contracts in baseball with his deal. Power costs big bucks in the free agent market. Power arms and power bats make the most money. Bautista is worth close to $20M/year. The Jays may be able to get a few players for him but because he his contract is so favorable he allows the Jays to afford multiple other players. Rebuilding will set the Jays back for a decade. The Red Sox and Yankees will never really rebuild. They will retool and reconfigure but they wont go all young like the Rays. The best teams have a combination of youth and experience. The Jays have that now. They just need to add a few pitchers and they can compete NOW!!!!!! 2) Despite adding David Price at the non-waiver trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers have struggled in August, losing the division lead and now in a dog-fight for a Wild Card. Do you think the Tigers will right the ship and make the post-season? What a difference a month makes. We were celebrating the Tigers and their acquisitions of Joakim Soria and David Price. They had added protection at the closer role in Soria and an ace in Price. Joe Nathan has struggled as the closer most of the year. Soria gave Detroit a veteran set-up man who could take over ninth inning duties if Nathan continued to struggle. Price gave the Tigers the deepest rotation in baseball. It was an aggressive move by GM Dave Dombrowski and a strong response to the As acquisition of John Lester from the Red Sox. In fact we had the As and Tigers all set to meet in the ALCS. Baseball is a funny game. It rarely goes exactly as planned. Soria went on the DL with a left oblique strain. He is still working to return. Anibel Sanchez went on the DL as well with a pectoral strain. There is no plan for him to return to the starting rotation any time soon. Justin Verlander has struggled most of he season and recently missed a start with a sore shoulder. What looked like the best rotation in baseball has guys named Buck Farmer and Robbie Ray making starts during this critical stretch. The Royals are playing great baseball this month as are the Seattle Mariners. I think both of them peaked abit early and have struggles coming their way. I think the veteran leadership of the Tigers will find their way. Verlander will be better. Price will bounce back after his horrific last start and rattle off several straight wins. Nathan and Soria will stabalize the end of the game in the final month. Scerzer and Porcello have been remarkably good and that will continue. The Tigers big boppers are due to get hot. Miguel Cabrera will start to drive the ball over the wall in September. Victor Martinez will continue to hit like an MVP candidate and Ian Kinsler will be the clutch player he is. I believe in the Tigers talent and their experience. The Royals are going to run out of gas. Their offense is just not consistent enough to support their pitching. They dont have power and they dont earn base on balls. The just dont give themselves enough opportunities to score. The Mariners are not the most consistent offensive team either but their starting pitching is phenomenal. Felix Hernandez, Hisashi iwakuma and Chris Young have been amazing all season long. Their starting pitching gives them a chance to win every night. The Tigers will win the AL Central and the Mariners will edge the Royals for the second Wild Card spot. 3) Mike Trout recently became the fifth ever American League player to have two 30-home run seasons through age 22. While hes not leading any single offensive category, he should be the American League MVP this season, right? The good news for Mike Trout is that Miguel Cabrera isnt having as good a season as he has over the past couple of years when he edged Trout out of the AL MVP Award. The bad news is that Trout isnt having his best year either. Dont get me wrong, Trout is absolutely a leading candidate for the MVP Award but this is his third best major league season. It certainly helps Trouts case that the Angels are playing so well and will likely make the playoffs. Trout will only be challenged by Jose Abreu of the White Sox and Victor Martinez of the Tigers for the MVP Award. Abreu has more home runs (33/30) and RBI (97/94) than Trout and is hitting for a higher average (.312/.291). Yet, Trout has outscored Abreu by 21 runs. (91/70). Trout plays a more important defensive role and excels in centerfield. Trout is second in the league in WAR (6.5 wins above replacement) and is 2 wins better than Abreu in the category. I give the edge to Trout over Abreu. Abreu will be the AL Rookie of the Year. Victor Martinez has a better batting average (.327/.291) than Trout but trails him in runs, RBI, home runs and WAR. Plus Martinez is a designated hitter which means he doesnt impact the game at all defensively. Trout definitely has the edge over Martinez. We are seeing the beginning of what will be one of the best careers ever. This will be the first of multiple MVP Awards for the young man. He will become the face of baseball and one of its most celebrated stars ever. He will certainly be in Cooperstown when it is all said and done. 4) On September 1, major league rosters expand from 25 active players to a maximum of 40. Thats right, teams can have 40 players active on their roster if they choose to do so. No team will expand to the full 40 players but each team will add at least a few extra players. Some will add more than others. Typically large market teams in the playoff hunt will add the most players. Smaller market teams in the playoff hunt and large market teams that wont be playing in October will add the next highest number, followed by small market teams not going to the playoffs. There is good reason for why rosters expand in September. Clubs need to have depth in the major leagues to protect against injuries for the month of September (and October). Minor league seasons conclude around September 1 and the players head home. If the big league team has an injury on September 8th there would be no active minor leaguers to call up to replace the injured player. There are other important reasons that rosters expand in September. Teams take advantage of the opportunity to fortify their rosters to satisfy needs for particular situations that come up during the games. They may add an additional lefty reliever or right-handed submarine pitcher. They may add speed to get an important stolen base in a critical game down the stretch. It is necessary to have a pinch hitter who is good at leading off an inning and it is just as necessary to have a guy who can hit one out of the park coming off the bench. Ideally you need a left-handed hitting and right-handed hitting version of each guy. The other area where managers want to feel protected is having enough pitching to cover an 18-inning game. This inventory will also allow the manager to use less important pitchers in games that are blowouts and to save their better arms for closer games. Every team adds a catcher or two for the month of September in case of injuries. Plus they are helpful because they need to catch all of the extra pitchers on the roster. This all sounds appropriate right? Here is the problem with it. Baseball plays with one set of rules for 5 months and then the rules change in the 6th month. Why? It is ridiculous? No other sport expands its rosters in the regular season. Why should some teams have 35 players available to the manager in a game and the other team only 30. I understand and support the need to protect against injuries in September but managers should still only have 25 players to choose from for each game. The manager should have to stipulate which 25 players he is making active on for each game. That way the playing field is level. Small market teams arent undermanned going in to the game. I think this is a rule that new Commissioner Rob Manfred should install for next season. I wouldnt mind if he would like to call it the Phillips Rule. Air Max Trainer Sale . The world No. 1 had one of the most dominating performances in a final and was on his way to a possible shutout on Sunday until the third-seeded Berdych broke the super Serbs serve in the 12th game of the match. Air Max 2000 Sale . On a hot, sweaty day, the Hall of Famer looked cool and comfortable. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/air-jordan-4-sale/ . -- Louisville backup quarterback Reggie Bonnafon ran for two touchdowns and passed for another and the No.UFC 167 emanates from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday night, with a star studded main card lineup that includes Georges St-Pierre, Chael Sonnen, Rory MacDonald and Rashad Evans. Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Also feel free to leave your opinions in the comment section below. Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks (Welterweight Title Fight) James Lynch TSN.ca (@LynchOnSports) Saint-Isidore, Quebec native St-Pierre fights in Las Vegas for the first time since 2009 and makes the ninth defence of his title, when he welcomes knockout artist Hendricks in the main event. Since recapturing his title at UFC 83 in April of 2008, GSP is on one of the most impressive championship runs in UFC history, taking out the likes of Matt Hughes, Carlos Condit and most recently former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. With just two blemishes on his record, the 32-year old faces his stiffest test yet in the form of Hendricks, who not only boasts an impressive collegiate wrestling pedigree, but a dynamite left hand. Through 16-fights, Hendricks has eight highlight reel knockouts to his credit. The 30-year old Texas native is also on a six-fight win streak, including victories over three of St-Pierres past opponents: Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit. Weve seen St-Pierre out wrestle decorated wrestlers in the past in his victories over Hughes, Koscheck and Fitch, but none with the knockout power that Hendricks posses. I agree with Jordans prediction below in that its entirely possible the southpaw Hendricks connects on St-Pierres chin and earns a knockout victory, but if that does happen, expect it in either the first or second round. With that said, the former Oklahoma State University wrestler has never faced an opponent like St-Pierre. To ensure victory Saturday night, St-Pierre purchased a UFC-sized octagon for his Tristar gym in Montreal and also brought in the last man to defeat Hendricks, 22-7 Rick Story as a training partner. His team, led by head trainer Firas Zahabi does an excellent job of pre-fight preparation for his star fighter. Its because of this we should expect the French-Canadian fighter to emerge victorious on Saturday night. Add in the fact that Hendricks has never fought five rounds before and that St-Pierre had to overcome adversity in the past (at UFC 154 when Condit head kicked him late in their fight, St-Pierre still managed to come back and win) This experience should serve St-Pierre well as he looks for his 25th professional victory. Dont expect a highlight reel finish, but GSP will get the job done and earn a unanimous decision victory in what very well could be his last octagon appearance. There are rumors swirling that should GSP win on Saturday, hell vacate the title and retire to give way to training partner Rory MacDonalds welterweight title aspirations. Stay tuned. St-Pierre via unanimous decision Jordan Cieciwa TSN Radio 1290 (@FitCityJordan) Nine times out of 10, Georges St-Pierre beats Johny Hendricks. He out wrestles, out strikes, and out lasts him every time. The only problem in this equation is the south paw stance, and the strange angle that Hendricks can rocket that left hand from. The mistake that Hendricks will make is to come out guns blazing in the first two rounds. You wont get GSP to make a mistake under pressure. If Hendricks puts too much out in those first few minutes, he wont get the chance to throw the big bomb in the later rounds. Georges will wrap Johny up like a blanket if he gets him tired, then fans of the big left hand knock out will see side control, and short elbows for the last couple rounds and GSP will earn yet another decision win. My money is going on Hendricks, because I have that strange feeling in my stomach. Im hoping Hendricks closes the distance slow and starts to make Georges work for a takedown in the first two rounds, then hopefully start the third round off with a bang. Hendricks has to realize he is fighting Tri Star and Jackson MMA. They will have the tape and a gameplan. He needs to show something new. If he doesnt have anything, then he wont win. Hendricks via third round knockout Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen Lynch Friends? Co-workers? This doesnt seem like a typical Sonnen matchup as weve seen in the past, but the promotion has matched up "UFC Tonight" co-hosts Evans and Sonnen together in a light heavyweight affair. The matchup itself is intriguing, but entertainment wise not so much. When Sonnen is booked on a UFC pay-per view there is usually some sort of pre-fight trash talk or buildup to the actual contest. This bout has had little to no buildup or anticipation, which is surprising for the co-main event slot. Either way, fans can expect a wrestling clinic between two fighters who are coming off much needed victories. For Sonnen, after losing two straight to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones, there was immediate talk of retirement. Instead, former Team Quest fighter decided to give the light heavyweight division another go, and bounced back with an impressive first-round submission over former UFC 205lb champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC Fight Night 26. Evans meanwhile, suffered an embarrassing loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 156 and got back on the winning track in his last bout, a split decision win over Dan Henderson at UFC 161. Its no secret Sonnen is going to try to out wrestle the former Michigan State standout and use his ground and pound to earn points. The TUF 2 winner Evans has a 66% takedown defense percentage, which is decent, but likely wont be good enough against a fellow NCAA Division I wrestler like Sonnen. We know Evans has knockout power, as seen in his victories over Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin, but Sonnen has proved that he has a very durable chin, even in his losses to Silva and Jones. This one is honestly a coin flip, but expect this fight to go this distance. Ill pick the underdog "The American Gangster" whos wrestling should be the difference in this fight. Sonnen via unanimous decision JC Well, Sonnen is finally fighting an athlete that should be in his sights. Sonnen has not proven himself a champion contender. Although, he has hung in the best of them, like Silva and Jones. Thats what makes this fight interesting. Chael Sonnen has fought the absolute best in the business for his last three fights. He is going to be razor sharp for a fight with Rashad Evans, who has looked less than impressive in his last few fights. Rashad is going to need to get back to his old bag of tricks. That speed and timing is going to be critical to win this fight. Just like Evans vs. Henderson, this will be a slower fight that leans towards the clinch specialist Chael Sonnen. That is of course, unless Evans puts some emphasis on gettinng points. Chris Paul Shoes Sale. I feel that Evans knows what he is getting into, Sonnen hasnt been in this kind of a match for a while. Watch Evans secure points and push for control of the Octagon. This will be a decision, and I think its going to the fighter who just barely squeaked out a decision in his last fight. Evans via unanimous decision Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler Lynch A pair of welterweights square off and look to add their names to the 170lb title picture, as 15-1 Canadian MacDonald goes to war with 31-fight veteran Lawler. Despite riding a five-fight win streak, MacDonald didnt do himself any favors in his last outing, a lackluster three-round unanimous decision victory over Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FOX 8. The 24-year old seemed to be content in scoring points and not engaging over the uninspiring three-round contest. Aiming for his "lucky" seventh UFC victory, an impressive win over Lawler would certainly change the mind of fans and the UFC brass. Meanwhile since returning to the UFC and dropping to his natural weight class of welterweight, "Ruthless" has looking nothing short of spectacular. In his UFC debut he dispatched former title challenger Josh Koscheck in the first round and followed that up with an impressive head kick knockout over Strikeforce veteran Bobby Voelker. The easy path to victory for Quesnel B.C. born MacDonald is using his underrated ground game, as in nine of Lawlers losses; five have been by way of submission. No doubt the ATT product Lawler will want to keep this fight standing and go for his 19th career knockout, but as MacDonald showed in his loss to Carlos Condit, he has a very durable chin. Physically MacDonald will be the bigger fighter, having a one-inch height and 2.5-inch reach advantage. The Tristar fighter has all the tools to win this fight, and should he not try and test his standup against the dangerous 31-year old, hell win this fight. Since Lawler has improved his wrestling, its unlikely MacDonald will sink in a submission that easily, instead expect MacDonald to edge out a unanimous decision victory getting takedowns and the better of the exchanges. MacDonald via unanimous decision JC Who is Robbie Lawler? You cant even answer that any more. He has changed up his career a few times. The one thing I know, is that he has looked sharp, razor sharp, in his last couple outings. Hes also had some outstanding coaching over his career. Josh Koscheck stood in with him, and Robbie made him look like a rookie in the league. Ranked #10 in his division by the UFC, it will be interesting to see how he does against his opponent, #3 ranked Rory MacDonald. This is not going to be a legends match like the one Rory had with BJ Penn. This is going to be a very tough fight with a man on a mission. It cant be denied, Robbie Lawler on his "A" game is a top ten competitor. Lawler goes into most fights the smaller fighter, and thats going to be the case here. Rory will use his 2..5 inch reach advantage to keep Lawler out of range, however, a couple body shots from Lawler may change the tone of this fight. Watch for Robbie to attack the body early with some of the hardest punches in the business. Once he takes the steam out of Rory, this should be his fight for the taking. Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley Lynch Two former NCAA Division I wrestlers collide in a 170lb contest as former UFC welterweight title challenger Koscheck battles former Strikeforce welterweight title challenger Woodley. The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 contestant knows at this point in his career, his back is up against the wall. After winning a controversial split decision over Mike Pierce back at UFC 143, the Fresno, California native has lost two straight to Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler. Woodley meanwhile was considered the next "must see" prospect out of the Strikeforce organization. Heading into his Strikeforce welterweight title fight with Nate Marquardt in 2012, Woodley was a perfect 10-0, with wins over Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine. That hype came to an immediate halt when Marquardt knocked out Woodley in the fourth round. The 31-year old would rebound in his UFC debut, earning a first round knockout over former IFL welterweight champion Jay Hieron. In his last bout, the ATT pupil would suffer a lackluster loss to Jake Shields back at UFC 161. Many pundits are picking Woodley to win, as hes the faster and more explosive standup fighter. But experience-wise, Woodley has only fought 13-times compared to Koschecks 26 fights. In addition, the 35-year old Koscheck could be facing potential unemployment with a loss on Saturday night, so I expect him to be hungrier than his younger adversary. Look for the Dethrone Basecamp founder to have an impressive showing, as hell outpoint Woodley over three rounds and earn a unanimous decision victory. Koscheck via unanimous decision JC Exactly what Lynch said, Woodley is the faster and more explosive standup fighter. Koscheck is on the decline ever since his loss to Georges St-Pierre back at UFC 124. If you think about it, his last big win really was against Paul Daley at UFC 113 and that was back in May of 2010. Woodley meanwhile, had a close loss to Jake Shields and also knocked out tough IFL veteran Jay Hieron in his UFC debut. Koscheck has been knocked out before, expect the same thing to happen again on Saturday night, as Woodley will connect, sometime in the second round. Woodley via second round knockout Tim Elliot vs. Ali Bagautinov Lynch In a bout that is sure to bring fireworks to open up the main card, 26-year old Elliot takes on Jackson MMA product Bagautinov in a flyweight affair. The 10-3-1 Elliot is on a two-fight win streak since dropping his promotional debut to John Dodson back at UFC on FOX 3. The Russian Bagautinov meanwhile is coming of an impressive UFC debut when he knocked out Marcos Vinicius back at UFC Fight Night 28. Expect the Grindhouse MMA product Elliot to come out more aggressive and outpoint his opponent over three rounds to earn the judges decision. Elliot via unanimous decision JC What better way to ring in the 20th year of business than a fly weight action packed event. The lights will come up and these two athletes will go at it with a lot of speed and explosive athleticism. Tim Elliot vs Ali Bagautinov has the potential to be the fight of the night. Elliot got a lot of attention when he debuted to a fight with John Dodson, thats a tough way to earn a living. Elliot won the fight convincingly and if thats how he comes out against Bagautinov I expect a fantastic fight, and another TKO for Tim Elliot. Elliot via 2nd round TKO Undercard Picks: Lynch: Dunham, Leites, Story, Perez, High, Pettis, Villante JC: Cerrone, Leites, Story, Perez, High, Campuzano, Villante Also be sure to tune into the "Weigh-In" on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg every Saturday as myself, Jordan and "Big Marv" Timog go toe to toe discussing the hottest topics in MMA. ' ' '