No repeat division winners? A 64-homer season!? Our hottest hot takes two weeks into the MLB season
We are two weeks into the 2023 MLB season, and most teams have played a dozen games of their 162-game schedule. In other words, it’s early. Perhaps too early to glean a whole lot from what has happened so far. But what’s the fun in that?
We asked our MLB experts to go all-in on what they’ve seen by making a prediction based on this small sample size. They were allowed to pick anything they wanted, with two conditions: It had to be bold, and it had to be something they truly believe could happen this season.
Some of our predictors went really wild, while others chose to play it safe, so we took the liberty of ranking their choices from mild to spicy. Here is what they chose.
Born to be mild
AJ Mass: San Francisco will be the even-steven Giants
Forget the very good Tampa Bay Rays, off to an 11-0 start, and the very bad Oakland Athletics, already in last place and on their way to a 100-loss campaign. My hot take is that the San Francisco Giants will be the most feast and famine team in all of baseball. They’re going to have their very good days. They’re going to have their very bad days. But by the time we get to October, they’ll be exactly 81-81. And here’s where it gets interesting: They’ll lead the league both in the number of times they are shut out and the number of times they score in double digits.
Why it’s mild: This prediction is oddly specific, but that doesn’t make it all that bold. It’s a long season — and we all have our good days and our bad days. Our preseason projections had the Giants at 85 wins, so predicting them to finish four wins off, with an equal number of really good and really bad moments, isn’t going all that far out on a limb.
Joon Lee: A last-place finish in Boston?
Adam Duvall‘s broken wrist revealed the wobbly foundation of the Boston Red Sox‘s roster. To replace Duvall, Boston called up Bobby Dalbec, who has been trying to add shortstop and third base to his repertoire. The injury is pushing Boston to play Enrique Hernandez — who started the season at shortstop — in the outfield, where he has led the league in errors while filling in for the injured Trevor Story.
Boston already needed everything to go right this season to have a shot at the playoffs — but one injury has already shaken the Red Sox’s roster to its core.
Why it’s mild: To understand why we aren’t exactly melting from the heat of this take, one needs to look no further than the 2022 American League East standings, where you will find the Boston Red Sox all the way at the bottom. Combine what we saw on the field last year, the lack of a splashy offseason addition and a slow start this season, and it might actually be bolder to predict the Red Sox will finish anywhere other than the basement of a loaded division.
It’s not that you aren’t bold; others are just bolder
Brad Doolittle: The Brewers will make the playoffs — and the Dodgers won’t
I’m going to refrain from pointing out how the concept of hot takes makes rational people say things that they don’t actually mean. Instead, I will just point out that in 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a wider range of possibilities than they have had at any time in the past decade or longer. I also think the Milwaukee Brewers are going to make the playoffs. That is not a hot take. If the Brewers invade what felt like a largely set National League playoff field, someone will miss out. The hot take part of my otherwise rational mind tells me that team will be the Dodgers.
Why it’s (mostly) mild: OK, we’re going to refrain from pointing out that the concept of this exercise is to bring out your inner hot taker to tell us what you really mean but haven’t yet said. Instead, we will just point out that you spent the first half of your allotted hot take window explaining why the Brewers making the playoffs isn’t a hot take. Then right there at the end, you heat up and drop some boldness on us. We’ll give you some points for predicting the Dodgers’ playoff streak will end, but your hot take delivery is a work in progress, at best.
Eric Karabell: Rookies will carry the Dodgers to the top of the NL West
The Dodgers will have at least three of the top five in NL Rookie of the Year voting. James Outman already should be their regular center fielder, a potential 20-homer, 20-steal option with plate discipline. Second baseman Miguel Vargas is a walk magnet with power. Down on the farm, right-handers Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller are future aces; both are already better than No. 5 starter Noah Syndergaard, and who knows if Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin can stay healthy for six months. The Dodgers will win the NL West again, led by rookies in the lineup and rotation.
Why it’s (mostly) mild: This take is actually hotter than it looks on the surface. First, it’s important to point out that this is starting to feel like a loaded rookie class in the National League. Corbin Carroll, Jordan Walker, Kodai Senga and Garrett Mitchell have all shown why they are threats to win the award this year alongside the first two Dodgers you mentioned. Then you go ahead and add a third Dodger, who isn’t in the majors yet, as a potential breakout name to watch — and casually put L.A. ahead of San Diego in the NL West. Nailed the dismount.
Now we’re heating up
Tim Keown: The 2023 Athletics just might be the worst team … ever
It gives me no pleasure to report that the Oakland Athletics — who currently have a 3-9 record with an OPS of .655 and an ERA of 7.54 — have all the pieces in place to challenge the 1962 New York Mets for most losses in a 162-game season. The Mets, in their first season, lost 120, and it remains to be seen if the A’s can conjure the same lovable loser mythology that allowed those Mets to achieve a certain legendary status in the game’s history. More likely, Oakland’s unique combination of a spin-the-wheel roster and apathetic ownership will go down as more sad than playful.
Why it’s got some heat: Yes, the A’s are 3-9, but we really don’t need the standings to tell us that this is not a good baseball team. You also weren’t quite willing to predict that they would become the biggest single-season losers of all time — just that they have a chance to challenge for the dubious mark. That said, any time you are willing to throw out a comparison to the 1962 Mets this early in the season, you have our attention.
Alden Gonzalez: Shohei Ohtani will win the Cy Young, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove and, of course, MVP
I will say this confidently without even looking it up: This has never been done before. And thinking this is anything less than the hottest take imaginable only speaks to how much of a unicorn Shohei Ohtani actually is. Still, it’s … realistic? Let’s break it down.
Ohtani already won a Silver Slugger in 2021, and Yordan Alvarez won it in the designated hitter category in 2022. It could come down to those two again this year. The Cy Young might be just as reachable, given that Ohtani finished fourth in the voting last year, he lines up to make more starts in 2023 (he’ll pitch with five days’ rest each time, as opposed to operating within a strict six-man rotation and often getting additional time between starts) and he continues to evolve as a pitcher. A Gold Glove? That might actually be his toughest award; it’s really hard to decipher this for pitchers due to the rarity of fielding opportunities at that position. But Ohtani certainly has the ability here too. If he earns all three, he’ll win the MVP unanimously, again, and sign for a billion dollars — or something like that.
Why it’s got some heat: This take is not quite as hot as it originally sounds — but that is more a product of Ohtani being really, really good than a fault of the hot taker. Predicting any player to unanimously win MVP honors in a league that could see Aaron Judge hit 60-plus home runs again is bold. Predicting that same player will be the Cy Young in his league is also bold. The trouble here is that Ohtani is so amazing that predicting him to win both is actually taking a favorite for each award.
Now, if Ohtani’s next contract is actually for one billion dollars, we’ll come back and crown this the spiciest take on the list.
Wait, is anything about the Rays really that bold right now?
0:37
Mad Dog pours cold water on Rays’ hot start
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo doesn’t see the Rays as a World Series contender despite their hot start this season.
Buster Olney: The Rays will go wire to wire in the AL East
I’ll take my first mulligan in the preseason predictions and say: The Tampa Bay Rays are going to go wire to wire and win the AL East. That doesn’t mean that the New York Yankees or Toronto Blue Jays will fade; those are two very good teams. But the first two weeks have revealed the Rays as a deep and dangerous team: Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena have developed into core stars, and they’re surrounded by an excellent cast of supporting players. History shows us it’s possible for teams to break away early, never to be caught: the 1984 Tigers, 1955 Dodgers and 1977 Dodgers are examples. The balanced schedule means fewer games against the AL East, which will help the Rays keep their early-season grip on first place.
Why it’s actually pretty hot: Just two weeks ago, our MLB experts made their predictions for the season — and only one of our 28 voters tabbed the Rays to win the AL East. Now that was bold. But being willing to go all-in on Tampa Bay’s fast start two weeks in is still pretty hot. This leaves us to wonder how many of the other 27 voters who didn’t pick the Rays would switch their pick if given the chance today.
Jeff Passan: Your 2023 AL Cy Young will be … Jeffrey Springs
Yes, I’m suggesting a 30-year-old who before last season had started two games in his major league career is primed to beat out Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom and Shohei Ohtani for the prize of best pitcher in the American League. A 30th-round draft pick on his third organization will be better than Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman and even his own teammate Shane McClanahan. Why? Well, the one-word answer is: sweeper. Springs bullied his way into Tampa Bay’s rotation last year on the strength of exceptional fastball command and a gyro-spinning changeup that dies three-quarters of the way to the plate. But the emergence of a legitimately excellent breaking pitch — the sweeping slider he developed over the winter — has taken a good pitcher and made him great. In six starts between spring training and the regular season, Springs has thrown 27 shutout innings, struck out 43 and allowed only 16 baserunners. He’s still +2500 to win the Cy Young. Get in before the odds grow even shorter.
Why it’s actually pretty hot: OK, Rays or not, this is coming in hot. Be honest, readers: How many of you actually knew who Jeffrey Springs was two weeks ago? (How many of you knew who he was two minutes ago?) Now, how about those readers who live outside of the greater Tampa area? Not many, right? So predicting the Rays pitcher will go from relative obscurity to topping names like Cole, deGrom, Ohtani, Cease, Alek Manoah for the AL’s top pitching honor is a very spicy take.
We do have to wonder though: Is this simply a case of one Jeffrey going all-in for another?
Who turned up the heat?
Paul Hembekides: 230 hits for Luis Arraez
I know, 230 is a massive number; no hitter has gotten there since Ichiro Suzuki in 2007. But there are two reasons Arraez can pull it off: He leads the majors in contact rate (91%) since he entered the league in 2019 and will benefit from the abolition of the shift as much as anybody (.178 batting average on pulled ground balls and infield line drives from 2019 to 2022). Should he continue to bat leadoff for the Miami Marlins, pencil him in for 700 plate appearances and a run at a hit total we’ve not seen in 16 years.
Why it’s a very hot take: You had us at Ichiro. Any time the category is hits and the answer includes “nobody has done this since Ichiro,” you are probably talking about a pretty significant feat. In fact, here is the entire list of players to reach 230 hits in a single season since 2000: Ichiro (three times) and Darin Erstad (in 2000). Add in the fact that Arraez’s career high is just 173 hits and the heat just keeps rising on this take.
Jesse Rogers: None of last year’s six division winners will repeat
This is coming from someone who picked all 12 playoff teams to return to the postseason two weeks ago. In the AL, the Seattle Mariners or Texas Rangers will upend the Houston Astros. The Minnesota Twins or Chicago White Sox will beat out the Cleveland Guardians. The Rays … well, you get it.
In the NL, Milwaukee’s magic continues through 162, and the San Diego Padres — or even the Arizona Diamondbacks — win the NL West. The NL East is where this take gets toughest; I don’t love picking against the Atlanta Braves, but the Mets will get a boost when Justin Verlander returns.
Why it’s a very hot take: A little behind-the-scenes hot take truth: This take just missed making the cut for our final and boldest category. What you did here reminds us of a term you usually hear in Las Vegas: parlay. None of these predictions is all that bold alone, but when you keep stacking the teams that won’t repeat as division champs, it adds up to a very hot take.
So what kept it just shy of the tier every hot taker is striving to reach? Well, let’s use another term you often hear in Vegas: hedging. There are a lot of eithers and ors when you get around to telling us who actually will win these divisions. And for that reason, it falls just shy of the next two takes.
You sure you can handle this heat?
David Schoenfield: Aaron Judge hits 64 home runs and posts the first 11-WAR season since Barry Bonds in 2002
Home runs are up. Batting averages are up. Walks are way up as pitchers are perhaps struggling adjusting to the pitch clock. Oh, and Aaron Judge is off to a strong start with four home runs already. Last year, he hit one his first 13 games. Judge’s maturation as a hitter is now complete; don’t forget that he hit .311 last season, second in the American League. He has learned to take care of his body and has been healthy the past two seasons. We haven’t even gotten to the warmer weather of summer when the ball really starts flying. All rise for a new AL home run record for the second straight season.
Why this take is straight fire: Look, every take on this list is hot in some shape or form. So to make it into this elite tier, the hottest of hot takes, it takes something extra spicy — and this take certainly fits.
In fact, when this take arrived, another hot taker couldn’t help but comment, “Dave coming in with a flamethrower and propane tank.” And who are we to argue over something that drew that kind of reaction. Sure, we could pick nits that the first half of this prediction is actually calling for Judge to hit just two more home runs than he did last season, which is not all that bold. But you then went ahead and doubled down with a WAR total that Barry Bonds is the only position player to reach this century and left us with no choice but to respect the heat.
Tristan Cockcroft: Rangers will be the AL West’s last team standing this October
They play in a competitive division in which three other teams were generally more popular preseason playoff picks; indeed, the Rangers were regarded more of a hey-maybe-in-2024 contender. But this team is built strongly enough to win now — and make serious noise during the postseason. Sure, a little luck is needed on the injury front (hello, Jacob deGrom), but piling up April and May wins will have a way of coaxing the Rangers’ big-spending, going-for-it-soon owner to dive right in. And since they possess organizational prospect depth that a mere handful of teams can rival, this is the team that shocks the world by trading for Shohei Ohtani at the deadline, the final puzzle player the Rangers need to make their serious October push. Just like last October, we’ll again be talking up the managerial prowess of an ex-Giants skipper.
Why this take is straight fire: When this take came in, we passed it around like, well, a hot potato, because we couldn’t handle the heat. One response summed it up best: “It’s like a Trojan horse. It’s bold … then gets super-specific bold.”
If you had just picked the Rangers to be the last AL West team standing, ahead of the defending champion Astros and the Shohei Ohtani/Mike Trout-led Angels, that alone would have been bold. But the way you just snuck in, “Oh, by the way, they’ll also trade for Ohtani — from across the same division, mind you,” without skipping a beat, that is the stuff of hot take legend. Now we just have to wait about 150 more games to see if any of this comes true.
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Bradford Doolittle
Welcome to the middle of the 2025 MLB season. We’ve already passed the natural halfway point (1,215 games) and are nearing the symbolic version of midseason (the All-Star break). Either way, we’ve seen more regular-season baseball in 2025 than we’ll get the rest of the way.
With that in mind, let’s wade into this month’s Stock Watch by taking a retrospective spin around the majors. As usual, we’ll slot teams according to the current competitive hierarchy and see how the picture has changed since we last convened. In addition, we’ll note the dominant storyline that has emerged for each club and hand out first-half MVP awards for all 30 teams.
Should we name those awards? The Stockies? No? OK, fine. Let’s just get to it.
Win average: 101.4 (Last month: 97.9, 3rd)
In the playoffs: 99.7% (Last: 97.2%)
Champions: 24.0% (Last: 16.2%)
First-half storyline: The Dodgers spent the first few months of the season proving the adage that you can’t have too much pitching. A team with an overstuffed pitching depth chart entering the spring has not just endured an avalanche of injuries to the staff, but many of those who have pitched have underachieved. And yet, because the offense has beaten its projection by nearly 100 park-neutral runs per 162 games, the Dodgers are doing just fine, thank you. And the worst of the injury spate has to be behind them at this point. Right?
First-half MVP: Shohei Ohtani (145 AXE, 1st on Dodgers, 3rd in MLB). Ohtani’s OPS is over 1.000 for the third season in a row. He’s on pace to top his career-high 54 homers from last season and score more than 150 runs. He has recently returned to the mound but looks fantastic. Just wait until we see this two-way act on an October stage.
Win average: 97.9 (Last: 99.6, 1st)
In the playoffs: 99.8% (Last: 99.3%)
Champions: 14.4% (Last: 15.6%)
First-half storyline: It’s the year of the Tiger. Detroit has broken out in a stunning way, and it’s thrilling to watch. If the season ended today, the Tigers’ Pythagorean winning percentage would be one of the five best in franchise history, behind only historic teams from 1909 (Ty Cobb), 1934-35 (Hank Greenberg) and 1968 (Denny McLain). It would be ahead of 1984 (Kirk Gibson). Yes, it’s that kind of season for the Tigers.
First-half MVP: Tarik Skubal (138 AXE, 1st on Tigers, 6th in MLB). Skubal has gone to a place that few pitchers reach. He’s in the top four of the AL in wins (1st), ERA (4th) and strikeouts (2nd). Given his trajectory, it’s possible Skubal will win his second straight pitching Triple Crown. The only pitchers to do that in back-to-back seasons: Grover Alexander (1915-16), Lefty Grove (1930-31) and Sandy Koufax (1965-66).
Win average: 96.1 (Last: 97.3, 4th)
In the playoffs: 97.2% (Last: 96.7%)
Champions: 12.6% (Last: 12.3%)
First-half storyline: An offensive explosion. The Cubs’ offense figured to be better after the offseason acquisition of Kyle Tucker. Tucker has been as advertised, but Chicago has gotten production up and down the lineup and is on pace to beat its park-neutral run forecast by 102 runs. The Cubs’ 121 team OPS+ so far is their best since — hold on to your hat — 1884.
First-half MVP: (tie) Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong (139 AXE, 1st and 2nd on Cubs, 4th and 5th in MLB). Tucker has a minuscule AXE edge when you go into decimals, but it’s fitting that these dynamic outfielders are co-MVPs when we round off. Again, it has been more than these two. The Cubs’ total of seven players with a 110 AXE or better is tied for second in the majors. Six of them are hitters.
Win average: 94.7 (Last: 89.5, 6th)
In the playoffs: 98.5% (Last: 83.4%)
Champions: 8.9% (Last: 4.2%)
First-half storyline: The window is open. Those (yes, me) who were heralding the imminent demise of the Astros’ dynasty now look like Cassandras. Despite the loss of Kyle Tucker, an injury-riddled half for Yordan Alvarez, a so-so start for Jose Altuve, lackluster production from key signee Christian Walker and the loss of the orange juice theme of its ballpark, Houston once again sits in the catbird seat of the AL West. The pitching — Hunter Brown and the game’s best bullpen — is the main reason, but the Tucker trade (getting Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith from the Cubs) has worked out swimmingly.
First-half MVP: Jeremy Pena (137 AXE, 1st on Astros, 8th in MLB). Pena recently hit the injured list because of a fractured rib. Given the way Houston has responded to adversity to date, the Astros probably won’t lose a game while he’s out. That’s nothing against Pena, who, in his age-27 season, has been baseball’s best shortstop this season.
Win average: 93.5 (Last: 88.6, 8th)
In the playoffs: 93.8% (Last: 65.0%)
Champions: 7.6% (Last: 3.0%)
First-half storyline: They are up in arms in Philadelphia. According to AXE, three of the top six NL starters and four of the top 11 are members of Philadelphia’s rotation … and no one in that quartet is named Aaron Nola. Zack Wheeler, co-front-runner for NL Cy Young with Paul Skenes, leads the way, but Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo have been excellent. Mick Abel and Taijuan Walker have chipped in. If Nola can get healthy and productive, and if Andrew Painter is anything close to advertised, the Phillies will feature baseball’s best and deepest rotation.
First-half MVP: Zack Wheeler (138 AXE, 1st on Phillies, 7th in MLB). At 35, Wheeler has flashed career-best levels in ERA+, FIP, WHIP and SO/9. If Wheeler doesn’t land his first Cy Young Award, it will be because someone like Skenes takes it from him, not because he doesn’t earn it.
Win average: 92.4 (Last: 97.3, 5th)
In the playoffs: 95.8% (Last: 98.0%)
Champions: 12.8% (Last: 18.6%)
First-half storyline: Improv time in the Bronx. The Yankees’ run profile is almost exactly on target with the preseason projection, yet this season has not followed the script. The pitching has mostly held up despite Gerrit Cole‘s season-ending injury and Devin Williams‘ mysterious inconsistencies. The hitting has found its level around Aaron Judge despite Juan Soto‘s departure and that Giancarlo Stanton‘s first homer didn’t happen until July 2. Yet, as things began to ebb in June, the outcome of this Yankees story is very hard to foresee now.
First-half MVP: Aaron Judge (159 AXE, 1st on Yankees, 1st in MLB). Despite a temporary recent downtick that now seems to be over, Judge is hitting .363/.470/.735 and is on pace for 12 WAR while playing every Yankees game so far. Don’t take this guy for granted, baseball fans — even those of you who don’t like the Yankees — because this is incredibly special.
Win average: 89.4 (Last: 98.2, 2nd)
In the playoffs: 75.7% (Last: 97.7%)
Champions: 3.2% (Last: 13.5%)
First-half storyline: Peaked too soon? The Mets got off to a roaring start but slumped miserably over the second half of June. Through June 12, New York was 45-24 and owned baseball’s best ERA, mostly thanks to an MLB-low 2.79 mark from the rotation. New York dropped 14 of 18 after that while posting the worst rotation ERA (5.93), bullpen ERA (6.53) and, of course, overall ERA (6.24) during that span. Injuries have played a big part in the plunge, but a team built on depth — which the Mets are — should hold up better than this. July is a really big month for this team.
First-half MVP: Pete Alonso (129 AXE, 1st on Mets, 18th in MLB). It’s a good thing the Mets paid Alonso during the winter. They’ve gotten the hottest version of the Polar Bear yet, one who suddenly discovered the joys of the line drive. Still, that Alonso lands in this slot rather than Juan Soto or Francisco Lindor (both 126 AXE) is a bit of an upset and, perhaps, an omen of happy regression from here.
Win average: 88.2 (Last: 85.6, 12th)
In the playoffs: 82.4% (Last: 56.9%)
Champions: 4.5% (Last: 2.0%)
First-half storyline: Major offense in a minor venue. The Rays dropped to a season-low five games under .500 on May 20 and proceeded to win 27 of 40 behind a surging offense. The Rays scored 20 more runs than any other team during the spree, as they joined division rival Toronto in bearing down on the Yankees for the AL East lead. As usual, the Rays are doing it with a roster of players casual fans might be pressed to identify. Tampa Bay might be playing in a minor league venue, but the Rays’ way continues to flourish in the majors.
First-half MVP: Jonathan Aranda (123 AXE, 1st on Rays, 42nd in MLB). Well, something clicked for Aranda, a 27-year-old first baseman who entered 2025 as a career .222 hitter. He has tacked on nearly 100 points to that mark this season with excellent secondary skills. His 123 AXE is tops among AL primary first basemen, including All-Star starter Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Win average: 87.5 (Last: 84.8, 13th)
In the playoffs: 61.7% (Last: 34.5%)
Champions: 2.1% (Last: 0.9%)
First-half storyline: More than enough good. No, that’s not bad syntax, it’s how the 2025 Brewers are built. Yet, Milwaukee is in the thick of postseason contention and it’s not because of any star-level breakouts, not even from super-talented Jackson Chourio. Instead, the Brewers have 18 players in the 100-to-119 AXE range, second most in baseball behind St. Louis. No greatness, just lots of goodness.
First-half MVP: Brice Turang (119 AXE, 1st on Brewers, 65th in MLB). Turang is again flashing Gold Glove defense at second base and stealing bags when he gets on base, which he has been doing more than ever. His OBP is fueled by a .288 batting average, which, in turn, is fueled by a .363 BABIP. Fluke? There might be some regression in store, but the improvements are real. Turang’s line drive rate is 3% better than the league average, and his hard-hit rate has jumped by 16.3% over last season. Turang has tacked on 4.6 mph to his 2024 average exit velocity.
Win average: 86.9 (Last: 84.3, 15th)
In the playoffs: 72.7% (Last: 46.2%)
Champions: 1.8% (Last: 1.0%)
First-half storyline: Staying afloat. The Blue Jays are even in the AL East standings with the Yankees shortly after July began despite the run differential of a middle-of-the-pack team. The Jays have gotten little from key signee Anthony Santander. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been very good but not great. Same for Bo Bichette. The key high-leverage relievers (Jeff Hoffman and Chad Green) have been coughing up too many homers. And yet, here the Jays are … and some of these problems might regress in the right direction. Or maybe the run differential is more of who the Jays are than the record. This is why we play 162-game seasons, to sort out stuff like this.
First-half MVP: Ernie Clement (119 AXE, 2nd on Blue Jays, 63rd in MLB). Guerrero leads the Jays in AXE (121), but we’re going to shine a light on the surprising Clement. Not that this is a race we track, but he has to be the front-runner for the AL Gold Glove at the utility player position. At the plate, he has made the most of his high-contact style. The defense, in particular, underscores a big factor in Toronto’s success: MLB-best defensive metrics.
Win average: 85.6 (Last: 84.5, 14th)
In the playoffs: 66.5% (Last: 51.1%)
Champions: 2.4% (Last: 1.9%)
First-half storyline: Rotation injuries. The Mariners have mostly spread out their injuries, but their core-five starting rotation has not been whole this season. Given that knowledge at the beginning of the season, you would not expect Seattle to be where it is, which is in position to land a wild-card slot if the season ended now. And that rotation has a good chance of getting whole as the season progresses.
First-half MVP: Cal Raleigh (149 AXE, 1st on Mariners, 2nd in MLB). Entering the season, Raleigh had a good case to be considered baseball’s best catcher. And, sure, he has hit a lot of homers the past couple of years. But could anyone have envisioned this? This is more than a breakout. This is a player on pace to shatter Mickey Mantle’s record for single-season homers by a switch-hitter (54 in 1961). And he’s a Gold Glove catcher.
Win average: 85.6 (Last: 88.4, 9th)
In the playoffs: 41.3% (Last: 62.0%)
Champions: 1.1% (Last: 1.9%)
First-half storyline: Covering the holes. Entering the season, the Padres figured to have some glaring lineup holes, and that has been the case. But San Diego has stayed in contention behind the star power of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, and the work of a deep and dominant bullpen. As for those holes? We’ve got a month until the trade deadline.
First-half MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr. (131 AXE, 1st on Padres, 15th in MLB). Post-suspension Tatis still operates at a lower level than pre-suspension Tatis. Before missing the 2022 season, Tatis had a 160 OPS+ and averaged 8 bWAR per 162 games. Since coming back, he’s at 118 OPS and 5.7 bWAR per 162 games. But Tatis is still really good, and always has that ability to be great stashed in his hip pocket.
Win average: 85.5 (Last: 85.7, 11th)
In the playoffs: 43.2% (Last: 42.1%)
Champions: 1.0% (Last: 1.1%)
First-half storyline: One fast transition. In retrospect, we might have overreacted to the Cardinals’ offseason rhetoric about 2025 being about positioning for the front office transfer of power to Chaim Bloom. The Cardinals took a passive approach to player acquisition and caught plenty of heat for it. They also removed obstacles in front of a number of their in-house talents, and that has paid off in a big way so far this season.
First-half MVP: Sonny Gray (118 AXE, 1st on Cardinals, 76th in MLB). Like Milwaukee, the Cardinals have succeeded thanks to a depth of solid performances rather than any breakouts. Some of those solid performers are key to St. Louis’ future: Matthew Liberatore, Victor Scott II, Masyn Winn. But the veteran Gray, who might have been dealt if not for his contract’s no-trade clause, has led the way.
Win average: 84.4 (Last: 89.1, 7th)
In the playoffs: 35.5% (Last: 67.0%)
Champions: 1.2% (Last: 2.4%)
First-half storyline: Buster’s breakout followed by a bust-out? Under first-time exec Buster Posey, the Giants exploded out of the gate. Then, they bolstered a lineup light on power with the season’s biggest trade to date, bringing in the suddenly positionally flexible Rafael Devers. Yet, the Giants have since slumped, winning just five of Devers’ first 10 appearances with the team. Where that leaves Posey and the Giants is unclear, but it’s nothing a Devers power spree and a few wins wouldn’t fix.
First-half MVP: Logan Webb (126 AXE, 1st on Giants, 26th in MLB). Webb was already established as the closest thing to a durable, top-of-the-rotation starter as we can hope to get in today’s game. This season, he has amped up the run prevention as well, posting a career-high and NL-best 2.32 FIP while again leading the circuit in innings. Alas, on the heels of two straight top-10 Cy Young finishes, as of now, it looks like Webb will have to get even stingier if he is to overtake Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler in the awards race.
Win average: 82.5 (Last: 79.0, 22nd)
In the playoffs: 19.4% (Last: 8.4%)
Champions: 0.4% (Last: 0.2%)
First-half storyline: Rambling rotation. The Reds’ game score winning percentage (.612) is the best in the National League and second overall behind the Yankees. This has happened despite Hunter Greene‘s injury and tepid debuts by exciting prospects Chase Petty and Chase Burns. Andrew Abbott has been as hot as any pitcher in baseball, and the trio of Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer and Nick Martinez has been consistently productive. This has a chance to be a very exciting group down the stretch.
First-half MVP: Elly De La Cruz (127 AXE, 1st on Reds, 25th in MLB). De La Cruz is on pace for 34 homers and 41 steals while soaring past 100 runs and 100 RBIs. His OPS+ has risen to 125 on the strength of improving strikeout rates. It kind of feels like he can do more, too. But that might always be the case for De La Cruz, no matter what his numbers look like, simply because he’s such a marvel to watch on the field.
Win average: 82.4 (Last: 81.2, 18th)
In the playoffs: 20.9% (Last: 16.1%)
Champions: 0.5% (Last: 0.4%)
First-half storyline: Not what we signed up for. The D-backs appeared positioned to possibly challenge the Dodgers in the NL West, thanks largely to a stacked starting rotation bolstered by the high-dollar signing of Corbin Burnes. Burnes’ season ended after 11 starts, while Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez are on the wrong side of 5.00 ERAs. The bullpen, weakened by injuries to A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, has been even worse. Too often, Arizona has had to outscore the opposition.
First-half MVP: Eugenio Suarez (124 AXE, 3rd on Diamondbacks, 37th in MLB). Suarez is a hair behind Corbin Carroll (126) and Ketel Marte (125) on the AXE leaderboard, but his potent power bat has perhaps been more crucial to Arizona’s ability to hang around .500. Carroll and Marte have given the Snakes about what they expected — which is considerable — but Suarez has outstripped his projection and helped to shore up shortfalls elsewhere on the roster. From 2021 to 2024, Suarez averaged 2.4 bWAR per season; this year, he’s already at 2.5.
Win average: 81.1 (Last: 79.6, 21st)
In the playoffs: 27.3% (Last: 18.4%)
Champions: 0.5% (Last: 0.3%)
First-half storyline: Complete lack of an attack. Two years after riding a dynamic offense to a championship, the Rangers have morphed into an all-pitch, no-hit team despite a lineup with many of the same players. And the positions that have turned over have tended to go to promising prospects such as Josh Jung (recently demoted), Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter. In 2023, the Rangers’ 4.77 home-scoring average ranked sixth in the majors. This season, their 3.76 mark ranks 27th.
First-half MVP: Jacob deGrom (128 AXE, 1st on Rangers, 20th in MLB). On the bright side, deGrom is back and he’s still very much Jacob deGrom … and seemingly getting better with each outing. In general, the rotation has been a bright spot for Texas, whose top three performers by AXE are deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle.
Win average: 80.0 (Last: 79.8, 20th)
In the playoffs: 11.2% (Last: 12.6%)
Champions: 0.4% (Last: 0.4%)
First-half storyline: What happened? Last season, the Braves figured prominently into our preseason coverage when we wondered whether it was they or the Dodgers who would emerge as baseball’s power team. Once again, the forecasts were high on Atlanta’s chance to have a bounce-back season and return to the top of a competitive NL East. A couple of days ago, the Braves slipped behind the Marlins in the standings. When you look at an IL that includes Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach, it’s a dispiriting season in Cobb County.
First-half MVP: Matt Olson (125 AXE, 1st on Braves, 34th in MLB). Olson hasn’t produced at the level he flashed in 2023, when he mashed 54 homers and put up 7.5 bWAR. But he has produced and he has also been there, which is more than you can say about most of Atlanta’s other key players. Olson still hasn’t missed a game since joining the Braves as Freddie Freeman‘s replacement in 2022.
Win average: 79.8 (Last: 80.0, 19th)
In the playoffs: 17.8% (Last: 20.3%)
Champions: 0.3% (Last: 0.5%)
First-half storyline: It’s not about who’s here, but who is not. When you look at the roster of the 2018 champion Red Sox and how many of the key players are still star-level players for other teams, this is going to cast a pall over Fenway Park until a new group emerges to win at a high level. Any hopes of that cloud lifting because of the passage of time were dashed when Boston traded Rafael Devers.
First-half MVP: Garrett Crochet (134 AXE, 1st on Red Sox, 11th in MLB). Crochet pitched this well last season for the White Sox, his first full season as a big league starting pitcher. But it wasn’t quite a full season because Chicago tamped down his usage in advance of dealing him for maximum return. Trading for Crochet for a valuable combination of prospects was a bit of a leap of faith by Craig Breslow. Well, you can quibble with a lot of things that have happened in Boston, but so far, the Crochet trade is not one of them.
Win average: 79.7 (Last: 87.2, 10th)
In the playoffs: 18.0% (Last: 68.8%)
Champions: 0.3% (Last: 2.9%)
First-half storyline: Close, but no cigar. The Twins are another team whose park-neutral runs and runs allowed paces are on track to meet forecasts. Their record, however, is not. Why? Look no further than the Twins’ 8-15 record in one-run games. An optimist would suggest that this should even out. The problem is that it’s probably already too late for the Twins in the division race, and they are but one of a legion of teams in the AL’s middle wondering if they are really playoff contenders.
First-half MVP: Byron Buxton (130 AXE, 1st on Twins, 16th in MLB). Buxton is on pace to play in 130 games. That might not sound too impressive, but if he were to get there, it would be the most games he has played in since 2017. A healthy (or mostly healthy) Buxton is something to behold. He has already topped his 2024 totals in homers and steals and is close in bWAR, even though he has appeared in only 69 games. (He played in 102 last season.) Let us all take a moment to knock on wood.
Win average: 77.3 (Last: 81.9, 16th)
In the playoffs: 8.5% (Last: 28.5%)
Champions: 0.1% (Last: 0.4%)
First-half storyline: Could really use Josh Naylor. The Guardians’ position player roster this season is dominated by below-replacement performances. You can understand the desire to open things up for power prospect Kyle Manzardo, who has been up and down. But Naylor was a foundational producer for a team that was a couple of wins shy of the World Series in 2024. The lineup needed him a lot more than the rotation needed Slade Cecconi, who has been fine over eight starts. You can’t help but wonder if Cleveland, owner of baseball’s oldest title drought, will ever stop pushing things down the line.
First-half MVP: Jose Ramirez (128 AXE, 1st on Guardians, 24th in MLB). Who else? Ramirez is on target to do what he does every year, across the board. His isolated power is down a touch, but Ramirez remains more than capable of going on a binge to clear that up. This is another season to boost Ramirez’s future Hall of Fame case.
Win average: 76.3 (Last: 73.2, 23rd)
In the playoffs: 6.2% (Last: 2.7%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
First-half storyline: Bittersweet surprise. The Angels are a mild surprise because they appeared, at various junctures, like a team about to slide back into the basement. But the 2025 Angels have been fairly resilient despite another Mike Trout injury and lack of superstar production, Ron Washington’s season-ending health issue and widespread bullpen woes, aside from closer Kenley Jansen. It’s to their credit that they’ve stayed close to .500, and there have been some positive developments on the roster. That doesn’t make them contenders.
First-half MVP: Yusei Kikuchi (117 AXE, 1st on Angels, 80th in MLB). The Angels’ rotation has been solid and a big reason the team has stayed competitive. The addition of Kikuchi has been the biggest upgrade. The 34-year-old lefty has mostly retained the gains he made after being traded from Toronto to Houston last season, save for an uptick in walks. He’s not an ace, but he has given the Halos a consistent presence in a rotation that, over the years, has lacked stability.
Win average: 76.2 (Last: 81.3, 17th)
In the playoffs: 5.9% (Last: 25.7%)
Champions: 0.1% (Last: 0.5%)
First-half storyline: Oh no, there’s no O. The Royals have been an above-average team in most areas of what helps a team win: defense, baserunning, starting rotation and bullpen. It has all been undermined by wretched hitting. Kansas City has averaged 3.77 runs per game on the road, ranking 25th. That’s bad! But it looks explosive compared with what the Royals have done at the K: 2.84 runs per game. That’s not only last in the majors, but it’s not even close to the second-worst mark (3.58 by Cleveland). If you watch the Royals regularly, hopefully you’ve been wearing a hat because otherwise watching this team hit has likely caused you to pull out all your hair.
First-half MVP: Bobby Witt Jr. (134 AXE, 1st on Royals, 12th in MLB). Witt has been terrific. He hasn’t been as terrific as he was in 2024, and somehow, he finished behind Jacob Wilson of the A’s in the All-Star voting. Witt is perhaps a victim of the standards he set in 2024. Witt is still on pace for 56 doubles, 43 steals and more than 7 bWAR. It’s a “down” season most players can only dream of, and it’s certainly not Witt’s fault the Royals’ offense has been so bad.
Win average: 71.8 (Last: 67.2, 26th)
In the playoffs: 0.3% (Last: 0.1%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
First-half storyline: Evil rumors. Low-level buzz that maybe the Pirates should look to trade Paul Skenes didn’t come from the team, so you don’t want to bash Pittsburgh for that. But you kind of do because such suggestions should not be possible. They are only because it feels so unlikely that the Pirates will invest in building a contender around Skenes. But again: If you trade this guy during his second season, what are you building for? Anyway, it hasn’t happened. Skenes has been great; the team has not.
First-half MVP: Paul Skenes (137 AXE, 1st on Pirates, 9th in MLB). Skenes is 41 starts into his career, and his ERA remains under two: 1.99, over 244 innings. His ERA+ is 213. It’s the best ever given a minimum career total of 41 starts. Sure, Skenes might hit rough patches and the number would go up. But he’s got a lot of room for error: second best is Kodai Senga (160 over 43 starts) and third is Jacob deGrom (157 over 235 starts).
Win average: 71.1 (Last: 69.4, 25th)
In the playoffs: 0.7% (Last: 0.6%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
First-half storyline: Thud. Our last preseason Stock Watch pegged the Orioles at 88 wins with a 65% shot at returning to the postseason. That outlook has changed.
First-half MVP: Gunnar Henderson (119 AXE, 1st on Orioles, 70th in MLB). That Henderson would top the Orioles’ AXE leaderboard is no surprise. That he would do so with a 119 mark certainly is — last season, he finished at an MVP-like 150. Henderson has trended upward after a bad April, and there’s nothing really to worry about. Still, his step back is emblematic of Baltimore’s mystifyingly lost season.
Win average: 69.7 (Last: 62.4, 28th)
In the playoffs: 0.1% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
First-half storyline: Bobbing back to the surface. There certainly was no particular reason to think the Marlins would be interesting this season, beyond what might possibly happen around the trade deadline with getting-better-fast starter Sandy Alcantara. Give the Fish and first-year manager Clayton McCullough credit, though, because the Marlins enter our July Stock Watch as one of baseball’s hottest teams. In fact, if you go to windows of “past 50 games,” Miami has split those games, better than division mates Atlanta and Washington, a game worse than the Mets and just four behind the Phillies. At the very least, you can say that despite a bad start and zero expectations, Miami has not thrown in the towel.
First-half MVP: Kyle Stowers (114 AXE, 2nd on Marlins, 108th in MLB). Stowers is behind Otto Lopez (116 AXE) for the Marlins, but we’ll give him a nod for his huge strides at the plate. The former Orioles prospect entered the season with a career slash line of .208/.268/.332 over 117 games. This season, he’s at .286/.360/.520 in 80 games, upping his homer total from six to 21 and more than doubling his RBI count. He’s not a star, but he has been a key part of a team that has been kind of fun to watch lately.
Win average: 68.3 (Last: 72.4, 24th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.7%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
First-half storyline: How long is this going to take? If you zero in on the player level, there is plenty on the Nationals’ roster you can point to as a positive sign: James Wood‘s ascension, the play of CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, the presence of touted prospects Dylan Crews and Brady House. The bottom line is that a team that hasn’t sniffed .500 since winning the 2019 championship has a winning percentage worse than what it posted in each of the past two seasons. The Nationals need to make a leap, sooner rather than later.
First-half MVP: James Wood (135 AXE, 1st on Nationals, 10th in MLB). Wood is the real deal, a hyped prospect who manifested his ability as soon as he hit the majors. He’s 165 games in at this point and owns a 144 OPS+, 30 homers, 104 RBIs and 26 steals. His power is somehow both explosive and effortless, and his plate discipline is outstanding for such a young slugger. It should only get better from here.
Win average: 65.9 (Last: 64.3, 27th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.1%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
First-half storyline: Is it the park or the pitcher? The Athletics teased us with becoming an exciting sleeper wild-card contender. Then they lapsed into a horrifying slump, a 3-24 disaster during which the staff ERA was 7.79. That would be bad in slow-pitch softball. So much for contention. The Athletics have bounced back to an extent, but their season ERA is 5.67, ahead of only the Rockies. And while Sacramento has not been a hospitable place for the pitchers, the A’s can take solace in the fact that their road ERA is also well over five. It’s just not a good pitching staff.
First-half MVP: Jacob Wilson (123 AXE, 1st on Athletics, 44th in MLB). Wilson has fallen off after an exhilarating start that had his batting average at .372 through June 8. But he’s still a gas to watch, and apparently a lot of people have because Wilson will start at shortstop for the AL in the All-Star Game. As good as Wilson has been at the plate so far in the majors, his defensive metrics have been well in the red. Which kind of makes him the bizarro version of his father, Jack.
Win average: 56.2 (Last: 58.2, 29th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
First-half storyline: Roster turnover. GM Chris Getz has been a transaction lover as a lead exec, and after the pain of the initial tear-down period, things are starting to feel downright coherent. Some of the prospects have played well in the majors, such as Chase Meidroth and Kyle Teel. The starting rotation has become above average, and that position group has a gaggle of high-upside prospects on the way. The White Sox still lose a lot of games, and the bullpen saves leader is a three-way tie with two. But things have grown considerably less dim than they were at this time last year. Granted, that’s a low bar, but it could be worse.
First-half MVP: Adrian Houser (112 AXE, 1st on White Sox, 132nd in MLB). Houser is our one first-half MVP who didn’t start the season with his team. But he has put up a 1.90 ERA over seven starts after being released by Texas in May. In doing so, he has become someone who might generate interest at the trade deadline. In that way, he’s an avatar for what the White Sox’s modus operandi is at this point: talent accumulation, in every way you can do it.
Win average: 41.8 (Last: 40.8, 30th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
First-half storyline: Historic ineptitude. We wish we could put it nicer than that, but the Rockies are on pace to win 36 games and post a run differential of minus-422. And this isn’t a team following any kind of obvious rebuilding scheme, beyond the reality that when you’re this bad, you are by definition rebuilding. Somehow, the fact that the Rockies are still drawing well at the gate makes this even worse. It’s like a Monty Python sketch.
First-half MVP: Hunter Goodman (116 AXE, 1st on Rockies, 94th in MLB). No snark needed here — Goodman has been pretty solid and, at 25, he is young enough that maybe the gains are legit. The best part of Goodman’s first half is that his numbers are actually a lot better away from Coors: .925 road OPS; .790 at home. He’s been good.
Sports
From a Cy Young winner to an All-Star closer: One player every MLB team should trade for (or away) this July
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David Schoenfield
This year’s MLB trade deadline is going to be complicated. So many teams are currently in the playoff race — only eight are more than five games out of a wild card — that it might make for a slow deadline if all those clubs remain in contention by the end of July.
One thing is clear, however: The Arizona Diamondbacks are the fulcrum of this deadline, with the ability to make it a lot more interesting if they decide to trade away their players heading into free agency — a group that includes slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez, starters Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen, .300-hitting first baseman Josh Naylor and rejuvenated closer Shelby Miller.
While there’s always a desire for ownership and the front office to go for it and not sell out a clubhouse that has worked hard to get into the playoff chase — let alone sell out the fans who have supported the team — that’s not always possible.
This past weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins was a crushing three games and decreased their playoff odds by about 11 percentage points, to under 20%. Factoring into Arizona’s ultimate thought process: Corbin Burnes is done for the season following Tommy John surgery, and with Gallen continuing to struggle with a 5.45 ERA, the rotation just hasn’t been competitive. A run to the postseason feels unlikely, and a run through October even less so.
As July kicks off, we present our annual list of one player every team should trade for (or away) before the July 31 deadline. And yes, we have the Diamondbacks saying goodbye to a number of their impending free agents. Let’s start with them.
Jump to team:
American League
ATH | BAL | BOS | CHW | CLE
DET | HOU | KC | LAA | MIN
NYY | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR
National League
ARI | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL
LAD | MIA | MIL | NYM | PHI
PIT | SD | SF | STL | WSH
Arizona Diamondbacks: Trade away Eugenio Suarez
In a deadline that lacks a marquee superstar — remember that the biggest names of the past two deadlines, Shohei Ohtani in 2023 and Garrett Crochet in 2024, weren’t traded anyway — Suarez might be the best player who gets traded. He’s having a huge power season, hitting .254/.324/.564 with 26 home runs, recently belting his 300th home run to cement his underrated career. His strikeout rate is the lowest it’s been since 2018 as he has made a concerted effort to swing a little more often early in the count. It’s paid off. The Diamondbacks also have top prospect Jordan Lawlar ready in the minors to take over at third. He’s a natural shortstop, but Geraldo Perdomo has locked down that position and Lawlar’s bat should still play at third.
There are several contenders in need of an upgrade at third base, including the Cubs and Reds, but the Tigers and Mariners might have the edge in prospect depth to make the deal. The Tigers will likely make multiple moves — no doubt, adding a bullpen arm at a minimum — and while the lineup has shown surprising depth, adding Suarez to hit between lefties Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene feels like the perfect fit while allowing Zach McKinstry to return to his utility role. Suarez would also hedge against some of the possible regression from the likes of McKinstry, Javier Baez, Gleyber Torres and Spencer Torkelson, who have performed much better than last season.
The Mariners have been playing Miles Mastrobuoni and rookie Ben Williamson at third base. They chip in an occasional single but have combined for just two home runs in over 300 at-bats. With Cal Raleigh accounting for a third of the Mariners’ home runs — granted, he has hit a lot of them — Suarez would add a much-needed cleanup hitter to bat behind Raleigh. Oh, and it would rectify the big mistake president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto made when he traded Suarez to Arizona after the 2023 season in a cost-cutting move.
Kelly is the type of pitcher who used to be called a bulldog. He battles, he’s tough, and he gets the most out of an arsenal that features a pedestrian 92 mph fastball. Every team would love to have him in its rotation and, for what it’s worth, he was excellent in the 2023 postseason for Arizona when he posted a 2.25 ERA across four starts. He had a nine-run blowup in his second outing of 2025 but is pitching better than ever since then with a 2.83 ERA and more strikeouts than innings pitched.
The Cardinals continue to exceed expectations, and Kelly’s $7 million contract would be especially attractive to them — or any team looking for a starter at an affordable rate, for that matter. As for the need: The Cardinals rank in the middle of the pack in the majors in rotation ERA, but Erick Fedde, Andre Pallante and Miles Mikolas are averaging fewer than 6.5 strikeouts per nine. (St. Louis is 26th in rotation strikeout rate.) Kelly would give them a better strikeout pitcher to go alongside Sonny Gray to head a potential playoff rotation.
The Rangers have struggled to score runs — 3.77 per game, nearly two fewer runs per game than 2023 — and while they’re looking up at the wild-card leaders, they don’t want to give up on a season where they have Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle dominating on the mound (although Mahle is out with shoulder fatigue). The Rangers rank 22nd in the majors in OPS at first base and last at DH, so even factoring in this season’s odd low-run environment at Globe Life Field, Naylor is a solution for either position, especially considering their DHs this past week included light-hitting journeyman Sam Haggerty and whichever catcher wasn’t starting.
Alcantara is signed for $17.3 million in 2026 with a $21 million team option for 2027, so even though his season stats look scary — 4-8, 6.98 ERA — the 2022 Cy Young winner still fits as a long-term option for a trade partner. More importantly, the results were at least better in June with a 4.34 ERA and .689 OPS allowed, although there are still concerns about his low swing-and-miss rate despite a fastball averaging 97.3 mph.
The Marlins don’t have to trade him, of course, and given how bad their rotation has been — only the Rockies have a worse ERA — you can argue that trading him will only open a hole they’ll have to fill for next season anyway. They just went 6-0 on their road trip, and if they play well over the next month, it becomes less likely they trade Alcantara, with the view that he’ll be a necessary part of a potentially better team in 2026. It all comes down to the prospect haul, however, and Alcantara’s recent performance might be enough to swing a deal.
The Cubs feel like the perfect match for multiple reasons. Their rotations ranks 22nd in ERA and 17th in innings, so they’re getting neither great production nor enough lengthy outings from their starters. The bullpen has held up to the stress so far with the second-best ERA in the majors, but acquiring Alcantara would add depth behind Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, the team’s only reliable starters.
A question the Cubs will have to evaluate: Alcantara has a higher-than-average ground ball rate, so will having Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner behind him help? That seems logical, but the Marlins have allowed a slightly lower average on ground balls this season than the Cubs, so it’s probably a negligible difference. The Cubs do have the better overall defense thanks to their outfield, but Alcantara has not been pitching into bad luck (indeed, his actual batting average allowed of .266 is lower than his expected average of .280).
Astros general manager Dana Brown just talked about looking for a left-handed bat to help his right-heavy lineup, but the Astros have a track record for making big pitching moves like this at the deadline: Justin Verlander in 2017, Zack Greinke in 2019 and Verlander again in 2023. The one-two punch of Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez is as good as it gets, but the rotation is currently counting on unheralded rookies Colton Gordon and Brandon Walter, who have been pleasant surprises and pounding the strike zone (a combined 68 strikeouts and seven walks in 71⅓ innings) but might be over their heads right now. With Valdez heading to free agency, Alcantara would also provide insurance if they lose Valdez in the offseason.
It’s starting to look a little desperate in Kansas City. The Royals are only 4½ games out of the third wild card, but they have six teams to climb over, Jac Caglianone has failed to ignite the offense, and they went 8-17 in June. They’ll need a major Bobby Witt Jr. heater just to get close by the trade deadline. The emergence of Kris Bubic as a likely All-Star pitcher plus rookie Noah Cameron give the Royals some rotation depth to deal from, and Lugo remains an extremely attractive trade option, as he’s signed through at least next year (he owns a player option for 2027) and has a 2.74 ERA in 2025. Aside from Caglianone, the Royals’ system lacks impact hitters in the upper minors. Trading Lugo gives them the chance to help their offense for the future.
It’s hard to believe the Dodgers might need another starting pitcher after all the money they’ve invested in their rotation, but we still don’t know the seasonlong prognosis for Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, although Glasnow has at least started a rehab assignment in Triple-A. The one thing we do know is the Dodgers have a system loaded with hitting prospects that might make them the team most capable of making this trade — if they want to do it.
The Blue Jays are currently in the second wild-card spot, despite a scuffling rotation that ranks 26th in ERA. They did just get Max Scherzer back, but there’s no way of knowing what he’ll bring, plus Chris Bassitt and Scherzer will be free agents — so they’ll be looking for pitching help in the offseason anyway. Lugo’s contract is a more attractive option than gambling on a high-level free agent, even if it costs a team some good prospects.
The Guardians were 31-26 at the end of May even though they had been outscored by 18 runs, but June was a rough go, with a 9-16 record and minus-29 run differential, dropping them under .500. Clase is signed through 2028, with his salary topping out at $10 million the final two years, making him a bargain for an elite closer.
Is he still elite, though? He’s allowing a .289 average after batters hit just .154 against him in 2024, and while his location was certainly off a bit in April, he also had a lot of BABIP bad luck. His ground ball rate is significantly down from where it once was (as high as 68% in 2021, down to 45% this season), but he has still surrendered just one home run. The Cleveland bullpen hasn’t been as dominant as last season but it’s still deep, and Cade Smith has been their best reliever, so he’s ready to take over as the closer. Given the potential return for Clase — and hedging against the possibility that he could be on the decline — this might be the best chance for the Guardians to get a big haul for him.
When I flipped on the Phillies-Braves game Saturday, the score was 1-1 in the seventh inning with the bases loaded as Philly’s Jordan Romano pitched to Atlanta’s Sean Murphy. The broadcast flashed a graphic showing the Braves were the only team without a grand slam this season. First pitch: Boom. The Phillies need bullpen help and they need to win now. This has all the markings of a Dave Dombrowski deal.
The Orioles went 16-11 in June and are playing a little better, so there might be some hope … OK, sorry, Orioles fans. You’re still seven games out of the final wild-card spot with playoff odds hovering below 4%. A playoff run is unlikely given their rotation, and with up to 11 impending free agents after this season, if you count the three players on club options, general manager Mike Elias could make a slew of deals to add prospect depth to the organization. It’s not the way the Orioles expected the season to go, but this is the rare case where punting on the year makes sense.
O’Hearn is probably the best of the group. They got O’Hearn from the Royals and milked three excellent seasons out of him as a platoon DH/1B/RF, and with so many teams starving for offense, his ability to hit right-handers (.312/.398/.518) makes him one of the best bats available.
You could find a half-dozen teams where O’Hearn fits, but let’s go with the Giants, who rank last in the majors in OPS at first base, with an average below .200 and just five home runs. They also rank in the bottom third of the majors in OPS versus right-handed pitching, so adding O’Hearn on top of Rafael Devers would give San Francisco a second middle-of-the-order lefty bat. President of baseball operations Buster Posey has already shown his cards with the Devers deal: He’s all-in, so no time to stop now.
The Braves beat the Mets in five out of seven games in June to spark some comeback talk, but they remain eight games under .500, one of five NL teams that are more than five games out of the final wild card. There’s still time, and FanGraphs gives them 23% playoff odds, but the offense actually had its worst month of the season in June. It’s hard to wave the white flag with Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider leading the rotation and Ronald Acuna Jr. red-hot since his return, but the Braves will need a huge July in order to be contenders. If they don’t get that, Ozuna is the logical trade candidate, as he heads into free agency and has a .369 OBP (although he had a miserable June with a .550 OPS and just two home runs).
The Padres have used their DH slot to give Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and others an occasional day off from the field, but it hasn’t worked, with the Padres ranking near the bottom of MLB in OPS at DH. Ozuna’s June slump is a concern, but his OBP would be the best on the team and help boost an offense that ranks in the bottom third in the NL in runs per game.
That got very Mets-like in a hurry. The Mets have gone 3-14 since June 13, which includes an embarrassing three-game sweep to the Pirates this past weekend when they were outscored 30-4. It prompted owner Steve Cohen to post, “Tough stretch, no sugarcoating it. I didn’t see it coming.” Didn’t see it coming? These are the Mets! Something always happens.
The Mets should get some of their injured starters back soon, and while the lineup has some soft spots, it doesn’t have any must-need upgrades — center field and catcher are their weakest spots, but Tyrone Taylor is an excellent defender and … well, good luck at catcher. So that leaves the bullpen, which is strong in the ninth inning with Edwin Diaz but a little shaky elsewhere, especially as manager Carlos Mendoza ran Huascar Brazoban into the ground. New York should think big here. Bautista has two more years of team control on a low salary, so Baltimore could get a lot in return — and the Mets happen to be deep in starting pitching prospects, which is exactly what the Orioles need.
Bednar is a two-time All-Star closer who struggled in 2024 (5.77 ERA) and then lost two games and blew a save in his first three outings of 2025, but he has been rolling since then with a 1.95 ERA and — most impressively — a 37.4% strikeout rate as his curveball/splitter combo are once again wipeout pitches. He’s making $5.9 million this year and is under team control for another season, but the Pirates aren’t going anywhere in the standings anytime soon and have a closer-in-waiting in Dennis Santana.
After a mediocre first month, the Rays have been as good as any team in baseball since May 1: 33-21, tied for the third-best record (just one fewer win than the Tigers and two fewer than the Astros) and with the best run differential at plus-61. Only the Dodgers have scored more runs since May 1, and while the Rays are getting a slight offensive boost from Steinbrenner Field, pitching looks like the way to go at the deadline The rotation has been homer-prone — again, related to Steinbrenner Field — but the bullpen has lacked its usual depth and ranks 23rd in win probability added. Adding Bednar — the salary shouldn’t be too steep, even for the Rays — and moving Pete Fairbanks into the setup role works.
Some people dislike going to the dentist or detest boiled eggs or loathe oatmeal raisin cookies. The Rockies? They hate to make trades. And they especially are not fans of trading homegrown players like McMahon. But it’s time. He isn’t having his best season at .219/.321/.392, numbers that look even worse when factoring in Coors Field, but he’s one of the best defensive third basemen in the game and there are some things to like in his metrics, including an 89th percentile walk rate and 83rd percentile bat speed. He’s signed through 2027 at a reasonable $16 million each of the next two seasons, given his high floor as a plus defender with 20-homer output.
The Reds should absolutely be looking to add — and third base has been a black hole all season, with Reds third basemen ranking near the bottom of the majors in OPS. They released Jeimer Candelario, even though he’s under contract for $16 million this year and another $16 million in 2026, but the ongoing roulette spin to see who starts from Santiago Espinal, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Gavin Lux isn’t a solution. The Reds also have a couple of third-base prospects in Sal Stewart and Cam Collier that they could offer in return. It’s just a matter of them absorbing more salary on top of Candelario’s sunken cost.
The Twins are another team that will need a good July to determine their trading fate. However, other than the 13-game winning streak in early May, they haven’t been that good — and they went 9-18 in June as their pitching got absolutely destroyed (worst ERA in the majors). That doesn’t bode well for the second half. Castro is heading to free agency and has value as someone who can play anywhere; he has started games at three infield positions, both outfield corners and played regularly in center field last season. His OPS+ is above average for the third straight season, so he’ll provide some solid offense as well.
OK, this wouldn’t be the most dramatic of moves for the Yankees, and they could certainly be in the mix for Eugenio Suarez. (Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been playing third of late but would slide over to second.) They don’t really have any glaring holes, at least if Marcus Stroman can plug the back of the rotation, but their offense has been gradually sliding: .829 OPS in April, .792 in May, .719 in June. Castro’s versatility is key: He could play third or he could play the outfield. With Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt tailing off from their hot starts, Castro and Cody Bellinger would give manager Aaron Boone all kinds of lineup flexibility if those two continue to struggle.
The Angels are surprisingly — shockingly? — hanging around .500. They’re hitting .229 as a team with an OBP under .300 and they rank in the bottom half of the majors in rotation ERA and bullpen win probability added. In other words, they’re not especially good at anything. Yet here they are, although they’ll have to do it without manager Ron Washington, who is on medical leave the rest of the season. They could go in any direction, but rotation help probably makes the most sense. Baltimore’s Morton is a free agent after this season, and while the 41-year-old looked ready for retirement after an awful first six weeks, he has a 2.90 ERA over his past six starts.
There has been speculation that the Brewers might be willing to trade Freddy Peralta, similar to when they traded Josh Hader in 2022 when they were in the playoff race and Hader had a year-plus left of team control. That move backfired when the Brewers missed the playoffs, the only year they didn’t make it between 2018 and 2024. Trading Peralta might be an ever bigger on-field and PR disaster — and we can’t advocate trading your best pitcher. Instead, we have the Brewers adding. Given their budget, it probably won’t be a big move for a big contract, so Miller and his $1 million salary is the logical help for a bullpen that ranks in the bottom third of the majors in ERA.
Let’s see … since trading Rafael Devers, the Red Sox have gone 6-8. Maybe they won’t be better the rest of the season without him. They could look to add a starting pitcher if they think they’ll remain in contention or go crazy on top of the Devers trade and deal one of their outfielders (Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu) with fellow outfielder Roman Anthony now in the majors. Or maybe they even see what they can get for Alex Bregman, who can opt out of his contract after the season but has said he’s open to extension talks.
The less exciting route: trading Buehler, if anyone wants him. He’s 5-6 with a 6.45 ERA, after going 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA last season with the Dodgers. He did have two good — albeit short — starts in the postseason for L.A., so that’s what a team would be trading for, banking on big-game Buehler delivering some clutch performances. Some team might take the chance, although the Red Sox might have to eat some of his remaining salary.
Since the first day of spring training, Luis Robert Jr.’s name has rightfully been at the top of Chicago’s potential trade list, but it’s probably time to close the door on that option. He has been even worse than last season, hitting .185/.270/.313, and just landed on the injured list with a hamstring strain. His defense metrics remain strong, so a team desperate for a center fielder might take a chance if the hammy heals quickly, but the White Sox won’t want to give him away with his trade value at rock bottom.
The better move is to trade Houser — and the sooner the better, to cash in on his hot run. He’s 3-2 with a 1.91 ERA and 2.2 WAR in seven starts. The 32-year-old is throwing both his curveball and changeup about twice as often as in the past, so maybe there is some real improvement going on, but his strikeout rate remains low at 18.1% and he had a 5.03 ERA in Triple-A with the Rangers before the White Sox picked him up. Most teams need pitching depth and Houser could be a serviceable back-end starter or swingman — and maybe even something better.
The Nationals have several players heading to free agency that they might look to deal, including closer Kyle Finnegan and utility man Amed Rosario, although none will bring back a huge return. Soroka might be the most enticing to other teams. He has been starting for the Nationals and his 4.70 ERA in 11 games doesn’t impress, but he ranks in the 76th percentile in strikeout rate and 79th percentile in walk rate while holding batters to a .210 average. He might be a better fit as a reliever. Last season with the White Sox he fanned 60 in 36 innings out of the bullpen, so you could see a team trading for him and making him a key part of its bullpen.
The A’s don’t really have much to deal, although there will be the prerequisite Mason Miller rumors. Luis Severino was perhaps a possibility, but he has been roughed up in four of his past six starts (.932 OPS in June with 31 runs allowed in 32⅔ innings), so his trade value has plummeted, especially considering his contract has another two years. So that leaves … Urias? He’s a journeyman at this point, one who has been playing second base regularly of late, can play some third and will slug the occasional home run. He fits best as a bench player for a contender.
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