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After three weeks in which Detroit ruled our rankings, the Dodgers are back on top in Week 13.

That’s not the only big change in our top 10, as the Mets fall from third to No. 7 after dropping 10** of their past 12 games and the Astros crack the top five for the first time this season. Plus, Milwaukee makes its top-10 debut as rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski continues his blazing start to his MLB career.

Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season.

And with teams playing their 81st games this week — marking the official midway point of the 2025 season — we asked ESPN MLB experts Buster Olney, Alden Gonzalez and Jesse Rogers to define the first half for all 30 teams, whether that’s a stat, trend, player or moment. Here’s what they had to say.

Week 12 | Preseason rankings


Record: 50-31
Previous ranking: 2

The 2025 Dodgers have been defined by the same circumstances that defined the 2024 group: pitching injuries — and thriving in spite of them. The Dodgers hold the National League’s best record even though four key members of their rotation — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Tony Gonsolin — are out with injuries. Their bullpen also has been a mess at times. But they have found a way. Snell and Glasnow are working their way back. And Shohei Ohtani is taking regular turns — albeit short ones — on the mound. Their best baseball might be ahead of them. — Gonzalez


Record: 50-31
Previous ranking: 1

The Yankees’ Aaron Boone will be the manager for the American League All-Stars, and he has the option of picking his guy, Max Fried, to start the Midsummer Classic. Or he could consider Boston’s Garrett Crochet. But the numbers for Detroit’s Tarik Skubal are daunting: He leads the AL in fWAR at 3.8 and in expected fielding independent pitching (xFIP) at 2.46 and is second in fewest walks per nine innings (1.15) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.03). Skubal will take the ball against the Twins on “Sunday Night Baseball” this weekend. — Olney


Record: 47-33
Previous ranking: 6

When Pete Alonso‘s free agency dragged into spring training, Bryce Harper made it clear to his agent, Scott Boras (who also represents Alonso), that he was willing to move to the outfield if the Phillies had interest in signing a first baseman. Harper continues to communicate this to the front office: If the Phillies feel they can upgrade the team by adding a first baseman, Harper is prepared to move to the outfield. — Olney


Record: 47-33
Previous ranking: 4

May 23. That’s the day Pete Crow-Armstrong arrived on the national stage, hitting two home runs against the Reds, including a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning. It was one moment in a highlight-reel first half for Crow-Armstrong, who has done it with his power and speed, both on the bases and in the outfield. In another defining moment, he made a diving catch to end a threat from the Brewers in a one-run game then followed it by leading off the next inning with a monster 452-foot home run. He has been the complete package so far for the Cubs. — Rogers


Record: 47-33
Previous ranking: 8

The one constant in a season of change for the first-place Astros is lefty Framber Valdez. If his latest outing — a seven-inning shutout performance versus Philadelphia — wasn’t his signature moment, that’s only because he has had a few of them. Perhaps none was better than his 83-pitch complete game against the Rays in late May. He struck out nine that day then followed it up with 11- and 12-strikeout outings. But he also is successful when producing weak contact; he only whiffed three in each of his past two starts, both wins. Valdez has defined the Astros’ journey to first place; they’ve won his past nine starts. — Rogers


Record: 46-34
Previous ranking: 5

Aaron Judge has been the center around which the Yankees — and baseball, really — have orbited. He finished the month of May in a legitimate chase for .400, all while amassing 21 home runs and putting up an absurd OPS of 1.268. June has seen Judge go from godlike to merely great in slashing .265/.382/.566. Behind that, the Yankees have gone just 11-12 and seen a once-massive lead in the AL East shrink to almost nothing. In their past 14 games, they have accumulated three runs or fewer on nine occasions. — Gonzalez


Record: 47-34
Previous ranking: 3

When the Mets met with Francisco Alvarez on Sunday morning to say he was being demoted to the minors, the message was simple: In so many words, manager Carlos Mendoza told Alvarez to get some reps and to find himself. That would mean rediscovering the power that distinguished Alvarez as he rose through the minor leagues and initially established himself in the big leagues. In his first full season in the majors in 2023, the then-21-year-old blasted 25 homers and accumulated a .437 slugging percentage. At the time of his demotion, his slugging percentage was .333. — Olney


Record: 44-36
Previous ranking: 7

It was all about Buster Posey, the new head of baseball operations, heading into the season; and it’s all about Rafael Devers, the premier slugger acquired from the Red Sox, at the moment. But in between, it’s the pitching that has made the Giants one of this season’s most pleasant surprises. Logan Webb and Robbie Ray have combined for a 2.66 ERA out of the rotation, making them one of the best one-two punches in the sport. The bullpen, meanwhile, continues to be the best in the majors. If Devers can help their offense match their pitching, the Giants might just vie for a championship. — Gonzalez


Record: 45-35
Previous ranking: 9

A lot was made about the potential of a healthy Rays rotation heading into 2025, but clearly not enough was made about the potential strength of their lineup. Jonathan Aranda has been one of the season’s biggest impact performers while ranking fifth in the majors in weighted runs created plus. But in June — a month that has seen the Rays win 15 of 22 games and outscore opponents by a combined 35 runs Yandy Diaz, Christopher Morel and Junior Caminero have joined him, making this one of the most well-rounded teams in the sport. — Gonzalez


Record: 45-36
Previous ranking: 11

Jacob Misiorowski pitched 11 innings before giving up a hit to begin his MLB career, and he is the latest in a line of promising hurlers to come through the Brewers’ system over the past few years. Beating Paul Skenes on Wednesday was just another step to potential stardom for the 23-year-old Misiorowski. A second-round pick in 2022, he has been lighting up the radar gun since getting called up earlier this month, coinciding with a nice run by the Brewers, who are now in the wild-card hunt and threatening the Cubs for the division lead. — Rogers


Record: 44-37
Previous ranking: 16

In mid-December, it became known that Nolan Arenado had turned down a trade to the Astros. His staying in St. Louis perhaps cemented what the Cardinals wanted to do in 2025: compete for a playoff spot. And compete they have. They haven’t been flashy while moving into wild-card contention; they simply do a lot of things well, including hitting home runs (Arenado has 10 of them), which they’ve hit more of as the season has gone on. Over just the past two weeks, they’ve hit more than all but four teams. The trade that didn’t happen might be the difference for the Cards this season. — Rogers


Record: 44-36
Previous ranking: 10

Star players have come and gone while others have run hot and cold, but Manny Machado continues to set the tone. Since the start of May, he often has seemed to carry this offense single-handedly. He is a shoo-in for his seventh All-Star Game, is on pace to tie the highest full-season batting average of his career (.298) and sits just nine hits away from 2,000 for his career. The Padres need to get Yu Darvish and Michael King back healthy, and they need Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts to produce more consistently. In the meantime, Machado has helped to keep San Diego relevant. — Gonzalez


Record: 41-38
Previous ranking: 14

One name has defined the Mariners’ first half: Cal Raleigh. The 28-year-old catcher has taken the league by storm, leading all hitters in home runs and RBIs. He is just one of three players with an OPS over 1.000, but he’s doing it at a position that isn’t known for its offense. That clearly isn’t the case for Raleigh, who has been really good at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park, with 14 home runs. The rest have come on the road, where his OPS is well over 1.100. There’s seemingly no hole in his swing, as pitchers have come to realize so far. — Rogers


Record: 42-37
Previous ranking: 12

The Blue Jays find themselves in the thick of a suddenly tight AL East race, thanks in large part to an offense that does something increasingly difficult in this sport. It puts the ball in play. The Blue Jays boast the lowest strikeout rate in the majors at 17.8%, with Alejandro Kirk, Ernie Clement, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette leading the way. In the midst of that, George Springer is having somewhat of an offensive renaissance, with 11 home runs and an .825 OPS. But Toronto still needs to get Anthony Santander healthy. — Gonzalez


Record: 42-39
Previous ranking: 13

The Reds’ rotation has an ERA of 3.76, which ranks in the top half of the NL. And that’s with just one outing from Chase Burns, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft who looked dominant before giving up some late runs in his first MLB start on Tuesday. The starting staff has proved to be the strength of the Reds as they look poised for a second-half run. Lefty Andrew Abbott might be the least talked about elite pitcher in either league simply because he doesn’t stay in the game for more than two times through the order. Still, his 7-1 record and 1.79 ERA are impressive. Abbott and Hunter Greene make for a sneaky good one-two punch in Cincinnati. — Rogers


Record: 41-39
Previous ranking: 15

The D-backs have mostly been defined by injuries to key players throughout this first half. First, it was Corbin Burnes undergoing season-ending elbow surgery, the absolute last thing an underperforming starting rotation needed. Then Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, the two most important members of the bullpen, suffered the same fate. More recently, Corbin Carroll, who had been putting up MVP numbers, was diagnosed with a chip fracture in his left wrist. General manager Mike Hazen keeps fielding calls about his pending free agents, but he isn’t ready to give up on the 2025 season. If Carroll doesn’t return quickly, though, Hazen might have to. — Gonzalez


Record: 40-38
Previous ranking: 20

Cleveland is slogging through what has been a difficult June, with the offense really struggling; the Guardians have averaged about three runs per game this month, while dropping 12 of the first 21 games. Here are some of the players who are batting under .200 for June: Carlos Santana, Angel Martinez, Gabriel Arias, Bo Naylor, David Fry. Cleveland won’t emerge from the AL mud bog unless that changes.— Olney


Record: 40-42
Previous ranking: 17

The Red Sox have spent the better part of the past four months engulfed in drama, most of it centered around their former franchise player, Rafael Devers, who frustrated team officials over an unwillingness to be a more public-facing figure and, more so, a refusal to play first base. The Red Sox parted ways with Devers — and his massive contract that runs through 2033 — by sending him to San Francisco. And now, after following that up by going 3-6 on a three-city trip, the Red Sox are simply a team mired in mediocrity. They believe they can win, but they’re running out of time. — Gonzalez


Record: 37-42
Previous ranking: 21

When Ronald Acuna Jr. has participated in the Home Run Derby, he has distinguished himself with his all-fields approach. Most of the Derby sluggers try to focus on hitting the ball in one part of the strike zone and driving it to a particular part of the park. But when Acuna was in the Derby in 2019 and again three years later, he sprayed deep drives in all directions, hitting the ball wherever it was thrown in the strike zone. With the All-Star Game in Atlanta next month, Acuna has become the first player to formally commit to participating in the Derby. (He was eliminated by Pete Alonso during the 2019 and 2022 editions.) — Olney


Record: 40-41
Previous ranking: 19

For two seasons now — since winning the World Series in 2023 — the Rangers simply haven’t been able to score enough runs to be ultracompetitive. At just 3.64 runs per game, they rank 26th in MLB. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but veterans Joc Pederson (.131 BA), Marcus Semien (.229 BA) and even Corey Seager (.715 OPS) stand out**. Some of the younger players are holding their own, but none of them appears near the top in any statistical category. Josh Smith‘s .764 OPS is 72nd in MLB — and that just isn’t good enough for the hitting-starved Rangers. — Rogers


Record: 38-42
Previous ranking: 22

With this year’s trade market expected to be incredibly thin in talent, teams will be tempted to be opportunists and take advantage of the dealer’s market. Seth Lugo is 35 and has a $15 million player option for 2026, so it would make sense for him to look for a new deal. If the Royals continue to fade — they are 14-26 since May 10 — it would be logical to attempt to extend Lugo or dangle him in the market and weigh interest. — Olney


Record: 40-40
Previous ranking: 23

Christian Moore deserves recognition for what he did Tuesday. The 22-year-old second baseman, a 2024 first-round pick, tied the score against the Red Sox with an eighth-inning home run then walked it off with another one while his team was trailing 2-1 in the 10th. His three RBIs was all the scoring L.A. got — and needed — in the improbable win. It was just one game in a surprisingly good first half for the Angels, who field a team littered with their own recent draft picks. It remains to be seen if they can keep it up, but more strong play from Moore certainly will help. — Rogers


Record: 38-42
Previous ranking: 18

There have been signs this month that Brooks Lee, the eighth player taken in the first round of the 2022 draft, is finding traction in the big leagues. Lee is batting .364 with a slugging percentage of .519 in June. Over the course of his four professional seasons, he has been getting the ball in the air much more consistently; he had a 2.23 ground-ball-to-fly-ball rate in the minors 2022, and that ratio has improved to 0.93 in MLB this year. — Olney


Record: 34-46
Previous ranking: 24

There is no bigger disappointment through this season’s first half than the Orioles, and it probably isn’t even close. They fired manager Brandon Hyde less than two months in. A starting rotation that was inadequately addressed by the front office over the winter has been a mess, with three starters — Cade Povich, Charlie Morton and Zach Eflin — each contributing ERAs over 5. Most surprising of all, an offense that was supposed to dominate has vacillated between mediocre and bad — even though Jackson Holliday has rebounded from a difficult rookie season and Ryan O’Hearn is producing like an All-Star. — Gonzalez


Record: 33-48
Previous ranking: 25

Last summer, the Nationals listened to offers for reliever Kyle Finnegan before deciding to keep him rather than flip him for an uninspiring trade return. He has had a good season so far in 2025, leaving the team in a similar position with the veteran right-hander as the trade deadline nears. Presumably, they will hope some contending team steps up and makes an intriguing offer. But if that doesn’t happen, Finnegan won’t cost the Nationals much to keep; he’s making $5.38 million this year, before reaching free agency in the fall. — Olney


Record: 32-50
Previous ranking: 26

Paul Skenes‘ ERA rose to 2.12 on Wednesday after he gave up four runs in four innings, but that shouldn’t take away from his dominant first half after being named NL Rookie of the Year last season. He continues to be about the only reason to watch the lowly Pirates these days as, once again, they find themselves far from the playoff race after having fired manager Derek Shelton last month. Skenes leads the majors in innings pitched and is one of just three qualified starters with a WHIP under 1.00. The Cy Young Award might be his next honor after a sure-thing All-Star appearance. — Rogers


Record: 33-45
Previous ranking: 28

Contending teams try to turn over every rock to find help around this time of the season, and it stands to reason that some will ask the Marlins about Ronny Henriquez, their 25-year-old right-handed reliever who was plucked off waivers from the Twins in February. Henriquez has taken on more responsibility as the campaign has played out, picking up a couple of saves while working in higher-leverage situations. Over 23⅓ innings since the start of May, he has struck out 33 batters and walked just six. He also has pushed his average fastball velocity to a career-best 96.2 mph. — Olney


Record: 33-49
Previous ranking: 27

5.41. That’s the season ERA of the A’s pitching staff after a horrendous stretch from late May into June led to a double-digit losing skid — and it ranks just ahead of the Rockies for worst in baseball. The past month or so has been especially bad, highlighted by a WHIP figure that has been far and away the worst in the majors at over 1.50. — Rogers


Record: 26-55
Previous ranking: 29

Andrew Benintendi has the sort of experience that might intrigue other teams before the trade deadline, and his production against right-handed pitching is OK, with an OPS over .700. His contract, however, discourages interest. He is owed about $40 million over the remainder of his contract (through 2027), meaning the White Sox probably would have to eat a huge portion of his future salary in order to deal him or take on a bad contract themselves in any proposed deal. — Olney


Record: 18-62
Previous ranking: 30

The Rockies went the first 30 years of their franchise’s quirky history without succumbing to a 100-loss season. Then they did it back-to-back, in 2023 and 2024. Now, they’re trending toward a much bigger low: the most losses in major league history. Despite two — yes, two — winning streaks of three-plus games this month, the Rockies are on pace for 126 losses, five more than the White Sox dropped in 2024 to set the new single-season loss record. The biggest culprit has been a familiar one: The pitching staff ranks dead last in the majors with a 5.54 ERA. — Gonzalez

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Building the perfect trade deadline for the Mets and Phillies

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Building the perfect trade deadline for the Mets and Phillies

There’s plenty of history in the rivalry between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. It’s about 116 miles from Citi Field to Citizens Bank Park. The two teams been competing for the NL East since 1969. Star players from Tug McGraw to Jerry Koosman to Lenny Dykstra to Pedro Martinez to Zack Wheeler have played for both franchises. Mets fans loathe the Phanatic, and Phillies fans laugh derisively at Mr. Met.

Despite this longevity, the two teams have rarely battled for a division title in the same season. The only years they finished No. 1 and 2 or were battling for a division lead late in the season:

  • 1986: Mets finished 21.5 games ahead

  • 2001: Both finished within six games of the Braves

  • 2006: Mets finished 12 games ahead

  • 2007: Phillies finished one game ahead

  • 2008: Phillies finished three games ahead

  • 2024: Phillies finished six games ahead of Mets and Braves

So it’s a rare treat to see the Mets and Phillies battling for the NL East lead in as New York faces the San Francisco Giants on “Sunday Night Baseball” this week. This season has also been a bit of bumpy ride for both teams, so there is pressure on both front offices to make trade deadline additions in hopes of winning the World Series that has eluded both franchises in recent years despite high payrolls and star-laden rosters. Let’s dig into what both teams need to do before Thursday.

The perfect trade deadline for the Mets

1. Bullpen help

The Mets already acquired hard-throwing lefty Gregory Soto from the Orioles, but David Stearns will likely look for another reliever, given that the Mets’ bullpen has struggled since the beginning of June with a 5.02 ERA. In my grade of the trade, I pointed out the importance for the Mets to add left-handed relief. Think of potential playoff opponents and all the key left-handed batters: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on the Phillies; Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy on the Dodgers; Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong on the Cubs.

Soto has held lefties to a .138 average this season, and it does help that the Mets have two lefty starters in David Peterson and Sean Manaea. They also just activated Brooks Raley after he had been out since early 2024. If he is back to his 2022-23 form, when he had a 2.74 ERA and held lefties to a .209 average, maybe the Mets will feel good enough about their southpaw relief.

They could still use another dependable righty reliever. Mets starters were hot early on, but they weren’t going deep into games, and outside of Peterson, the lack of longer outings is a big reason the bullpen ERA has skyrocketed. Carlos Mendoza has overworked his setup guys, including Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett. Brazoban has never been much of a strike thrower anyway, and Garrett similarly faded in the second half last season. Adding a high-leverage righty to set up Edwin Diaz makes sense. Candidates there include David Bednar of the Pirates, Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran of the Twins, or maybe a longer shot such as Emmanuel Clase or Cade Smith of the Guardians.

2. Think big, as in Eugenio Suarez

Mark Vientos was a huge key to last season’s playoff appearance and trip to the NLCS, hitting .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs after beginning the season in Triple-A. He hasn’t been able to replicate that performance, though, hitting .224/.279/.354. That has led to a revolving door at third base, with Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio starting games there in July. Overall, Mets third basemen ranked 24th in the majors in OPS entering Friday.

Lack of production at third is one reason the Mets’ offense has been mediocre rather than very good — they’re averaging 4.38 runs per game, just below the NL average of 4.43. They could use another premium bat, given the lack of production they’ve received from center field and catcher (not to mention Francisco Lindor‘s slump since the middle of June). Maybe Francisco Alvarez‘s short stint back in Triple-A will get his bat going now that he’s back in the majors, but going after Suarez to hit behind Juan Soto and Pete Alonso would lengthen the lineup.

3. Reacquire Harrison Bader to play CF

Tyrone Taylor is a plus defender in center and has made several incredible catches, but he’s hitting .209/.264/.306 for a lowly OPS+ of 65. Old friend Bader is having a nice season with the Twins, hitting .251/.330/.435. Maybe that’s a little over his head, given that he had a .657 OPS with the Mets last season, but he would still be an offensive upgrade over Taylor without losing anything on defense — and he wouldn’t cost a top-tier prospect. The Mets could still mix in Jeff McNeil against the really tough righties, but adding Suarez and Bader would give this lineup more of a championship feel.

The perfect deadline for the Phillies

1. Acquire Jhoan Duran

Like the Mets, the Phillies already made a move here, signing free agent David Robertson, who had a 3.00 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 72 innings last season with the Rangers. On paper, he should help, but he’s also 40 and will need a few games in the minors to get ready. Even with Robertson, the Phillies could use some more help here. They’ll eventually get Jose Alvarado back from his 60-game PED suspension, but Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason. At least the Mets have an elite closer in Edwin Diaz. Jordan Romano leads the Phillies with eight saves and has a 6.69 ERA. Matt Strahm is solid, but more useful as a lefty setup guy than a closer (think of all those left-handed batters we listed for the Mets, then sub out Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo for Harper and Schwarber).

And the Phillies’ bullpen has consistently come up short in big games. Think back to last year’s NLDS, when Jeff Hoffman lost twice to the Mets. Or 2023, when Craig Kimbrel lost two games in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. Or the 2022 World Series, when Yordan Alvarez hit the huge home run off Alvarado in the clinching Game 6.

So, yes, a shutdown closer is a must. Maybe that’s Bednar, maybe Clase if he’s available (although he struggled in last year’s postseason), maybe Helsley. But the guy Dave Dombrowski should go all-in to get: Duran. The window for the Phillies is slowly closing as the core players get older. Duran is under control through 2027, so he’s a fit for now and the immediate future. The trade cost might be painful, but with his 100 mph fastball and splitter, he has the elite stuff you need in October.

2. Add Ryan O’Hearn

The Phillies have received below-average production from both left field (mostly Max Kepler) and center field (Brandon Marsh/Johan Rojas platoon). The center-field market is pretty thin except for Bader or maybe a gamble on Luis Robert Jr. I’d pass on Robert, stick with the Marsh/Rojas platoon and upgrade left field with O’Hearn, who is hitting .281/.375/.452 for the Orioles. He isn’t the perfect fit since, like Kepler, he hits left-handed and struggles against lefties, but he’s a patient hitter with a much better OBP, and he’s passable in the outfield.

3. Acquire Willi Castro

Here’s the bottom line: The Phillies have to admit that some of their long-term position players aren’t getting the job done — such as second baseman Bryson Stott, who has a 77 OPS+. Third baseman Alec Bohm has been better but also has a below-average OPS.

That makes Castro a nice fit. He’s not a star, but he’s an above-average hitter, a switch-hitter who plays all over the field for the Twins, having started games at five different positions. He could play second or third or start in left field against a lefty. Philadelphia could even start him in center instead of Rojas, although that would be a defensive hit. Bottom line: Castro would give the Phillies a lot more versatility — or a significant offensive upgrade over Stott if they start him every day at second.

Note as well: Stott has hit .188 in 33 career postseason games. Bohm has hit .214 with two home runs in 34 postseason games. The Phillies need a different offensive look for October.

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Olney: The 8 teams most desperate to make a deadline deal

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Olney: The 8 teams most desperate to make a deadline deal

It would be ideal if every MLB team were so desperate to win that they would do whatever it takes. But in an industry with so many variables from team to team — roster composition, payroll commitment, market size, owner ambition, fan rabidity and history — some organizations are willing to go further and do more than others.

The New York Mets paid more in luxury taxes last season ($97 million) than the Pittsburgh Pirates have dedicated to payroll this season, and Pittsburgh could attempt to reduce salary commitments even further at this year’s trade deadline.

Some teams are more desperate than others. As we near the July 31 deadline, we present the teams most desperate to make a deal.


New York played in the World Series last year, and in a lot of markets, that might be enough to satisfy a fan base. But not with the Yankees, whose most faithful fans judge them under the George Steinbrenner Doctrine: If you don’t win the World Series, you’ve had a bad year. This is a constant.

The Yankees could return to where they were last October. The 33-year-old Aaron Judge, one of the most dynamic hitters ever, is having another historic season. New York wants to take advantage of that — particularly because the American League is wide open with as many as seven or eight AL teams having reasonable paths to the World Series.

But the Yankees still have distinct holes. They badly need an upgrade at third base, which someone like Eugenio Suarez could fill. Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt suffered season-ending elbow injuries, leaving a need for another experienced starting pitcher. Their bullpen also needs help in the sixth and seventh innings.

After the departure of Juan Soto, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman are probably under more pressure to do something this season than any of their peers. What else is new?


It’s remarkable how similar this version of the Phillies is to the teams that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski constructed in Detroit, with Philadelphia’s strong starting pitching (Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez playing the roles of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer) and a lineup of sluggers (Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper as Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder).

The major question that hangs over this Philadelphia team, as was the case with those Tigers teams, is about the bullpen: Is there enough depth and power? For the Phillies, that is complicated by the situation with lefty Jose Alvarado, who will return in August from his 80-game suspension under the PED policy but not be eligible for the postseason.

The Phillies paid heavily for free agent reliever David Robertson, giving him the equivalent of a $16 million salary for the rest of the regular season, but they could use another reliever who is adept at shutting down high-end right-handed hitters in the postseason.


On the days Tarik Skubal pitches, the Tigers could be the best team in baseball; it’s possible that in the postseason, he could be his generation’s version of Orel Hershiser or Madison Bumgarner, propelling his team through round after round of playoffs to the World Series.

But the Tigers might have Skubal for only the rest of this year and next season, before he, advised by his agent Scott Boras, heads into free agency and becomes maybe the first $400 million pitcher in history.

Now is the time for Detroit to make a push for its first championship in more than four decades. And for Scott Harris, the team’s president of baseball operations, that means adding a couple of high-impact relievers capable of generating a lot of swing-and-misses.


The Mariners showed they are serious about making moves before this deadline with Thursday’s trade for first baseman Josh Naylor.

The last time the Mariners reached the league championship series, Ichiro Suzuki — who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend — was a rookie. Edgar Martinez was a 38-year-old designated hitter, and Jamie Moyer and Freddy Garcia were the staff aces. You get the point: It has been a really long time since the Mariners have had postseason success, and the team has never reached the World Series.

An opportunity seems to be developing for Seattle. The talented rotation, hammered by injuries in the first months of this season, could be whole for the stretch run. Cal Raleigh is having the greatest season by a catcher, contending with Judge for the AL MVP Award. Julio Rodriguez has generally been a strong second-half player.

Even ownership seems inspired: After a winter in which the Mariners spent almost nothing to upgrade the roster, other teams report that Seattle could absorb money in trades before the deadline.


5. New York Mets

Owner Steve Cohen doesn’t sport the highest payroll this year — the Dodgers’ Mark Walter is wearing that distinction — but the Mets are well over the luxury tax threshold again, in the first season after signing Juan Soto. Cohen has made it clear that generally, he will do what it takes to land the club’s first championship trophy since 1986.

But that does not include preventing David Stearns, the Mets’ respected president of baseball operations, from doing what he does best — making subtle and effective deals at the trade deadline. Rival execs expect that Stearns will work along the same lines he did last year — finding trades that improve the team’s depth without pillaging its growing farm system. That could mean adding a starting pitcher capable of starting Game 1, 2 or 3 of a postseason series, as well as bullpen depth.

Cohen is experiencing the impact of overseeing a front office that made an impetuous win-now trade at the 2021 deadline, when the Mets swapped a minor leaguer named Pete Crow-Armstrong for two months of Javier Baez. That clearly didn’t pan out for them. Cohen is desperate to win, but within the prescribed guardrails.


Last winter, the Padres had to live with the knowledge that they were probably the best team other than the Dodgers and that they came within a win of knocking out L.A. There is a lot about San Diego’s 2025 roster to like: Manny Machado clearly responds to a big stage, and the bullpen could be the most dominant at a time of year when relief corps often decide championships.

However, as Padres general manager A.J. Preller navigates this trade deadline in the hopes of living out late owner Peter Seidler’s dream of winning San Diego’s first World Series title, he has a relatively thin, aging, top-heavy roster with a lot of significant payroll obligations. This is why the Padres are considering trading Dylan Cease, who is potentially the highest-impact starter available on the market. Preller could move Cease to fill other roster needs, current and future ones, and then deal for a cheaper veteran starter to replace him.

“He’ll have to rob Peter to pay Paul,” one of Preller’s peers said.


Hope has emerged after the team’s all-in, $500 million signing of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., with the Blue Jays taking the lead in the AL East.

Toronto’s rotation is comprised of an older group — 34-year-old Kevin Gausman, 36-year-old Chris Bassitt, 40-year-old Max Scherzer and 31-year-old Jose Berrios. Without a clear favorite in the AL, Toronto could break through for its first title since the Jays went back-to-back in 1992-93 — and in just the second season since the club’s expensive renovations of Rogers Centre were completed. When Alex Anthopoulos led the front office a decade ago, he made an all-in push to get the Jays back into the playoffs, adding players like David Price because he believed this was the right time for them to take their shot — and they came very close to getting back to the World Series.

Reportedly, Mark Shapiro — the team’s incoming president at the time — did not approve of Anthopoulos’ strategy. Now, Shapiro’s Blue Jays are in a similar situation in 2025 to where they were under Anthopoulos: Will they wheel and deal aggressively before the deadline, or will they be conservative?


The Dodgers won the World Series in 2024, after taking the title in the shortened season of 2020. So, if they don’t win a championship this year, it’s not as if a bunch of people are getting fired and the roster will be jettisoned. But winning can be intoxicating, especially when the lineup and rotation are loaded with stars: The Dodgers can envision a postseason in which a starting staff of Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto could propel the team to a second consecutive title.

But the Dodgers’ bullpen — heavily worked in the first months of this season because of injuries to the rotation — is in tatters due to injuries. Will the Dodgers’ push to become the first team to repeat as champions since the 1998-2000 Yankees drive them to swap valuable prospects for needed bullpen help before the deadline? We’re about to find out.


This is a team very well-suited for the postseason: The Cubs are a strong defensive team; they have a deep lineup around Kyle Tucker, in what might be Tucker’s only season in Chicago; and they put the ball in play.

They’ve got a good farm system, as well as an experienced president of baseball operations in Jed Hoyer. He was part of championships in Boston in 2004 and 2007 and was the Cubs’ general manager for their 2016 title. He and Theo Epstein made the Nomar Garciaparra deal at the trade deadline in 2004, in advance of Boston’s breakthrough title in 2004, and the all-in trade for Aroldis Chapman on the way to the Cubs’ first World Series win in 108 years in 2016.

But the X factor for Chicago in recent years is whether ownership operates with the same desperation — in the way that Astros owner Jim Crane did when he pushed through a Justin Verlander trade for Houston in August 2017.

This seems to be a good time for the Cubs to be desperate, to do anything to win another championship. Will a title be a priority for owner Tom Ricketts?

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Schwarber reaches 1,000-hit milestone with HR

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Schwarber reaches 1,000-hit milestone with HR

NEW YORK — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber topped Mark McGwire for most home runs among a player’s first 1,000 hits, hitting long ball No. 319 during Friday night’s 12-5 victory over the New York Yankees.

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not,” Schwarber said.

Ten days after lifting the National League to victory in the first All-Star Game swing-off, Schwarber keeps going deep. He hit a pair of two-run homers Friday night, with the first drive, his milestone hit, starting the comeback from a 2-0 deficit. He got the ball back after it was grabbed by a Phillies fan attending with his friends in Yankee Stadium’s right-center-field seats.

“I saw it on the video and then I see the dude tugging,” Schwarber said. “I’m like: ‘Oh, they all got Philly stuff on.’ That was cool.”

He met the trio after the game, gave an autographed ball to each and exchanged hugs. When he went to get a third ball to autograph, one of the three said he just wanted the potential free agent to re-sign with the Phillies.

“You show up to the field every single day trying to get a win at the end of the day, and I think our fans kind of latch on to that, right?” Schwarber said. “It’s been fantastic these last 3½ years, four years now. The support that we get from our fans and it means a lot to me that, you know, that they attach themselves to our team.”

Schwarber tied it at 2-2 in the fifth against Will Warren when he hit a 413-foot drive on a first-pitch fastball.

After J.T. Realmuto‘s three-run homer off Luke Weaver built a 6-3 lead in a four-run seventh and the Yankees closed within a run in the bottom half, Schwarber sent an Ian Hamilton fastball 380 feet into the right-field seats.

Schwarber reached 1,000 hits with eight more homers than McGwire. Schwarber has 36 homers this year, three shy of major league leader Cal Raleigh, and six homers in seven games since he was voted All-Star MVP. He has 33 multihomer games.

“I don’t know where we’d be without him,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Comes up with big hit after big hit after big hit. It’s just — it’s amazing.”

Schwarber, 32, is eligible for free agency this fall after completing a four-year, $79 million contract. He homered on all three of his swings in the All-Star Game tiebreaker, and when the second half began, Phillies managing partner John Middleton proclaimed: “We love him. We want to keep him.”

“He’s been an incredible force all season long,” Realmuto said. “What he’s meant to his team, his offense, it’s hard to put in words.”

A World Series champion for the 2016 Chicago Cubs, Schwarber has reached 35 homers in all four seasons with the Phillies. He’s batting .255 with 82 RBIs and a .960 OPS.

He also has almost as many home runs as singles (46).

Schwarber had not been aware he topped McGwire for most homers among 1,000 hits.

“I had no clue. I didn’t even know it was my 1,000th, to be honest with you,” he said.

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