18 biggest questions for MLB second half: Trade deadline targets, can Tigers win it all?

USA Today

2 days ago

PHOENIX — We never saw the Rafael Devers trade coming, the most stunning in-season deal since Mike Piazza became a Marlin.
We figured the Baltimore Orioles would be playing into October, not into being the No. 1 seller at the trade deadline.
We believed the Los Angeles Dodgers had a chance to break the Seattle Mariners' modern-day record of 116 victories, not placing what feels like 116 players on the injured list, using 16 different starters with Kiké Hernandez (five) and Miguel Rojas (four) pitching in more games this year than Cy Young winner Blake Snell (two).
We never anticipated a franchise would simultaneously fire their manager and GM, as if Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez were spotted on a Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert.
And, no, never, ever did we imagine an All-Star Game where the winning run never scored, where there were no winning or losing pitcher, and the best pitcher on the mound was Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel for giving up four home runs, including three by Kyle Schwarber in a 'swing-off.''
Now that we've watched Cal Raleigh morph into Johnny Bench, Pete Crow-Armstrong perform like Cool Papa Bell, and Paul Skenes wondering what he ever did to make sure his teammates never score for him in the first half, here is a traditional doubleheader (with no swing-offs) of baseball's top storylines for the second half.
1. Will we have a new World Series champion?
A year ago at this time, the Detroit Tigers were waving the white flag, sellers at the trade deadline after sending No. 2 starter Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Here they are today as perhaps the finest team in all of baseball.
The Tigers have the best pitcher on the planet in Tarik Skubal, who's favored to win his second consecutive Cy Young award. They had six All-Stars.
This is a young talented team that perhaps needs only a swing-and-miss closer to bring Detroit its first World Series title since 1984.
2. Can Cal Raleigh continue his torrid pace and win AL MVP over Aaron Judge?
While Raleigh leads MLB with 38 homers, just 10 shy of the most homers by a catcher in an entire season, Judge has a 1.187 OPS with a shot to become baseball's first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
But if Raleigh breaks Judge's AL record of 62 home runs, and leads the Mariners into the playoffs, all bets are off.
This could be the closest AL MVP race involving a Yankee player since Joe DiMaggio beat Ted Williams by a single vote in 1947.
3. Can Shohei Ohtani become the first two-way player since Babe Ruth to dominate the postseason as a hitter and pitcher?
Ohtani, who hasn't thrown more than three innings or 36 pitches in a start this season, could finally be unleashed in September, just in time for the postseason. Ohtani is already throwing 101.7-mph, and averaging 92.2 mph on his four-season fastball.
It may be impossible for Ohtani to duplicate Ruth's pitching prowess in the World Series (3-0 record and 0.87 ERA, including 29⅔ scoreless innings), but, oh, can he ever make a difference.
4. Who will be the most aggressive buyers at the deadline?
The New York Yankees, who would love to acquire Diamondbacks All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez and either starter Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly at the deadline, have no choice but to be aggressive. Sitting home in October would be nothing short of disastrous.
The Toronto Blue Jays has all of Canada salivating with their first-half performance and have no choice but to do what it takes to get a starter, no matter the price.
The New York Mets understand the embarrassment if they're not playing deep into October with a $765 million outfielder and the highest payroll in the game.
The Chicago Cubs, who were aggressive during the winter prying All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and closer Ryan Pressly from the Astros, can't stop now.
And can the Seattle Mariners really go another season not playing in October without heads rolling in the Northwest?
5. Who will be the biggest sellers at the trade deadline?
The Arizona Diamondbacks, who have wallowed in mediocrity all season, hold the most cards. They've got Suarez, Gallen and Kelly, first baseman Josh Naylor, reliever Shelby Miller and outfielder Randal Grichuk all on the trade block.
Only the Baltimore Orioles could top them with their collection of available talent: Felix Bautista, Ryan O'Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, Charlie Morton, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez and Andrew Kittredge.
6. Who are the Dodgers targeting at the trade deadline?
The Dodgers, who swore up and down all winter and spring that they were going to stay out of the trade market, now have no choice but to get another reliever.
They thought they assembled a light-outs out bullpen when they shelled out $107 million to sign co-closers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, to go along with Blake Treinen.
Scott has already blown seven saves and given up eight homers with a 4.09 ERA. Yates is yielding a .500 slugging percentage. Evan Phillips underwent Tommy John surgery. And Treinen and Michael Kopech are hurt.
It leaves the Dodgers scouring the market, talking with the Minnesota Twins about Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax of the Minnesota Twins, Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles, Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals, David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians.
7. Who are the Boston Red Sox and what will they do at the trade deadline?
Remember when everyone laughed at Red Sox baseball officer Craig Breslow's comments after the Rafael Devers trade:
'I do think that there is a real chance that at the end of the season, we're looking back, and we've won more games than we otherwise would have.''
The Reds Sox were 37-36 with Devers, but since the trade, they're 16-10 with the third-best record in baseball.
The Red Sox, who are in the thick of the wild-card race, were in a similar situation as a year ago when they were 53-43, a season-best 10 games over .500. Yet, they collapsed after the break and disappeared out of the playoff picture.
The Red Sox entered the break on a 10-game winning streak, but could be in for a nasty fall considering their first three series are against the Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Dodgers.
This is a team that hasn't had a winning record after the trade deadline since 2018, finishing a combined 31 games under .500.
8. Can the Tampa Bay Rays survive life on the road?
Just when you think this is the year the Rays' glass slipper gets shattered with no roof over their head, they still show up and just won't go away.
They were dealt a nasty hand when their roof was blown off at Tropicana Field, forcing them to play their home games at a minor league park, and handed a brutal schedule to avoid the summer heat and storms as much as possible.
They are left with a stretch playing 29 of their next 38 games on the road, including a 12-game West Coast trip. They have only 22 home games remaining the entire season after playing Wednesday.
9. Who will win the NL East now that Atlanta is out of the picture?
Is it the Philadelphia Phillies or the New York Mets?
The Phillies, even with the third-worst defense in baseball, their lowest slugging percentage in seven years, and now third baseman Alec Bohm on the injured list with a fractured rib cage, still should win the division.
Simply, their starting rotation of Zach Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola is too strong, and perhaps the best in baseball.
10. Could the Milwaukee Brewers win the NL Central once again?
The Brewers entered Saturday with a 32-12 record since May 25, best in all of baseball, led by a starting rotation that can overpower anyone with Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski, Quinn Priester and Jose Quintana.
Just ask the Dodgers, who have lost to the Brewers four times in the past 11 days, scoring a total of four runs while hitting .151.
'They're a really good team," Jed Hoyer, Cubs president of baseball operations, told reporters Friday. 'I don't think they're going to go away.''
11) Could Paul Skenes break Felix Hernandez's record for the fewest victories (13) by a Cy Young winner?
Skenes has a 2.01 ERA, including 131 strikeouts over 121 innings, but somehow he is just 4-8.
He has permitted just nine earned runs in his last eight starts with a 1.77 ERA, but is winless. He has 13 winless starts this season in which he's permitted two or fewer runs.
He will need a shoulder to cry on after the season, Cy Young or not.
12. Can the Blue Jays win the AL East?
The Blue Jays, who finished in last place in the AL East last season, 20 games behind the New York Yankees, are looking like the Toronto teams that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.
They have gone 40-21 since May 8 and still haven't hit their stride. Can you imagine how good they can be if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ever starts to show his power again? He has just 13 homers and is slugging a career-low .429. They also have been winning without injured outfielders Anthony Santander and Daulton Varsho. Max Scherzer has pitched just 23 innings. And closer Jeff Hoffman has already given up nine home runs, matching his total of the last two years.
Yet, they are sitting in first place.
13. Will Rafael Devers ever be the slugger the Giants anticipated this year?
The Giants had playoff visions dancing in their mind when they acquired Devers, but look what has happened. Devers is hitting just .206 with two homers, striking out 36 times in 97 at-bats.
The Giants' offense has gone belly-up since Devers' arrival. They were 41-31, and ranked 14th in MLB in runs scored before the trade, and since are just 11-16 and 27th in runs scored.
And, oh yeah, he still hasn't played first base for the Giants.
14. Will the Marlins trade Sandy Alcantara?
The Marlins were hoping to bring in a haul of prospect for the former Cy Young winner at the deadline.
They never envisioned that he would like a shell of his former self.
Alcantara is 4-9 with a 7.14 ERA and 1.495 WHIP, and is getting worse. He is yielding an 8.61 ERA in his last four starts, giving up 32 hits in 23 innings with 14 strikeouts and five walks.
The Marlins may have no choice now but to hang onto him and shop him again this winter.
15. How much further can Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers embarrass his former team?
Stowers, who was dealt from Baltimore along with second baseman Connor Norby to the Marlins at last year's trade deadline for starter Trevor Rogers, not only made the All-Star team and not only hit three homers against the Orioles in the final game before the break, but just joined Hall of Famer Ty Cobb as the only players in MLB history to produce at least eight hits with five homers and 11 RBIs in a two-game span.
Stowers leads the Marlins in batting average (.298), runs (48), homers (21), and RBIs (59) with a .935 OPS.
16. Will Reds manager Terry Francona work his second-half magic and get Cincinnati into the postseason?
Francona, who's headed to the Hall of Fame after he retires, is a guru getting his teams to excel in the second half, and the Reds are at it once again, winning six of their last seven games, twice beating the New York Mets coming out of the break.
Francona led the Guardians to five postseason berths with strong second halves, going 477-425 (.529) in the first half and 409-307 (.571) in the second half.
He really worked his magic in the first year of his three previous stops in Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland.
His teams went 123-143 (.462) in the first half, and 135-85 (.614) in the second half, a 152-point winning percentage improvement.
And the Reds should receive a nice boost with ace Hunter Greene (4-3, 2.72 ERA) returning in August.
17. Can the Astros continue their dynasty?
This is a team that everyone gave up when they traded All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and let third baseman Alex Bregman walk out the door.
Well, after winning the AL West seven consecutive full seasons – with four pennants and two World Series championships – they're defying the odds once again.
The Astros are sitting in first place despite two members of their opening-day starting rotation undergoing Tommy John surgery, a third who hasn't pitched in a game since mid-April, their best player (Yordan Alvarez) hasn't played since May 2, and neither Christian Walker nor Yainer Diaz have an OPS above .690.
They could also be even better the second half with starters Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia on the way back to returning in August, and starters J.P. France and Spencer Arrighetti rejoining them later in the month.
They are focusing on acquiring a left-handed hitter at the deadline for a lineup that features the fewest at-bats by a left-handed hitter in baseball.
18. Can the New York Yankees return to the World Series?
The Yankees, even without ace Gerrit Cole, were comfortably cruising along towards another AL East title when the wheels came off, and they have less than two weeks to see if they can find the right mechanic to get them rolling again.
This is a team that had a seven-game lead in late May, were 17 games over .500 in mid-June, but then were swept by the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels, and still haven't been the same, losing 19 times in the last 30 games.
They are desperate to find a third baseman and another starter in the next 12 days.
If they come up empty, they may have trouble just slipping into the postseason.
Around the basepaths
– The Athletics have told teams they're wasting their time by even calling: They are not trading closer Mason Miller.
– Several teams sent scouts to watch 40-year-old reliever David Robertson in a private workout this past weekend. He was willing to pitch this year, but no one met his asking price of $10 million. Now, contenders are trying to assess whether he can still be a dominant reliever after not pitching in a game since last September.
– The St. Louis Cardinals remain undecided whether they will trade closer Ryan Helsley at the deadline, but since they don't plan to tender him a qualifying offer, they realize they may have no choice but to move him with at least five contenders showing interest.
– Major League Baseball believes the strongest two expansion markets remain Salt Lake City, Utah, and Nashville, with no plans to put an expansion franchise back into Oakland.
– While the Diamondbacks plan to call up top prospect Jordan Lawlar to play third base once they trade All-Star Eugenio Suárez, scouts who have watched Lawlar insist he should be moved off the infield to center field.
– Former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker and bench coach Walt Weiss are expected to be strong candidates to replace Brian Snitker as Atlanta's manager when he retires after the season.
Schumaker could also wind up in Texas if Bruce Bochy retires.
– Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte said he needed time off after the All-Star break, learning during that his Phoenix house was burglarized. The Diamondbacks placed him on the restricted list without pay, and he missed Saturday's game when the D-backs were honoring him with his own bobblehead.
– The Yankees and Red Sox, each looking for a starting pitcher, have sent scouts to watch Diamondbacks starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in Phoenix, with the Yankees also keeping a close eye on third baseman Eugenio Suárez (32 homers, 80 RBI).
– The Cardinals are planning on keeping third baseman Nolan Arenado through the deadline with no teams showing strong interest in him since he rejected potential deals to the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels.
– The Astros are letting everyone know they are in the market for a left-handed bat.
– Cardinals starters Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas still say they have no interest in leaving St. Louis, and would exercise their no-trade clauses to veto any potential deals.
– Atlanta is expected to listen to trade offers for catcher second baseman Ozzie Albies, center fielder Michael Harris and catcher Sean Murphy, but not until this winter.
They are letting teams know that DH Marcell Ozuna, closer Raisel Iglesias and reliever Pierce Johnson are all available.
Ozuna, who has 10-and-5 rights, can veto any trade.
– MLB was strongly considering putting the Rays' potential home playoff games in Miami, but with the team being sold, decided the games would be played at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, to appease new owner Patrick Zalupski.
Their new stadium will almost certainly be in Tampa, and not St. Petersburg.
– While MLB is still confident that the Minnesota Twins will be sold in the near future, potential buyers are balking at the approximate $450 million in debt on the Twins' books, to go along with their $1.7 billion price tag.
– While 11-time All-Star Clayton Kershaw was swarmed by teammates and fellow All-Star who wanted to talk to him or grab his autograph, it brought back memories for Kershaw when he was at his first All-Star game.
So, who was he awestruck by?
'Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay," Kershaw said. 'I got to be in the outfield and talk to them. That was pretty cool."
The Diamondbacks, who lost starters Corbin Burnes and Jordan Montgomery, along with co-closers Martinez and A.J. Puk, to Tommy John surgery, are telling teams they want pitching in return for the players they move at the deadline.
Their only starters under control for next season are Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Eduardo Rodriguez.
The Diamondbacks will have $70 million coming off the books with their free-agent departures.
– The San Diego Padres had five players at the All-Star Game, including seven others who are former Padres: Trevor Megill, Andres Munoz, MacKenzie Gore, James Wood, Max Fried, Josh Hader and Brent Rooker.
'Shoutout to A.J. for drafting half the MLB,' Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
– Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton ended any potential trade talk at the All-Star break by reminding everyone that he has a full no-trade clause, and isn't about to waive it.
'I'm going to be a Minnesota Twin for the rest of my life,' Buxton says. 'It's the best feeling in the world, knowing I can walk into a clubhouse that says 'Minnesota Twins' for the rest of my life.'
– The New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs have all checked in with the Pirates for third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes.
– The Twins will listen to offers, but are expected to keep starter Joe Ryan.
– The Washington Nationals are letting teams know that Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell, Amed Rosario, Mike Soroka and Nathaniel Lowe all are available.
– Dodgers All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman believes it's a little silly when Atlanta fans keep comparing first baseman Matt Olson to him simply because he was the one who replaced Freeman.
'I don't feel for him because he hits 50 home runs a year," Freeman said. 'He's doing just fine. He hits way more homers than me. Let Matt Olson be Matt Olson. He's doing a wonderful job."
– Freeman first realized he might be better than most of his peers back when he was playing T-ball.
'I got sat on the outfield line and I wasn't allowed to move because I was turning triple plays by myself," Freeman said. 'Then I skipped two divisions and I started playing with 10- and 11-year-olds when I was 7. At the time, I didn't really notice but now that I think back, I'm like, 'Oh, maybe that's not normal.'
– Kudos to the Texas Rangers for giving starter Nathan Eovaldi a $100,000 All-Star bonus even though he didn't make the team. Eovaldi, 35, had a major-league leading 1.58 ERA in 91 innings in the first half, but was not chosen. He has yet to permit more than three runs in any of his 16 starts this season.
– New Hall of Famer CC Sabathia says he would love to see Kenny Lofton, outfielders Gary Sheffield and Andruw Jones join him in Cooperstown one day.
Jones should be elected into the Hall of Fame in 2026, while Sheffield and Lofton must turn to the 16-member era committee.
– Former All-Star pitcher Aaron Sanchez, who hired a new sports agency (Smooth Baseball), is now trying to make a comeback. He last pitched in the big leagues in 2022.
– White Sox center fielder Luis Roberts' trade value finally is starting to show signs of life.
He is hitting .345 with three homers, seven RBIs, eight runs and a 1.131 OPS in the last 10 games.
– The Cleveland Guardians are telling teams they plan to keep closer Emanuel Clase, who still is under team control through 2028. He's eligible for salary arbitration one final time in 2026, and has club options for $10 million in 2027 and 2028.
– The suspension for former Dodgers ace Julio Urias, 28, quietly ended this week, but it's unknown whether any team will sign him after two domestic violence suspensions. He has not pitched since 2023.
– The Brewers selected more high school players (12) in the MLB draft than any team in baseball for the second consecutive year, including 12 on Day 2 of the draft.
– Padres All-Star third baseman Manny Machado didn't mince words that he is against the ABS challenge system that is likely heading to MLB next season.
'I don't like taking the human element out of the game,' Machado says. 'I know it sucks they make a lot of mistakes, but it's human. It's human error. So, I think there's better options that we can go with before we take that step.
'That's a drastic change and it's a big one. But I think there's other options and avenues that you can get to before taking that. I don't know, I wouldn't like it, honestly. I'm old school, though.'
Like it or not, it's coming.
'If the rule is coming, it doesn't matter what I feel like," Tigers Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal says. 'You have to make adjustments. It's the same thing with the pitch clock and not being able to shift anymore. It doesn't matter what players feel like. We don't have much say in our own game. Whatever they want, they push through, and this seems to be something that they want, so you might as well get used to it."
– If you really want interest to pique in baseball, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso believes, is to let players fight like hockey, with no one ejected for charging the mound.
'So, I think it should be hockey style,' Alonso says. 'So, I think if you want to go out and charge the mound, then you should be able to. … But if the pitcher or hitter charges, and they don't want to fight, and they take a knee, then they don't have to fight. But if someone charges the mound, it's one vs. one hockey style."
– So, why were there so many players willing to be mic'd up during the All-Star Game?
Each player was paid a $15,000 bonus.
– The only two remaining teams without a jersey sponsorship patch in baseball are the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.
– If the Padres are going to play deep into October, eventually they're going to have to start beating teams with winning records.
While they are pummeling teams with losing records, going 35-13, they are just 18-31 against teams with winning records.
The .367 winning percentage against teams with winning records is the fourth-worst in MLB, ahead of only the late-place Rockies, Athletics and Nationals.
– Boston Red Sox Alex Cora went to a concert during the All-Star break.
Yes, that concert, watching Coldplay with the infamous Jumbotron scene going viral.
– Phillies owner John Middleton isn't trying to camouflage his interest in retaining DH Kyle Schwarber, who's eligible for free agency in a little more than three months.
'There's nothing Kyle does that surprises us, no matter how great he is,' Middleton told reporters Friday. 'You expect that from Kyle. And he's a great person in the dugout. He's a great person in the clubhouse. We love him. We want to keep him. We don't need any motivation whatsoever.'
– The folks in Atlanta put on one glorious show at the All-Star Game, highlighted by the beautiful Hank Aaron tribute.
Yet, if there was one flaw, they should have had some sort of recognition for Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox, the winning manager in Atlanta history.
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