Giancarlo Stanton trucking Rays star just caused trade deadline-shifting injury

There are just over three hours until the trade deadline, and the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are playing during a monsoon in the Bronx. Why? We don't know. Oh, look at that, they finally decided to delay the game.

But not before a trade deadline-alerting injury occurred. In the bottom of the fifth with buckets of rain coming down, Giancarlo Stanton squibbed a weak ground ball to third base. Junior Caminero ran in to field it, and then for whatever reason double-clutched on his throw attempt, apparently forgetting that the lumbering Stanton was sauntering to first base.

Caminero's throw was late and bad. It pulled Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda off the bag. He came down with it and attempted to apply the tag on Stanton, but got absolutely leveled by one of the biggest men in Major League Baseball after drifting too far into the base line.

Aranda immediately fell to the ground in a heap. The training staff ran onto the field to check on him. He was removed from the game and now there's concern something is seriously wrong with his wrist.

Coincidentally, earlier in the game Yandy Diaz was hit by a pitch and departed the game to undergo X-rays. Diaz has been mentioned as a frequent trade candidate leading up to the deadline, but recent reports suggest the Rays were leaning towards hanging onto him.

Well, that might be a definite at this point because if Aranda is sidelined for quite some time, they will need Diaz to take over at first base while cycling others into the DH spot ... assuming Diaz is also alright. In a matter of an hour and a half, the Yankees might have fully made up the Rays' mind with their trade deadline plans.

It's an absolutely unfair turn of events for the Rays, and we can't help but wonder why there are any scheduled games before the biggest day on the baseball calendar. With so many variables and scenarios at stake, MLB should learn their lesson for next year and not schedule any daytime contests hours before the trade deadline.