The MLB is WIDE Open

Across the majors, there is no shortage of talent and this year especially, there is minimal room for error. If there is one thing the 2025 season has shown us, it is that there is no one dominant team that will run away with the World Series this year. 

In 2024, it was fairly obvious that the two teams to meet in the World Series would be the Dodgers and the Yankees. However, this year that is definitely not the case. Just take a look at the standings, the top 6 teams in all of baseball are separated by one game in the win column.

It has been some time since we've seen a season like this where one team is unable to pull away and be claimed the best overall team in baseball. It seems like every week we have a new team that is climbing on top of the leaderboard and deeming themselves the World Series favorites. 

For instance, the 1st and 2nd place teams in both the NL East and NL Central are separated by less than a game. Momentum and streaks are always vital to succeed in baseball, but this year especially. Just about a month ago, the Brewers trailed the Cubs by over 10 games in the NL Central.

Fast foward to the present, the Brewers have won 12 of their last 13 games and they now sit atop the NL Central. In baseball, you are never out of it during the dog months of summer and the Brewers certainly proved that throughout July. 

After coming into the 2025 campaign with the Dodgers being the overwhelming favorites to defend their title, times have certainly changed. With just about 60 games left in the MLB season, it will be an interesting and exciting sprint to October. 

The Brewers are Brewing

 

The hottest team in baseball right now, the Milwaukee Brewers, have won their last 11 games including 6 of them against the defending world champion Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Milwaukee currently sits atop the bloodbath of an NL Central in 2025. After trailing the Cubs by double digit games at one point this season, the Brewers now have a one game lead over their division rivals. 

The Brew Crew possesses a top 5 ERA in all of baseball, tied for 4th with the Houston Astros, sitting at 3.62 through their first 100 games. Despite losing their ace Corbin Burnes a couple of season ago, and their shutdown closer Devin Williams, the Brewers have remarkably only improved. 

The leader of the Brewers pitching staff, Freddy Peralta has been lights out this season. Leading the team in strikeouts, innings pitched, ERA, wins, and more, Peralta has embraced his role as the ace of the Brew Crew in 2025. 

Another thing that makes the Brewers stand out is their efficiency of doing the little things. Milwaukee is currently 2nd in the MLB in stolen bases. They don't hit a ton of home runs, in fact they rank 25th in total home runs this season, but when they put the ball in play they are dangerous. 

Milwaukee comes as the 24th ranked team in the MLB in payroll with an $112 million roster. Despite the fact they rank this low in payroll and the 3rd least in the National League as well, they currently possess the best record in baseball. 

With a baseball season with no clear dominant team, could this be the year where the Brewers take that next step and get over the hump? With still a lot of season to go, Milwaukee is in for an electric final 62 games in their 2025 campaign. 

Feature: Jasson Dominguez

 

Yankee outfielder Jasson Dominguez has slowly but steadily given the Yankees a reason to make him an everyday player in their lineup. In his first full season in the big leagues, Dominguez is starting to become the player that Yankees fans were dreaming about since he entered the Yankees farm system. 

Dominguez has been hot as of late, batting .392 with a .418 on base percentage in his last 15 games. This includes 20 hits along with a couple of home runs as well. Dominguez, nicknamed "The Martian", was given this nickname for his crazy power and long home runs. 

While Dominguez has only blasted 8 home runs through his first 75 games, the Yankees are developing Dominguez into more of a contact hitter and less of a power hitter. 44 of his 67 hits this season have been singles making him much more of a threat to opposing teams to steal bases, as he has already recorded a team-high 14 this season. 

If it were up to me, Dominguez would be inserted as the Yankees everyday center fielder. While the Yankees do have a good problem with their overload of offensive threats on their 40-man roster, getting Dominguez more and more playing time will be great towards his development. 

It feels like Dominguez has been with the Yankees for some time now while he is just 22 years old. If Aaron Boone and the Yankees continue to find more consistent playing time for the young outfielder, he can become one of the league's top players for years to come. 

The Marlins Have Caught Fire

 

The hottest team in Major League Baseball right now is no other than the Miami Marlins. Miami comes into their home stand against two AL Central foes off of a 7 game winning streak, including six straight on the road. 

Despite the hot streak, the Marlins still find themselves seven games under .500, and tied for 3rd in the NL East with the Atlanta Braves. Although the Marlins don't thrive off of the long ball, the offense has been clicking as of late for the Fish and propelling them to wins. 

As a team, Miami currently ranks in the top 10 in average sitting around .254. Six of the seven teams ahead of them find themselves sitting comfortably in a playoff position. If it weren't for the rough start to the campaign, the Marlins might have also found themselves in a playoff position as well. 

The most impressive thing about the Marlins hot stretch is who is getting it done at the right time. Looking up and down the Marlins roster, there aren't too many, if any, household names or top jersey sellers. In addition, Miami ranks dead last in team payroll with $67 million. 

The team they are currently tied with in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves, has a payroll three times higher than this minuscule number in terms of overall payroll. Not only are the Marlins underpaid, but they are also very young. 

Miami ranks as the youngest team in the MLB with currently just three players on the 40-man roster being 30 years old. In a sport that has often been advertised as pay to win, the Marlins are certainly defying this amidst their hot stretch as we enter the month of July. 

The Yankees are Hot

 

The New York Yankees are on an absolute roll right now after capping off a sweep of the Texas Rangers at home. They have now won 12 of their last 14 games, including four wins in a row as well. 

It has been an all around effort from the Yankees contributing to their constant success. The pitching staff has yet to allow over three runs in a game in their last 8 games. Despite the injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Marcus Stroman, the Yankees starting rotation has been lethal. 

Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough were guys that were unsure of their role in Spring Training, but currently are cemented in the rotation and are doing a fine job. In addition, the guys that headline the staff in Carlos Rodon, Max Fried, and Clarke Schmidt have been absolutely dealing as well. 

Good pitching is great, but it needs to be accompanied by a productive offense as well and it sure is. Currently the Yankees have two of the top five leaders in batting average in Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt.

Judge is putting up numbers the baseball world hasn't seen since the great Ted Williams almost a century ago. Along with his league-leading batting average, Judge leads the league in hits and RBIs and is a home run shy of leading that category as well. 

Despite having his 38th birthday this upcoming September, Paul Goldschmidt is turning back the clock and playing some great baseball. The Yanks intended to sign him as a rental, but the pace that he is playing at could hint at a longer career than imagined for Goldschmidt. 

Along with Goldschmidt and Judge, the Yankees have seen outstanding production from their outfield. Cody Bellinger is the main headline as he has been scorching hot after coming off a 15 game hitting streak as well. 

The Martian, otherwise known as Jasson Dominguez, is starting to take off after an outstanding last ten games and he capped it off with a walk off home run last night. And finally a guy who flew under everyone's radar, Trent Grisham. 

Grisham was known as the "other" piece of the Juan Soto deal and for the Yankees he is the last piece of that deal currently with the team. Comparing Grisham and Soto this season, Grisham is playing like the guy that the Mets were envisioning when they handed Juan Soto a check for $765 million. 

Through his time with the Padres and short stint with the Yankees, Grisham was always a key and trusted defensive outfielder. We are now seeing for the first time how effective he can be with the bat in his hands. 

In addition, the Yankees are producing offensively with a couple of key players on the IL. Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm currently find themselves on the injured list and when they see the field again they make the Yankees so much deeper. 

All the critics expected a huge offensive fall off in production after the departure of Juan Soto, but it has just been the complete opposite. The Yankees are cruising and will look to continue to do so as they head to Denver to take on the Colorado Rockies. 

The Juan Soto Return and Reinforcements

The return to the Bronx for Juan Soto was not a pleasant one to say the least. Combined with his struggles at the plate, the reception he received from the home crowd was pretty loud, but not in the enthusiastic way. 

In the three game series over the weekend, Soto went a combined 1-10 against his former club. Not the type of return you want to silence the boisterous crowd around you. His teammates couldn't get the job done either as the Mets dropped 2 out of 3 games to their crosstown rivals.

On the other hand, when the Yankees were unable to re-sign Soto to a lucrative deal he was expecting, they were awarded flexibility and used this to sign multiple players with the money that could've went to Soto.

There were multiple players who headlined this offseason for the Yanks including: Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt. These acquisitions from this previous offseason for the Yanks are making a big impact on their 2025 success.

To start, let's talk about Max Fried. Fried had always been one of the top pitchers in the league with Atlanta, but since coming over to New York, he has posted a 1.29 ERA in his first 10 starts. Throughout every starting pitcher in the history of the Yankees, no one has ever posted this low of an ERA. 

Fried recorded six dominant innings last night in the series finale against the Mets, including two strikeouts of Juan Soto as well. With Gerrit Cole out for the season, Max Fried has stepped up as the ace that the Yankees ever so needed this season.

Let's move on to Cody Bellinger. Currently he holds the longest hitting streak in the MLB at 13 games and has hit over .370 during this stretch. To cap off last night's game, Bellinger hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th over Juan Soto's head to pad the Yanks lead. 

Not too long ago did Bellinger win the NL MVP during his tenure with the Dodgers. During this great stretch, Bellinger has started to look like his old self and exactly who the Yankees thought he was when they acquired him. 

Another former NL MVP in Paul Goldschmidt is the current Yankees starting 1st baseman. After a couple of rough seasons with Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees felt it was best to move on. Acquiring Goldschmidt kind of got lost in the mix with all of the other big headlines surrounding the team. 

However, what shouldn't get lost in the mix is his scorching hot start to the season. Goldschmidt has been absolutely raking to start the campaign with the third best average in all of baseball. He has been a flexible bat with his placement in the lineup and has provided New York with great production so far. 

Although we are roughly 50 games into the 2025 campaign, the Yankees have not missed Juan Soto's presence all too much. The reinforcements they have brought in have made all the difference and look to continue to do so as the season carries on. 

Historic Start for the Yankees

 

As the 2025 MLB season gets underway, the Bronx Bombers are off to an historic, unheard of, start to their campaign. After tallying 36 runs in their three game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Yankees bats are off to a scorching start. 

Despite a bitter offseason coming off a World Series loss and the departure of Juan Soto, the Yanks put that behind them after a record breaking weekend. In addition to scoring 36 runs, in their 20-9 win on Saturday, New York launched nine home runs. 

Those nine home runs are the most ever hit in a single game in the 122 years that the Yankees have existed. In all three games, the Bombers tallied 15 home runs, tying the record for the most in a three game set. 

4 of those 15 came off the bat of Aaron Judge. The MVP is off to the best start of his career and it's not even April yet. As Michael Kay said during the broadcast on Sunday, he truly is "one of the best right-handed hitters in MLB history." 

The biggest headline revolving around the Yankees over the weekend has been the implementation of their newly designed bats. The bats have certainly given them a lift offensively, and are perfectly legal to use. Despite there being tons of criticism regarding the new "torpedo bats", there is nothing illegal about them. 

Other Yankees such as Jazz Chisholm, Cody Bellinger, Anthony Volpe, and more have taken advantage of the new bats and have gotten off to a fast start. It will be interesting to see if these players continue to thrive in these new circumstances. If they do, we will definitely start seeing other teams implement these bats as well. 

The Yanks have an off day before continuing their home stand against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With all of the injuries suffered during Spring Training and Juan Soto leaving for the Mets, the Yankees have pushed this aside and started their World Series aspirations on the right note in 2025. 

Next up: Baseball!

 

With the NFL season now officially over with the champion being crowned, baseball is officially on the horizon and is the next sport to kick off. With pitchers and catchers reporting today and in the upcoming days, we are getting closer and closer to Opening Day. 

It has been a jam-packed offseason to say the least, making this upcoming season even more exciting. Since the last pitch was thrown and the Dodgers became the World Champs, a lot of faces have departed and arrived on new squads. 

The story of the offseason: Juan Soto. We will get to see Soto make his debut with the New York Mets for what the Mets hope to be a storied 15 years to come. The real question around this will be what New York team will be smiling when the eventual outcome of this signing is determined. 

It might not be this upcoming year, and it might not be for a while, but both the Mets and the Yankees spent a lot of time this offseason improving their clubhouses. The team that I'm convinced hasn't slept this entire offseason, even after winning the World Series, is the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The Dodgers, after winning their 8th World Series, were not satisfied and went out and brought in a whole bunch of new talent. A couple of the new faces in their clubhouse this season include: Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, and Tanner Scott. And they didn't really lose anything either. 

A back to back championship is well within the sites of the Dodgers. Despite the regular season looming, there is still one free agent that everyone is confused why he is still available. That is Alex Bregman. It still remains a mystery where he will sign, but whatever team does bring him in will be deemed a winner of this offseason. 

March 27th can't come soon enough. Now with the NFL off until August, the MLB will soon become the main attraction of America and other countries around the world. If this season is anything like the previous one, we are in for a fun ride ahead. 

The Aftermath: Juan Soto to the Mets

 

In case you missed it, the New York Mets signed Juan Soto to the largest free agent deal in American professional sports history. He signed a 15 year, $765 million deal with the team in Queens as he leaves the team in the Bronx after just one season.

The Yankees were optimistic that Soto would end up re-signing with them, but in the end they were wrong. Ultimately, Soto was after the money and loyalty didn't really matter when this sum of money was on the table. 

While some say Soto was only after the money, others say he wanted his own team. On the Yankees, he would always be outshined or sharing the spotlight with Aaron Judge, but on the Mets, he is the main attraction. Both sides of the story could be true, but we will never truly know the real answer. 

After Steve Cohen bought the Mets in 2020, fans were waiting for him to make a huge splash and four years later, he finally did. Acquiring Soto doesn't solve the puzzle for the Mets however. They still have a lot of holes in their roster. The pitching rotation and bullpen needs serious improvement even after the addition of Clay Holmes. 

First base is still also a huge question as Pete Alonso has yet to re-sign with the Mets. All in all, Soto will be great for the Mets, but he doesn't guarantee them a ring. They still have to go through the Dodgers at the end of the day. And the NL East isn't a walkover either with the Phillies and Braves still top contenders. 

Now let's look at it from the Yankees perspective. For the Yankees, they now have the ability to be more flexible this offseason without the $750+ million burden on one player. They've already went out and signed three all-stars this offseason: Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and Devin Williams. 

The three salaries of these superstars doesn't even add up to half of what Soto is making over 15 years in Queens. Fried gives the Yankees the nod as one of the best rotations in the MLB. Williams gives the Bronx Bombers a solid and reliable closer to slam the door when the tough gets going. 

And don't forget about Bellinger who already has an MVP on his resume as well. By signing Soto, the Yankees would probably not have had much flexibility to make these blockbuster moves. Now, they are able to go out and get not only these guys, but more to come. 

Like the Mets, the Yanks still have some holes as well. The Yanks have already announced that Bellinger will be taking over in center field, so first base still remains a question. In fact, both corners of the diamond remain lingering questions. Hot names going across the board are Christian Walker, Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, and more. 

Adding another one or two of these guys, and the Yanks are in prime position for another World Series push. Sure, there are definitely some cons to losing an MVP type player in Juan Soto, but as a Yankees fan as I look more and more at the pros and the aftermath of the deal, it really wasn't as catastrophic as some are reporting. 

Yanks Fall Short

 

For the 15th straight year, the Yankees will head into the offseason without a ring. The Yanks fell to the Dodgers in five games in the 2024 World Series and will have a lot on their plate this upcoming offseason. 

The most crucial thing New York must address this offseason is Juan Soto. Soto performed unbelievably this season and will have a huge price tag on his name as a free agent. The Yanks are one of the frontrunners to sign the young phenom, but they have legitimate competition from other suitors such as the Mets and Dodgers as well. 

The one-two punch of Soto and Judge proved to be almost impossible to stop in 2024. It would be an absolute dream for the Yankees if they can lock Soto up for the next decade or more. The asking price from Soto is probably going to be north of $500-600 million. Despite the steep price, he is worth every single penny. 

Getting him back is crucial and getting Gleyber Torres back is also a big priority. Torres has been with the Yankees for some time now and proved to be a reliable leadoff hitter down the stretch of the season. He is sometimes a liability in the field, but his performance at the plate is too good to deny. A great offseason would consist of Torres and Soto being back in pinstripes in 2025. 

The Yanks will need a new first baseman for the upcoming season. Anthony Rizzo's tenure with the Yankees is most likely over as his glory days in the MLB are quickly expiring. The 35 year old will head into free agency and will realistically not be wearing the pinstripes next season. 

One guy that has been high on the Yanks radar has been Pete Alonso. Alonso, an all-star first baseman for the Mets, enters free agency most likely looking for a new team. Alonso will probably have a high asking price that the Yankees should be willing to consider. They are a perfect match for each other as Alonso would fill a huge gap for the Bombers. 

New York will also have some key relievers testing the waters this offseason. Those names include: Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, and Jonathan Loaisiga. Loaisiga did not pitch in 2024, but when he is at his best he is unstoppable. Kahnle proved to be a threat in the playoffs and Holmes picked up the slack as well. 

The Yanks got the closest they have been to a championship in 15 years this season and will look to break the streak in 2025. Getting Juan Soto back in the Bronx is a must and should be the number one priority of the offseason. It should be an entertaining and quite amusing offseason for the Yankees. 

Best Duo Since Ruth and Gehrig?

 

In their first season as teammates, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are looking more and more like the modern day Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. If you think this is an exaggeration, just take a look at the stat comparisons. 

Judge is leading the majors in almost every important offensive category and Soto is not far behind as well. Besides being second in average and walks, he is first in home runs, RBIs, on base percentage, slugging, OPS. These stats aren't just regarding the American League, but all of Major League Baseball. 

Soto is in the top five in all of these categories: home runs, walks (1st), runs, on base percentage (only behind Judge), slugging, and OPS (only behind Judge). This duo is the main reason why the Yankees have one of the best records in baseball at this point in the season. 

It seems like almost every game, no matter the broadcast, there is a crazy stat reference of either Judge, Soto, or the both of them, to an MLB legend. The two have already made history this season after Judge hit his 300th career home run and Soto reached 30 home runs with his third different team at the age of just 25 years old. 

When the Yankees traded for Soto, they knew there would be some risk involved with him potentially not re-signing during the offseason. But now that they have seen with a firsthand perspective what he can do, the Yanks front office should be all in on Soto this coming offseason. Just hand him a blank check at this point. 

With Judge recently signing a contract worth $360 million over 9 years, Juan Soto is in for an enormous payday after the conclusion of this season. The prediction is that he signs for anywhere north of $500 million, and if he signs with the Yanks, the duo of Judge and Soto will be worth just under $1 billion. 

It doesn't happen often with players where they are consistently compared to the best that this sport has ever seen. But these two players have made their marks known and continue to impress day in and day out. The cherry on the top would be to bring home a 28th championship for the Yankees, and if Judge and Soto are leading this team, anything is possible. 

The Yankees Have a Problem

 

The Yankees have a problem on their hands, and that problem is the production of Clay Holmes. After yet another win slipped out of their grasp, Clay Holmes was the cause for the meltdown. 

Holmes currently leads the MLB in blown saves this season with 10. In a season where all the races are so tight, a little better production out of Holmes possibly could have cemented the Yankees as the top team in baseball. 

The most recent downfall was this previous Sunday after the Yankees entered the bottom of the ninth with the lead and called on Holmes to throw away the game once again. In a sport where pitching is what separates a team from winning the World Series and another from falling short, it baffles me that the Yankees didn't do more at the trade deadline to improve their closer situation. 

Yes, when Holmes is at his best, he looks like one of the best closers in baseball. But as of late, it seems as if even when he locks down a save, Yankee fans have to hold their breathes and sweat it out. If this was just a minor thing and only happened a couple times, I would let it go because it happens to a lot of relievers. 

But, this is a common thing and a change is needed. Obviously, it's past the trade deadline, you can't really just go out and acquire a shutdown reliever right now. What they can do is, they can bump Holmes out of the closer role for now and put someone else in his position for the time being. 

They've done this in the past with Holmes and I think they need to try it again. My number one option for taking over the closer role is Tommy Kahnle. Kahnle has been lights out recently and is a proven veteran that can get the job done. 

The 2024 Yankees don't have their bullpen arms of the past, such as Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Bentances, who can just blow it by batter after batter. The choice to replace Holmes would be a lot easier if they had a guy like this currently. 

Whether it is Kahnle or another arm, the Yankees need to adopt this strategy. The fact that Holmes has blown ten different games, and yet they are still a half a game up on the Orioles for the AL East is mind blowing. They could be running away with the division currently if there was a change of the guards for who locks down the 9th. 

My Yankees Report (25% into season)

 

The new look Yankees have played 42 games so far this season and have been looking like a much better and different team than just a season ago. The addition of guys such as Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, and others, along with the dominant pitching all around, the Yankees have been cruising. 

The Yankees currently hold the second-best record in the American League and that's without their ace, Gerrit Cole, and a slew of other arms as well. This season the Yankees have been able to hit the ball extremely well and consistently compared to their abysmal season at the plate last year. 

Yes, they are second in baseball with 57 home runs, but the averages, OPS, OBP, WAR, and all other stats are up from a season ago for a lot of their offense. For instance take Aaron Judge, off to a slow start in the hitting column, but to make up for that, his OPS is sky high and he is drawing the most walks he ever has before. 

New York has become a very patient and disciplined team at the plate and this is a direct reflection of the improvement from franchise shortstop Anthony Volpe. Volpe after winning a gold glove at shortstop a year ago, was dismayed by his offensive performance and wanted to focus on that going into the offseason. 

Volpe opened the season as arguably the best Yankee hitter for the first couple weeks and since then has cooled off a bit, but has shown massive improvement and he has earned the leadoff spot. The overwhelming talking point with the Yankees is obviously Juan Soto, so let's talk about him. 

Soto has been doing everything right in the field to in the batter's box. Currently leading the Yankees in most offensive categories, Soto is making a good case for MVP given the short amount of time this season has eclipsed. His job has been plain and simple when at the plate: give the opposing pitcher's nightmares. The lineup itself is already scary to deal with, and with Soto playing at his highest level, he's helping give his teammates better pitches to hit as well. 

Let's take a look at the pitching so far and they have not missed a beat, even in the absence of Gerrit Cole. Everyone was panicking in Spring Training that the Yankees were losing Cole for an extended amount of time, but they knew all along that they had the guys in that clubhouse to fill the gaps. The rotation headlined by Stroman, Rodon, Cortes, Gil, and Schmidt has been nothing but excellent so far in the first 42 games. 

The Yankees pitching staff currently combines for the second-best ERA in all of the Majors at 3.10. With the pitching doing its job, even without their ace, and the offense being able to facilitate at a high rate, it is going to be tough to beat this team given that they keep it up. 

We know the end goal is to get a 28th to the Bronx and with the way this team has been playing, they are definitely going to be in contention for it. Although it's a small sample size, it's refreshing to know that the Yankees are playing some great baseball. 

Who Will Win the AL West?

 

Currently speaking on August 9th, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are separated by 2.5 games in the AL West standings. The Rangers have lead the division for the majority of the season with their high-powered offense and sneaky good pitching, but can the Astros make a late season push for the crown in the AL West?

Since 2017, the Texas Rangers really haven't been very competitive. The Rangers have not made the postseason since 2016 when they last won the division. The Rangers just recently moved into a new stadium in Arlington and wanted to put a good team out there so fans can show up and enjoy the new stadium and newly revamped team. 

This really started last year when the Rangers made two huge acquisitions when they acquired Marcus Semien and Corey Seager in two lucrative free agent deals. With some of their homegrown talent on the offensive side, and adding new pitching such as Jacob DeGrom this previous offseason, the Rangers rebuild seems to be over and years of success are ahead of them. 

The thing that is standing in their way, however, is the Houston Astros. Since 2017, the Astros have been crowned the champs of the AL West 5 times, dominating the division as of late. The Astros have established somewhat of a dynasty through these years besides all of the scandals that their previous teams have been involved with. 

The Astros are an all-around excellent team with great hitting, pitching, and coaching as well with Dusty Baker at the helm. There's a reason why they have made six American League championship series's in a row and in that time have also made it to four World Series as well. 

For the foreseeable future, the Astros will always remain contenders in the AL, but there is a new sheriff in town in the AL West with the emergence of the Texas Rangers. I think wherever the Astros are placed in the postseason they will thrive and ultimately I believe the Rangers will be the ones to be crowned champions of the AL West for the first time since 2016. 

Biggest Winner of the Deadline

The trade deadline is past us and it is officially time to crown my biggest winner, the Miami Marlins. The Marlins who are characteristically sellers at the deadline, took a different approach this year and bought pieces that they believe will give them the best chance to compete and play games in October. 

In the Marlins brief history, since they became a team in the early 1990s, they have only made the playoffs three times and most of their other seasons have been viewed as the laughing stock of the league. Well this season is much different than that, and although the Marlins are currently not sitting in a playoff spot, this team is special. 

The Marlins needed a change after yet another down year last season, so they went out and hired Skip Schumaker to run the ball club and made arguably one of the biggest trades in franchise history when they acquired Luis Arraez from the Twins. Arraez has been the heart and soul of this team ever since Opening Day and the fish have never looked back since. 

The Marlins made 4 big moves at this year's deadline that are going to help this team a ton down the stretch. Their first 2 moves were acquiring major bullpen help when they went out and acquired David Robertson and Jorge Lopez. Robertson has been in the league for a long time and has a ton of playoff experience and is still thriving at an older age. 

Lopez has struggled a bit this season, but is only one year removed from being an all-star last season and now has one of the best pitching coaches in the league in his hip pocket. The bullpen has been a weak spot for the fish this season, so Kim Ng went out and addressed the issue and may have fixed the problem with these acquisitions.

Another weak spot that the Marlins addressed was the lack of power on offense. So they went out and got a guy whose hit 25 homers this season in Jake Burger, and veteran Josh Bell who is known to be a power hitter as well. They needed more bats that can easily drive in Luis Arraez when he leads off an inning with a single. Arraez has been their MVP, but he can't do it all. Burger and Bell are going to help him out a lot.

No one had any high expectations or any good expectations at all for this Marlins team, but they are putting it together well this season. Although it is a congested competition for the NL wild card, I expect and would like to see this young Marlins team back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. 

Yanks Stand Pat At The Deadline

 

As the trade deadline officially passes, the New York Yankees were the biggest losers at this year's deadline mark. After 106 games into the season with a lackluster offense, New York makes zero trades for any offensive help while only making two minor reliever additions to the bullpen. 

The Yankees were certainly very confused coming into this trade deadline. They've played some really bad baseball as of late and could've easily been sellers at the deadline but they did not sell. Although they sit last in a very tough AL East and are now only 3 games above .500, the Yanks are only 3.5 games out of the last wild card spot and are still very much in the race with 55 games left to play. 

No matter how bad the bats have been as of late, this team is still very well in it and it is just baffling to me that they didn't go out and acquire some new offensive talent to help this team out. Instead they go and add to what has been their one strong suit, the bullpen. 

Even if the Yankees did sell at the deadline, they still could've easily stayed in the race for that last wild card spot and embrace the let the kids play mentality. Obviously the players that are contributing to this team right now aren't getting the job done, so go out there and call up some of the kids and let them show you what they can do to help this team win some ball games.

This mentality is being embraced all over the league with teams like the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Arizona Diamondbacks just to name a few. In addition, the one thing that these teams all have in common is that they all currently occupy a playoff spot and are doing it with a subpar payroll. Nowadays it's been proven that bigger payrolls don't always mean more success, in fact its the complete opposite. 

The race for the last AL wild card spot is currently very congested between I believe 4-5 legitimate teams. 3 of those teams were buyers at the deadline and very much improved their teams unlike the Yankees and the Mariners. There's only one spot really up for grabs as of now and the Yanks don't seem very motivated or good enough to contend for that spot currently. 

One thing is true, the offense has been in a major slump almost this entire season and it doesn't seem like they are going to break out of it anytime soon. A fresh couple of bats to the lineup might've really helped this team out, but obviously Brian Cashman and company had other ideas. 

The Rise of the O's

The Baltimore Orioles have surprised many faces around the league with how well they have played this year and look to keep it up as we get closer and closer to October. Although their ETA wasn't for another year or two, the Orioles are here and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. 

After six straight years of finishing either last or 4th in the division, the Orioles currently lead the AL East and have the second-best record in all of baseball. The main contributors to the success of this team were top prospects in the Orioles farm system not too long ago. 

Those contributors being Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Both Rutschman and Henderson spent time as the #1 prospects in all of baseball and have made an immediate impact on the ball club ever since getting called up not too long ago. The Orioles maintain one of the best farm systems in the league and they continue to call up their top prospects, embracing the let the kids play mentality and it has sure paid off for them recently. 

Not only has the offense been good, but the real highlight of the Orioles this year has been their bullpen,  their setup to closer duo in particular. That duo consists of Yennier Cano and Felix Bautista. The two have been so reliable and unbelievable for the O's this year. Some regard Bautista as the best closer in the game today and is 0.87 ERA would definitely support him. 

That is why the Orioles are so good in close and meaningful games because they have these two guys to rely on and whenever their number is called, they do not disappoint. This will pay off heavily in the postseason as well in late game situations. Not many teams have the reliability in the back of the bullpen like the Orioles do this season. 

The one thing that the Orioles need to improve on is starting pitching. Today is deadline day and if you want to have success in the postseason, you need good starting pitching. There are plenty of big names on the market that the Orioles have shown interest in and would be vital additions to their staff. The O's are going to need a more reliable ace than their current one in Kyle Gibson. Even if it doesn't mean acquiring an ace, they still need to consider all of their options to bulk their rotation. 

The Orioles haven't made the playoffs since 2016 and haven't made it out of the AL Wild Card since 2014 when they last won the AL East. It has been a long and cruel time for Orioles fans since their beloved Orioles last played October baseball, but this year they are defying all the odds and are one of the most fun teams to watch in the sport. 

The Angels Are Officially Buyers

 

            The big question that had been swirling around the league the past couple of weeks was if the Angels were going to choose to be buyers or sellers during this year's trade deadline. After their monumental move acquiring Lucas Giolito from the Chicago White Sox, it is clear that the Angels have determined that they will be buyers and remain highly competitive until October. 

            Late last night, the Angels finalized a deal to acquire starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox for two prospects. Giolito adds to a young Angels pitching rotation that is lead by Shohei Ohtani but has not received as much production from the others. 

            Giolito was one of the top arms on the market this deadline, being arguably the ace of the White Sox pitching staff, has some postseason experience, and is a former all-star. Adding that type of experience to this Angels ball club is exactly what they need if they are serious about playing baseball in October. 

            The Angels have been hot in their last 8 games, winning 7 of them, but they still stand multiple games out of the last AL wild card spot and in 3rd place in the AL West. A lot is going to need to change and go in their direction if they want any shot at their first postseason licks since 2014. 

            I spoke about it in my last blog and was highly confident on the fact that the Angels should have approached this deadline as sellers. From where they currently stand it is going to be an uphill climb to get to where they want to be in a very tough American League. Obviously, the Angels front office does not want to give up on their team midway through the season and that is why they made this deal. 

            They are basically saying to the rest of the league that the Angels are here and not going anywhere. But one move isn't going to change the trajectory of an entire team so I expect more moves to be made from the Angels by next Tuesday. 

            This move does pose as a major risk for the Halos as well. It could very well mean that instead of receiving a major package in return for Shohei Ohtani this season, that they lose the Japanese superstar in the offseason and get nothing in return. There's no appropriate price to put on one of the best players, if not the best, this sport has ever seen, but something is much better than nothing. 

            It's no secret that the Angels pitching has been their soft spot this season as they sit in the bottom half of the league in a number of different pitching stats. Adding Giolito and Lopez is certainly going to help both the bullpen and starting rotation, but their main focus for the rest of the deadline should be to acquire more quality arms to pair with them. Their offense has not been the problem so it shouldn't really be touched, but adding a bat or two wouldn't hurt them. 

            One thing that the Angels have struggled with mightily in recent history has been their injury problems. Currently their top two highest paid players have been on the IL for some time along with other quality bats and arms as well. The front office certainly is looking at the perspective that these guys will come back at some point and positively contribute to the team along with the acquisitions being made now before the deadline. 

            On paper, the Angels look good and just got even better, but recent history tells us that the Angels could look great on paper, but they haven't played October baseball in 9 years. The foot should remain heavily on the pedal and the Angels should keep buying and once everyone else gets healthy, the Angels believe they have a real shot at getting somewhere in 2023. 

            

Previewing the MLB Trade Deadline

 

            The MLB trade deadline is just under a week away and there are a lot of big names coming up in potential trade conversations this deadline. We haven't seen a monumental trade yet, but in the upcoming days we should see a plethora of them. 

            This season has been a very unique one in the fact that many teams are winning before they were expected to, and that leaves the teams who were projected to succeed in a dark hole. Young teams that had ETA's in the upcoming years such as the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Baltimore Orioles, just to name a few, are currently taking the MLB by storm en route to a potential postseason birth.

            These teams will be definite buyers at the upcoming deadline, but where does this leave other teams. In all three of the team's divisions I just mentioned, there is a team who has highly exceeded expectations, and others that have went well below those expectations. 

            Currently, the top three payrolls in all of baseball are not occupying a wild card spot and many assume they will become sellers at this deadline. I think this is very unique because until this season, teams that pay the big bucks win the big games. These three teams are the Mets, Yankees, and Padres. All three of these teams have big time stars that want to compete for championships and this season cannot do that with these teams. 

            Historically, I don't think there has really ever been a season where the top three payrolls in the entire sport have struggled this bad and have contended with possibly selling at the trade deadline. There hasn't been a big move made yet while the league is waiting to see what will ensue with these top teams that have paid their way into a miserable season. 

            Moving onto the actual targets at the deadline, this year's deadline includes many more promising pitching targets than bats. Pitchers such as Dylan Cease, Marcus Stroman, and even maybe Justin Verlander are headlining the field for buyers looking for pitching at this year's deadline. My prediction is that the Reds and the Orioles go out and acquire a notable pitcher by August 1st to pad their rotation which isn't the sharpest and will help them in the long run. 

            Both teams on the offensive side have little to no holes, but the pitching staff could certainly use some help. We all know that in October, you can have as much offense as you want but if the pitching is not there, then you can kiss your chances goodbye. In the next 6 days there are going to be a lot of new pitchers suiting up for different clubs. 

            Now for the biggest headline throughout the league, Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is a free agent this upcoming offseason and is free to sign with whatever team he chooses and many believe that won't be the Angels. He's by far the best player in our game today and with that comes extreme value added to his name. If the Angels were to trade him then they would be receiving an absolute haul in return from whatever team he is dealt to. 

            Currently, the Angels sit a couple games out of the last wild card spot in a very tough American League. It is not going to get any easier for the Halos and they could be in a spot this offseason where they lose Ohtani and get nothing back in return. If I was the general manager of the Angels, I would be fielding calls and taking offers left and right for Ohtani. 

            Sure he's the best player in baseball, but he hasn't taken your team to a postseason once and it's time for something new in Anaheim. Trading Ohtani would absolutely set the Angels up for the future and eliminate the risk at losing him in the offseason for nothing. If the right deal is there for the Angels, I would take it. If a team does land Ohtani, then they might as well give him a blank check because he is going to get paid. 

            In any sport, the trade deadline is always a fascinating time of year and this season the headlines could not be greater in the MLB. The surprises of what happens on deadline day is the best part and I can't wait to see what new changes take place in the baseball world come next Tuesday. 

The Downfall of the Tampa Bay Rays

 

            While the rest of the MLB community is focused on Shohei Ohtani, Elly De La Cruz, and other major headlines currently ongoing throughout the league, no one is talking about the downfall that the Tampa Bay Rays have been going through. 

            39 games into the regular season, the Rays were dominating anyone who would try and step in their way, cruising to a 30-9 record. But, since their historically hot start, they have gone 31-33 ever since, fallen out of first place in the AL East, and do not hold the best record in baseball anymore. 

            Don't get me wrong, the Rays don't need a massive change and are not stuck in a big hole, they are still 19 games above .500 and own the top wild card spot in the AL. It's just surprising to see a team that many thought would break all kinds of records this season to fall off this bad and no one seems to be acknowledging it. 

            Statistically speaking, the Rays have been one of the best teams on paper all season no matter their recent struggles. They lead baseball in combined ERA, they are in the top 10 in combined batting average, and have committed not many errors defensively. Those three stats will tell you that the Rays are an all around sharp team. 

            To put it in simple terms, the pace that the Rays were on earlier in the season was going to be difficult to keep up and they have shown that through the past couple months. Teams around the Rays are also not waiting for them to pick it up again and they are capitalizing off of the Rays' woes. 

            The main team that has capitalized from the Rays' troubles has been the Baltimore Orioles. Just a little while ago, the Orioles seemed to be cemented into second place in the AL East until they started to really come around as a team and just recently took three out of four games from the Rays in Tampa. As a result of this series, the Rays are now 2.5 games out of first in the division. 

            Sometimes in baseball it can take one major slump to take your team out of contention, but luckily for the Rays, they started so hot that they can afford to have a slump like this and still be well in it. The talent that the Rays have built up to this point throughout the years with the money constraints that they have has been very impressive. They have the bats, the arms, and the defense that is more than capable of making a run in October, but they have to get back to playing better baseball. 

            They don't have to revert back to the form they were in through the first 40 games of the season, it just needs to be back playing around .500 baseball. The Rays play like a team that is matured and experienced although they are one of the youngest teams in baseball. Sometimes this can happens to these types of teams, so it isn't a surprise with the Rays this time around.