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We’ve made it past the NHL’s quarter mark, and as we turn our calendars over to the final month of the 2023 calendar year, there are a great many fantastic matchups to watch before the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. Whether it’s playoff-bound juggernauts facing off for the first time this season or fans getting to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar jersey, there is something special in store for all 32 clubs.

For this week’s edition of the Power Rankings — which feature a new team at No. 1! — we’ve identified the most interesting game (or games) on the December slate for each team.

How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors each send in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Nov. 24. Points percentages are through the games of Nov. 30.

Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 78.57%
Next seven days: @ NSH (Dec. 2), vs. SJ (Dec. 3), @ OTT (Dec. 5)

Game of the month: Dec. 22 vs. Edmonton. Sure, there’s another matchup against the Bruins this month, but stars shine brighter on Broadway, so we’re anxious to see what Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl & Co. have in store for their matchup at Madison Square Garden this season.


Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 75.00%
Next seven days: @ TOR (Dec. 2), vs. CBJ (Dec. 3), vs. BUF (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 16 vs. New York Rangers. Round 1 between these two Eastern powers went to the Blueshirts, 7-4, last weekend. Who takes Round 2, with the setting changed to TD Garden?


Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 70.83%
Next seven days: vs. WSH (Dec. 2), vs. STL (Dec. 4), @ STL (Dec. 6)

Game of the month: Dec. 23 at Florida. As the reigning champs, the Knights have been getting every opponent’s best effort in every game. But there’s something different about a matchup against the team you defeated in the Cup Final. Expect some fire in this one.


Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 72.50%
Next seven days: vs. COL (Dec. 3), @ CBJ (Dec. 5), @ MTL (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 30 vs. Edmonton. The past two Kings seasons have concluded thanks to playoff series losses to the Oilers. So while the ultimate goal of advancing farther than the first round won’t be achieved until the spring, L.A. can get some small amount of revenge here in this one — and perhaps do a very small part in keeping Edmonton out of the playoff field by denying them points on this night.


Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 70.45%
Next seven days: @ ANA (Dec. 2), @ LA (Dec. 3), vs. ANA (Dec. 5), vs. WPG (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 9 vs. Philadelphia. Three teams at the 2017 NHL draft decided that they’d rather have a player not named Cale Makar in their system. The Devils (who selected Nico Hischier No. 1) and Stars (who took Miro Heiskanen No. 3) are clearly happy with their choices. The same can’t be said about the Flyers, who took Nolan Patrick No. 2; Patrick played in 197 games for the Flyers, totalling 70 points, prior to a trade to Vegas. Makar doesn’t seem like the vindictive type, but maybe there’s some extra motivation for him here. (Hey, it’s not exactly the most thrilling December schedule for the Avs.)


Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 64.58%
Next seven days: @ CGY (Dec. 2), vs. NJ (Dec. 5), vs. MIN (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 14 vs. Florida. In a preview of a potential Cup Final that would delight hockey writers and terrify those who pay for their travel expenses, this one will also feature two of the brightest young American stars in the sport in Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.


Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 69.05%
Next seven days: vs. TB (Dec. 2), @ TB (Dec. 4), @ FLA (Dec. 6), @ WSH (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 9 vs. Vegas. The first two rounds of the 2023 Western Conference finals rematch series needed extra time, with the Knights coming out on top 3-2 in a shootout on Oct. 17 and in overtime on Nov. 22. Will this be another close one between two top-flight Cup contenders?


Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 65.22%
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Dec. 2), vs. DAL (Dec. 6)

Game of the month: Dec. 27 at Tampa Bay. Sure, the Panthers will play their two Cup Final rematches against the Golden Knights in a 13-day span (Dec. 23 and Jan. 4), but we have to give the honor for “most interesting game of the month” to the first of three Battle of Florida matchups for this regular season.


Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 61.36%
Next seven days: vs. BUF (Dec. 2), WPG (Dec. 4), @ EDM (Dec. 6), @ CGY (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 19 vs. Vegas. The Canes don’t play the Rangers this month — the team they’re currently chasing for the Metro Division lead — so we’ll pick this matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champs. In the past few years, a growing number of people have been picking Sebastian Aho & Co. as their preseason Cup prediction so this is a good barometer for how close they really are.


Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 59.09%
Next seven days: vs. CHI (Dec. 2), vs. CAR (Dec. 4), @ COL (Dec. 7)

Games of the month: Dec. 13 at Los Angeles. It’s a reunion for the Jets with former teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois, who the team traded to the Kings this summer. PLD and his new team took Round 1 of the season series back on Oct. 17; who wins this time?


Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 64.29%
Next seven days: vs. BOS (Dec. 2), @ OTT (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 9 vs. Nashville. The prodigal Ryan O’Reilly returns! After a brief sojourn with the Leafs at the tail end of 2022-23 and into the postseason, the veteran pivot (and Clinton, Ontario native) moved back down South on a four-year deal. What kind of reception will he get for this one?


Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 61.36%
Next seven days: @ MTL (Dec. 2), @ BUF (Dec. 5), vs. SJ (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 5 at Buffalo (or maybe Dec. 7 vs. San Jose?). The Patrick Kane signing was the most anticipated in-season piece of business remaining (until we get to trade season once the calendar flips). Now that the contract is signed, when will we see No. 88 in action? Early buzz is that it’ll be that game in his hometown of Buffalo, but that just makes the Sharks game his home debut.


Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 52.08%
Next seven days: @ DAL (Dec. 2), vs. DAL (Dec. 4), vs. PIT (Dec. 6), @ NSH (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 31 vs. Montreal. A rematch of the fever dream that was the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, a second straight Cup for the Lightning in pandemic-influenced circumstances. Oh, and also a superb “destination game” for the Canadian snowbirds out there.


Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 65.00%
Next seven days: @ VGK (Dec. 2), @ ARI (Dec. 4), vs. DAL (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 23 vs. Tampa Bay. Due to the Capitals playing in the Southeast Division prior to the latest NHL realignment, the team against whom Alex Ovechkin has scored the most career goals is the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets. But No. 2 on the list (for a similar reason) is the Lightning! And while 2023-24 Ovi has been well behind his usual goal-scoring pace, perhaps this will be the game where he gets back on track in his quest to topple Wayne Gretzky’s record.


Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 50.00%
Next seven days: vs. NYR (Dec. 2), @ BUF (Dec. 3), @ CHI (Dec. 5), vs. TB (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 23 vs. Stars. Matt Duchene scored 197 points in 249 games for the Predators between 2019-20 and 2022-23 prior to being bought out by the team this past summer. The Stars moved in to quickly sign the 2009 No. 3 pick, and he’s been a key contributor for them this season. What kind of reaction will he get from the Smashville faithful in his first game back?


Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 56.82%
Next seven days: @ ARI (Dec. 2), @ VGK (Dec. 4), vs. VGK (Dec. 6)

Games of the month: Dec. 4 at Vegas, Dec. 6 vs. Vegas. With the Blues among the clubs in playoff position as the calendar turns to December, many hockey fans are wondering: Is this team for real? A home-and-home against the defending Cup champs will tell us all quite a bit about just how serious to take St. Louis.


Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 52.17%
Next seven days: @ PIT (Dec. 2), vs. PIT (Dec. 4), @ ARI (Dec. 7)

Games of the month: Dec. 2 at Pittsburgh, Dec. 4 vs. Pittsburgh. One of the surprises of the season is that as of Dec. 1, the Flyers are ahead of the Penguins in the standings. Philly can make a statement with this home-and-home mini-series against their rivals.

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Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 54.76%
Next seven days: vs. SJ (Dec. 1), @ VAN (Dec. 5), @ SEA (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 5 at Vancouver. With recent news that the NHL and NHLPA are looking to resurrect the hockey World Cup (or whatever you want to call an international tournament with four teams), and the belief that NHL players will participate in the 2026 Olympics, some American fans are extra excited to see all three Hughes brothers compete for Team USA. But before any of that, the first family of American hockey will have a milestone on this night, as Jack and Luke visit big brother Quinn, with this being the first NHL game the trio will play against each other. (The return match is Jan. 6 in Newark.)


Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 54.55%
Next seven days: vs. STL (Dec. 2), vs. WSH (Dec. 4), vs. PHI (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 12 at Pittsburgh. Logan Cooley is off to a strong start in his rookie campaign, and is certainly a building block for the Zona Yotes as they push back towards contention. He’s also a Pittsburgh native, who started his hockey journey as a “Little Penguin” — the youth hockey program started by Sidney Crosby. This will be Cooley’s first NHL game back home against Crosby & Co.


Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 52.27%
Next seven days: vs. PHI (Dec. 2), @ PHI (Dec. 4), @ TB (Dec. 6)

Game of the month: Dec. 18 vs. Minnesota. Sure, there are a number of critical matchups against fellow playoff hopefuls on the docket this month, but we’d be remiss not to circle this matchup, which — pending the whims of new head coach John Hynes — will see Marc-Andre Fleury patrolling the creases on Pittsburgh ice.


Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 47.83%
Next seven days: @ CAR (Dec. 2), vs. NSH (Dec. 3), vs. DET (Dec. 5), @ BOS (Dec. 7)

Games of the month: Dec. 5 vs. Detroit, Dec. 31 at Ottawa. All games count equally in the standings, but with the Sabres being grouped with the Senators and Red Wings in the “Atlantic Risers” trio, these games serve as a measuring stick for which team is closest to contention. Buffalo has gone 1-0 against Ottawa this season, but has yet to play Detroit. Oh and we almost forgot: The Dec. 5 game could be the Red Wings debut for Buffalo native Patrick Kane.


Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 54.55%
Next seven days: @ FLA (Dec. 2), vs. SJ (Dec. 5), vs. CBJ (Dec. 7)

Games of the month: Dec. 27 vs. Pittsburgh, Dec. 31 at Pittsburgh. No games against their rival Rangers or Devils this month, so we’ll go with a pair against a team looking to oust them from a spot among the playoff contenders.


Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 50.00%
Next seven days: vs. VAN (Dec. 2), vs. MIN (Dec. 5), vs. CAR (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 18 vs. Florida. While there may be some heat for the Flames’ Dec. 9 matchup hosting Tyler Toffoli and his new team, the Devils, we’d bet there will be a bit more interest for a different Eastern visitor later in the month, which counts a more prominent former Flame among its claw (yes, that’s what a group of panthers is called). Matthew Tkachuk got a standing ovation in last season’s visit, and while we wouldn’t expect that again, there are sure to be a good number of No. 19 sweaters in the crowd.


Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 43.18%
Next seven days: vs. CAR (Dec. 6)

Game of the month: Dec. 6 vs. Carolina. The Oilers have had a well-documented tumultuous season. A fire was apparently lit recently, as they ran roughshod over the Caps and Ducks to a combined score of 13-2, followed by a thrilling shootout win over the Golden Knights. This coming Wednesday, they’ll take on another team that was among the top preseason Cup favorites, which will be a true test of whether they’ve really turned a corner.


Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 47.83%
Next seven days: vs. DET (Dec. 2), vs. SEA (Dec. 4), vs. LA (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 2 vs. Detroit. After years of serious Stanley Cup contention, the Red Wings chose to lean into a rebuild, a process which is nearing its end as they sit in playoff position right now. The Canadiens haven’t had as much success this century (notwithstanding their Cup Final run in the bizarro 2021 playoffs), and are a season or so behind the Wings in their rebuild process. So perhaps this is a glimpse of the future for Habs fans. If nothing else, it’ll be a showcase of two of the most iconic uniforms in sports.


Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 45.83%
Next seven days: @ OTT (Dec. 2), @ MTL (Dec. 4), vs. NJ (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 18 at Dallas. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Stars outlasted the Kraken in the second round of the 2023 playoffs. While the Stars look like they haven’t missed a step, the Kraken have yet to find that next gear that made them so dangerous last spring.


Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 47.06%
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Dec. 1), vs. SEA (Dec. 2), vs. NYR (Dec. 5), vs. TOR (Dec. 7)

Games of the month: Dec. 7 vs. Toronto, Dec. 27 at Toronto. In order to get back on track towards a playoff spot, the Sens are going to have to jump over a lot of teams. But one of them is their Ontarian rivals, a team they beat 6-3 back on Nov. 8.


Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 39.13%
Next seven days: vs. COL (Dec. 2), @ COL (Dec. 5), @ CHI (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 29 vs. Arizona. Despite a rough run lately, the Ducks should be encouraged by the progress of their new wave of young talent (aside from Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, both currently on IR). This game pits them against another Western riser (albeit one who may also need another year of seasoning before they truly contend for the playoffs).


Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 37.50%
Next seven days: vs. OTT (Dec. 1), @ BOS (Dec. 3), vs. LA (Dec. 5), @ NYI (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 1 vs. Ottawa. Is it too early to start projecting out the draft lottery odds for 2024? There have been better seasons in the history of these two franchises — and frankly, there is a lot of talent on both rosters. Nevertheless, these are your bottom two in the Eastern Conference entering this clash (to be fair, the Sharks, Blackhawks and Wild are behind both of them).


Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 42.86%
Next seven days: vs. CHI (Dec. 3), @ CGY (Dec. 5), @ VAN (Dec. 7)

Games of the month: Dec. 30 at Winnipeg, Dec. 31 vs. Winnipeg. Much has gone sideways for the Wild this season, eventually leading to the dismissal of head coach Dean Evason this week. While we await the full scale of the after-effects of that move, Wild fans can look forward to a back-to-back, home-and-home series against one of their closest geographic rivals to close out the calendar year.


Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 33.33%
Next seven days: @ WPG (Dec. 2), @ MIN (Dec. 3), vs. NSH (Dec. 5), vs. ANA (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 17 vs. Vancouver. Phenom Connor Bedard grew up a Canucks fan in North Vancouver, and while he won’t get to play against them at Rogers Arena until Jan. 22, he will get to skate against this season’s surprise juggernaut in front of his team’s crowd this month.


Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 26.09%
Next seven days: @ NJ (Dec. 1), @ NYR (Dec. 3), @ NYI (Dec. 5), @ DET (Dec. 7)

Game of the month: Dec. 10 at Vegas. There was a time when Sharks-Knights games featured two teams getting extra feisty with each other, battling for position near the top of the standings, or in playoff series. Times have changed, and these two clubs are on quite divergent paths now. But hey, the Sharks did pull off a win against the Canucks last week, so maybe they have more magic up their sleeves for this one (or at least more than was on display in the 4-1 and 5-0 losses to Vegas earlier this season).

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Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

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Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.

Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.

The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.

If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.

Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.

“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”

Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.

“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”

Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.

The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.

“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”

The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.

Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.

The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”

Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.

Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.

San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.

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Midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams: ‘A’ is for Astros, ‘F’ is for …?

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Midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams: 'A' is for Astros, 'F' is for ...?

We’re past due to hand out some midseason grades, so let’s hand out some midseason grades.

As we pass the 90-game mark in the 2025 MLB season, my team of the first half isn’t the well-rounded Detroit Tigers, who do get our highest grade for owning MLB’s best record, or the explosive Chicago Cubs or Shohei Ohtani‘s Los Angeles Dodgers, but a team most baseball fans love to hate: the Houston Astros. They lost their two best players from last season and their best hitter has been injured — and they’re playing their best baseball since they won the 2022 World Series.

Let’s get to the grades. As always, we’re grading off preseason expectations, factoring in win-loss record and quality of performance, while looking at other positive performances and injuries.

Jump to a team:

AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
AL West: ATH | HOU | LAA | SEA | TEX

NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF

Tarik Skubal is obviously the headline act, but the Tigers are winning with impressive depth across the entire roster.

Javier Baez is putting together a remarkable comeback season after a couple of abysmal years and will become the first player to start an All-Star Game at both shortstop and in the outfield. Former No. 1 overall picks Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson have put together their own comeback stories, while Riley Greene has matured into one of the game’s top power hitters.

Given their deep well of prospects and contributors at the MLB level, no team is better positioned than the Tigers to add significant help at the trade deadline.


I heard someone refer to them as the Zombie Astros, which feels apropos. Alex Bregman left as a free agent, they traded Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez has been injured and has just three home runs, and the Jose Altuve experiment in left field predictably fizzled.

But here they are, fighting for the best record in the majors and holding a comfortable lead in the AL West. They’re getting star turns from Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and Jeremy Pena, while the risky decision to start Cam Smith in the majors with very little minor league experience has paid off, as he has now become their cleanup hitter.

If we ignore the COVID-19 season, the Astros look on their way to an eighth straight division title.


This could be at least a half-grade higher based on everything that has gone right: Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s attention-grabbing breakout, Tucker doing everything expected after the big trade, Seiya Suzuki‘s monster power numbers and Matthew Boyd‘s All-Star turn in the rotation. The Cubs are on pace for their most wins since their World Series title season in 2016.

There have been a few hiccups, however, especially in the rotation with Justin Steele‘s season-ending injury and Ben Brown‘s inconsistency, plus rookie third baseman Matt Shaw has scuffled, and the bench has been weak aside from their backup catchers.

Still, this is a powerhouse lineup, and the Cubs will seek to improve their rotation at the deadline.


They just keep winning of late, going from 25-27 and seven games behind the Yankees on May 25 to taking over first place from the slumping Bronx Bombers, a remarkable turnaround over just 36 games. They went 27-9 over a 36-game stretch ending with their eighth win in a row on Sunday.

George Springer‘s recent surge has been fun to watch, a reminder of how good he was at his peak, and Addison Barger has been mashing over the past two months.

Some of the stats don’t add up to the Blue Jays being this good — they’ve barely outscored their opponents — but there might be more offense in the tank from the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a healthy Anthony Santander, and the bullpen, a soft spot, is the easiest area to upgrade.


Their success is best summed up by the fact that Freddy Peralta is their lone All-Star, but they have a whole bunch of players who have contributed between 1 and 2 WAR.

Brandon Woodruff looked good Sunday in his first start in nearly two years, so that could be a huge boost for the second half.

I’m curious to see how Jackson Chourio performs as well. While his counting stats — extra-base hits, RBIs — are fine, his triple-slash line remains below last season, especially his OBP. He had a huge second half in 2024 (.310/.363/.552), and if he does that again, the Brewers could find themselves back in the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons.


The Rays started off slow, with a losing record through the end of April, but then went 33-22 in May and June to claw back into the AL East race — as the Rays usually do, last year being the recent exception.

Two key performers have been All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero, who has a chance to become just the third player to hit 40 home runs in his age-21 season, and All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda.

Due to the league wanting the Rays to play more home games early in the season, the July and August slate will be very road-heavy, so we’ll see how the Rays adapt to a difficult two-month stretch, especially since their pitching isn’t quite as deep as it has been in other seasons.


No, they’re not going to be the greatest team of all time. But they might win 100 games — even though Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, their huge offseason acquisitions, have combined for just two wins in 10 starts.

The lineup, of course, has been terrific, with Ohtani leading the NL in several categories and Will Smith leading the batting race. By wRC+, it’s been the best offense in Dodgers history.

If they can get some combo of Snell, Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow healthy, plus Ohtani eventually ramped up to a bigger workload on the mound, the Dodgers still loom as World Series favorites.


They are on pace for 95 wins, mainly on the strength of Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez, who are a combined 23-7 with 11.8 WAR. Jesus Luzardo‘s ERA is bloated due to that two-start stretch when he allowed 20 runs, but he has otherwise been solid as well.

But, overall, it hasn’t always been the smoothest of treks. The bullpen has imploded a few times and the offense has lacked power aside from Kyle Schwarber. Bryce Harper is back after missing three weeks, and they need to get his bat going. Look for some bullpen additions at the trade deadline — and perhaps an outfielder as well.


The Cardinals have been a minor surprise — perhaps even to the Cardinals themselves. St. Louis was viewing this as a rebuilding year of sorts — not that the Cardinals ever hit rock bottom and start completely over. They had a hot May, winning 12 of 13 at one point, but the offense has been fading of late, with those three straight shutout losses to Pittsburgh and six shutout losses since June 25.

The starting rotation doesn’t generate a lot of swing and miss, with both Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas seeing their ERAs starting to climb. Brendan Donovan is the team’s only All-Star rep, and that kind of sums up this team: solid but without any star power. That might foretell a second-half fade.


All-Star starting pitchers Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, plus a dominant bullpen, have led the way, although after starting 12-4, the Giants have basically been a .500 team for close to three months now. Rafael Devers hasn’t yet ignited the offense since coming over from Boston, and the Giants have lost four 1-0 games.

These final three games at home against the Dodgers before the All-Star break will be a crucial series, as Los Angeles has slowly pulled away in the NL West.


This was an “A-plus” through June 12, when the Mets were 45-24 and owned the best record in baseball, even though Juan Soto hadn’t gotten hot. Soto finally got going in June, but the pitching collapsed, and the Mets went through a disastrous 1-10 stretch.

The rotation injuries have piled up, exacerbating the lack of bullpen depth. Recent games have been started by Justin Hagenman (who had a 6.21 ERA in Triple-A), journeyman reliever Chris Devenski, Paul Blackburn (7.71 ERA) and Frankie Montas, who has had to start even though he’s clearly not throwing the ball well. The Mets need to get the rotation healthy, but also could use more offense from Mark Vientos and their catchers (Francisco Alvarez was demoted to Triple-A).


At times it has felt like Cal Raleigh has been a one-man team with his record-breaking first half. But he will be joined on the All-Star squad by starting pitcher Bryan Woo, closer Andres Munoz and center fielder Julio Rodriguez, who made it on the strength of his defense, as his offense has been a disappointment.

The offense has been one of the best in the majors on the road, but the rotation has been nowhere near as effective as the past couple of seasons, with George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller all missing time with injuries. They just shut out the Pirates three games in a row, so maybe that will get the rotation on a roll.


They’re just out of the wild-card picture while hanging around .500, so we give them a decent grade since that exceeds preseason expectations. It feels like a little bit of a mirage given their run differential — their record in one-run games (good) versus their record in blowout games (not good) — and various holes across the lineup and pitching staff.

But they’ve done two things to keep them in the race. One, they hit a lot of home runs. Two, they’re the only team in the majors to use just five starting pitchers. The rotation hasn’t been stellar, but it’s been stable.


The Padres are probably fortunate to be where they are, given some of their issues. As expected, the offensive depth has been a problem.

Not as expected, Dylan Cease has struggled while Michael King‘s injury after a strong start has left them without last year’s dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation (although Nick Pivetta has been one of the best signings of the offseason). Yu Darvish just made his season debut Monday, so hopefully he’ll provide a lift.

The Padres haven’t played well against the better teams, including a 2-5 record against the Dodgers, but they did clean up against the Athletics, Rockies and Pirates, going 16-2 against those three teams.


For now, the Reds are stuck in neutral. Leave out 2022, when they lost 100 games, and it’s otherwise been a string of .500-ish seasons: 31-29 in 2020, 83-79 in 2021, 82-80 in 2023, 77-85 in 2024 and now a similar record so far in 2025.

The hope was that Terry Francona would be a difference-maker. Maybe that will play out down the stretch, but the best hope is to get the rotation clicking on all cylinders at the same time. That means Andrew Abbott continuing his breakout performance, plus getting Hunter Greene healthy again and rookie Chase Burns to live up to the hype after a couple of shaky outings following an impressive MLB debut.

Throw in Nick Lodolo and solid Nick Martinez and Brady Singer, and this group can be good enough to pitch the Reds to their first full-season playoff appearance since 2013.


The Yankees have hit their annual midseason swoon — which has been subject to much intense analysis from their disgruntled fans — and that opening weekend sweep of the Brewers, when the Yankees’ torpedo bats were the big story in baseball, now seems long ago.

Going from seven up to three back in such a short time is a disaster — but not disastrous. Nonetheless, the Yankees will have to do some hard-core self-evaluation heading to the trade deadline.

The offense wasn’t going to be as good as it was in April, when Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice were all playing over their heads. So, do they need a hitter? Or with Clarke Schmidt now likely joining Gerrit Cole as a Tommy John casualty, do they need a starting pitcher? Or both?


From the book of “things we didn’t expect,” page 547: The Marlins are averaging more runs per game than the Orioles, Padres, Braves and Rangers, to name a few teams. They’re averaging almost as many runs per game as the Mets, and last time we checked, the Marlins weren’t the team to give Soto $765 million.

An eight-game winning streak at the end of June has the Marlins going toe-to-toe with the Braves for third place in the NL East even though the starting rotation has been a mess, with Sandy Alcantara on track to become just the fourth qualified pitcher with an ERA over 7.00.


Heading into the season, I thought that if any team was going to challenge the Dodgers in the NL West, it would be the Diamondbacks. The offense has once again been one of the best in the majors, but the pitching issues have been painful.

After the aggressive move to sign Corbin Burnes, he went down with Tommy John surgery after 11 starts. Meanwhile, Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt each have an ERA on the wrong side of 5.00. Rodriguez was better in June before a shellacking on July 4, while Gallen remains homer-prone, so it’s hard to tell if improvement is on the horizon. Their playoff odds are hovering just under 20%, so there’s a chance, but they need to get red-hot like they did last July and August.


It feels like it has been more soap opera than baseball season in Boston, with the Devers drama finally ending with the shocking trade with the Giants.

If you give added weight that this is the Red Sox, a team that should be operating with the big boys in both budget and aspirations and instead seemed to only want to dump Devers’ contract, then feel free to lower this grade a couple of notches, even if the Red Sox are close in the wild-card standings.

On the field, the heralded rookie trio of Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer hasn’t exactly clicked, with Campbell returning to the minors after posting a .902 OPS in April. A big test will come out of the All-Star break, when they play the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Twins and Astros in a tough 15-game stretch.


After last season’s surprise playoff appearance, it’s been a frustrating 2025 — although I’m not sure this result is necessarily a surprise.

There were concerns about the offense heading into the season and those concerns have proven correct. They were getting no production from their outfield, so they rushed Jac Caglianone to the majors to much hype, but he has struggled and might need a reset back in Triple-A. Even Bobby Witt Jr., as good as he has been (on pace for 7.5 WAR), has seen his OPS drop 140 points.

On the bright side, Kris Bubic emerged as an All-Star starter and Noah Cameron has filled in nicely for the injured Cole Ragans, so maybe they trade a starter for some offense.


Coming off a catastrophic 2024 season, nobody was expecting anything from the White Sox. Indeed, another 121-loss season loomed as a possibility. While they’re on pace to lose 100 again, they’ve at least played more competitive baseball thanks to their pitching.

Rookie starters Shane Smith and Sean Burke have shown promise, while rookie position players Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and now Colson Montgomery are getting their initial taste of the majors.

There has been the mix of calamity: Luis Robert Jr. has been unproductive and is probably now untradable, and former No. 3 overall pick Andrew Vaughn hit .189 and was traded to the Brewers.


The Twins are one organization that might like a do-over of the past five seasons. It feels like they’ve had the most talent in the division, but all they’ve done is squeeze out one soft division title in 2023. Now, the Tigers have passed them in talent and other factors, such as payroll flexibility.

There’s still time for the Twins to turn things around in 2025, but outside of that wonderful 13-game winning streak, they haven’t played winning baseball.


Overall, it’s been yet another bad season, despite Paul Skenes‘ brilliance. Really, do we talk enough about him? Yes, we do talk about him, but he has a 1.95 ERA through his first 42 career starts. Incredible.

Here’s an amazing thing about baseball. The Pirates are not a good team, but they recently put together one of the best six-game stretches in history. That’s not stretching the description. First, they swept the Mets — a good team — by scores of 9-1, 9-2 and 12-1. Then they swept the Cardinals — a good team — with three shutouts, 7-0, 1-0 and 5-0. They became the first team since at least 1901 to score 43 runs or more and allow four runs or fewer in a six-game stretch. And then they promptly got shut out three games in a row, making them the first to win three straight shutouts and then lose three straight shutouts.


Eighteen of our 28 voters picked them to win the AL West before the season, but it’s looking more and more like the 2023 World Series might be a stone-cold fluke in the middle of a string of losing seasons. That year, nearly everyone in the lineup had a career year at the plate, and the pitching got hot at the right time.

This year’s Rangers, though, have struggled to score runs, and while some have pointed to the offensive environment at Globe Life Field, they’re near the bottom in road OPS as well. It’s been fun seeing Jacob deGrom back at a dominating level, and Nathan Eovaldi should have been an All-Star.

Put it this way: If the Rangers can somehow squeeze into the postseason, you don’t want to face the Rangers in a short series. Indeed, if any team looms as an October upset special, it might be the Rangers.


The Nationals received superlative first-half performances from James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, while CJ Abrams is on the way to his best season. But there remains a lack of overall organizational progress, which finally led to the firings on Sunday of longtime GM Mike Rizzo and longtime manager Dave Martinez. A 7-19 record in June sealed their fate, as the rotation has been bad and the bullpen arguably the worst in baseball.

Until the Nationals figure out how to improve their pitching — or, better yet, find an owner who wants to win — they will be stuck going nowhere.


That fell apart in a hurry. Sunday’s loss was Cleveland’s 10th in a row, a stretch that remarkably included five shutouts. Indeed, the Guardians have now been shut out 11 times; the franchise record in the post-dead-ball-era (since 1920) is 20 shutouts in 1968.

There’s nothing worse than watching a team that can’t score runs, so that tells you how exciting the Guardians have been. Last year, the Guardians hit exceptionally well with runners in scoring position, keeping afloat what was otherwise a mediocre offense. That hasn’t happened in 2025 (trading Josh Naylor didn’t help either). Throw in some predictable regression from the bullpen, and this season looks lost.


We can’t give this a complete failing grade due to the emergence of All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson (the Athletics’ first All-Star starter since Josh Donaldson in 2014) and slugging first baseman Nick Kurtz, who have a chance to finish 1-2 in the Rookie of the Year voting. Plus, we have Denzel Clarke‘s circus catches in center field.

But otherwise? Ugh. The Sacramento gamble already looks like a disaster, three months into a three-year stay. The team is drawing well below Sutter Health Park’s 14,000-seat capacity, with many recent games drawing under 10,000 fans. Luis Severino bashed the small crowds and the lack of air-conditioning.

The A’s had a groundbreaking ceremony for their new park in Vegas, renting heavy construction equipment as background props. Maybe they should have spent that money on more pitching help.


Based on preseason expectations, the Braves have clearly been the biggest disappointment in the National League — fighting the Orioles for most disappointing overall.

What’s gone wrong? They haven’t scored runs, as the offense continues its remarkable fade from a record-setting performance just two seasons ago. The collapses of Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies lead the way, with lack of production at shortstop and left field playing a big role as well. Closer Raisel Iglesias has struggled, and the team is 11-22 in one-run games. Spencer Strider hasn’t yet reached his pre-injury level and Reynaldo Lopez made just one start before going down.

The Braves haven’t missed the playoffs since 2017, but that run is clearly in jeopardy.


The Orioles have a similar record to the Braves but have played much worse, including losses of 24-2, 19-5, 15-3 and two separate 9-0 shutouts.

They will spend the trade deadline dealing away as many of their impending free agents as possible, and then do a lot of soul-searching heading into the offseason. After making the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, will this season just be a blip? While the pitching struggles aren’t necessarily a big surprise, what has happened to the offense? Are some of their young players prospects or suspects?


After two months of Cleveland Spiders-level baseball, it would be easy to make fun of the Rockies. Especially since they recently announced Walker Monfort — son of the owner — was promoted to executive VP and will replace outgoing president and COO Greg Feasel.

On the other hand, the Rockies are doing something right: They just drew 121,000 for a three-game series against the White Sox.

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White Sox unveil Buehrle statue: ‘Well-deserved’

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White Sox unveil Buehrle statue: 'Well-deserved'

CHICAGO — Former White Sox lefty Mark Buehrle was forever immortalized inside Rate Field as the team unveiled a statue in his honor Friday.

Buehrle, 46, played 16 years in the majors, including the first 12 with the White Sox, who he helped win a World Series in 2005. He won 214 games and pitched 200 innings or more in 14 consecutive seasons from 2001 to 2014.

“I can’t put it into words,” Buehrle said after the unveiling. “You don’t play the game for any of this. You never think of number retirements or statues. I can’t even wrap my head around it. It doesn’t make sense.”

The statue is an action shot of him throwing a pitch.

His wife and kids were in attendance and helped pull off the cover to unveil the statue while his 2005 teammates looked on. The event kicked off a weekend reunion for the World Series team which went 11-1 in the postseason, beating the Houston Astros in four games to take home the title.

Buehrle was a five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, finishing fifth in Cy Young voting in 2005.

“Well-deserved,” former right fielder Jermaine Dye said of the statue. “Great teammate. Great leader. Definitely someone you want on a ballclub to lead a pitching staff.”

The White Sox rotation — led by Buehrle — threw four complete games in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox in 2005, missing a fifth complete game by two-thirds of an inning. It’s an unheard of accomplishment in today’s game since starters infrequently go the distance.

Besides being an innings-eater on the mound, Buehrle was a fast worker — a favorite trait of his catcher, A.J Pierzynski. And he wasn’t someone who threw a lot of different pitches. He caught it and threw it without much input from behind the plate.

“He was fast,” Pierzynski said. “We had Jermaine Dye calling pitches from right field some games. We did come crazy things you wouldn’t recommend to people to do nowadays.”

Buehrle is a notoriously low-key guy who hates the spotlight but even he was moved by the team’s decision to honor him with a statue, which joins former slugger Harold Baines in the right-field concourse.

“I joked with him when I saw him,” Dye said. “I told him ‘Man it takes you getting a statue to get you out of the house.'”

Buehrle added: “I was literally nervous as can be today. This is not my comfort zone but by no means am I taking it lightly. This is incredible.”

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