The first half of the season has produced some great storylines. From the out-of-nowhere San Francisco Giants, to the rise of “Sho-time” Shohei Ohtani as the AL MVP frontrunner, to the struggling Yankees finding them 8 games behind their rivals over in Boston, there has been a lot to talk about so far! It’s been great to see stadiums packed with fans and the rivalries sparked again on the field and in the stands.

As we gear up for the second half of the MLB season, including the looming trade deadline a few weeks, let’s take a look at where things stand at the moment!

  

• Houston buzzed all the way up to 2nd in this week’s rankings! They sputtered a bit in the Yankees series, but they do still own the MLB’s second-best run differential behind a potent offense. If this team adds more pitching at the trade deadline, they are going to be really tough to beat.
• The Milwaukee Brewers tumbled to 8th in this week’s rankings after losing 3 of 4 games against the Reds and 2 of 3 games against the Mets. They still own a 4-game lead in the NL Central, but is their current roster good enough offensively to compete with the rest of the league come October?
• The Reds are close to cracking the top-10 as they come in at number 11 this week! They’ve won 9 of their last 11 games, including a 3-game sweep of the Cubs and, as mentioned above, stealing 3 of 4 games from the Brewers. Luis Castillo looks like he might be back to his old self, which is (obviously) very important for the future of this ball club.
• The Braves (13th this week) just lost superstar Ronald Acuña Jr for the season with a torn ACL. This team may still be good enough to compete for the division, so we could still see them add a few pieces at the trade deadline later this month. An outfielder and some bullpen upgrades are on the wish list.
• Speaking of the NL East division, the Phillies (18th) are finally playing better baseball! They still own a negative run differential, but they’re back to .500 with a 44-44 record. This entire division aside from the Marlins may be looking to add to their rosters rather than subtract in the next few weeks. It’s up for grabs with the Mets holding just a 3.5 game lead over the Phillies, 4 game lead over the Braves, and a 6 game lead over the Nationals. The Marlins are getting close (with some really good pitching!), but they would need more than just one impact bat to really compete this year.
• The Cubs fell again to 20th in this week’s rankings after a week to forget. They are 2-13 in their last 15 games, including being swept in back-to-back 3-game series’ against the Reds and the Brewers. They will most likely be the biggest sellers at the trade deadline, as they have a lot of talent with expiring contracts. Look for big names like including Kris Bryant and Craig Kimbrel to be on the move as the Cubs look to add some young talent to their roster in return.

• The All-Star Game is schedule for Tuesday, July 13th in Denver, Colorado. Tune in to see the game’s biggest stars battle it out!
• Which team in the NL East will make this biggest acquisitions as they battle it out for a wide-open division.
• Do the Yankees make a big move to try to claw their way back into the AL East race?
• Trevor Story has made it pretty clear he does not see himself in Colorado long-term. Which contender might trade for Story – an elite defender at shortstop with speed and a lot of pop in his bat? The shortstop position is very deep currently across the league, but many teams could use his speed and power combination.
• Can the Giants keep up their underdog story in the second half? Going toe-to-toe with the Dodgers and Padres in the NL West has been a treat to watch!
• The White Sox have an 8-game lead in the AL Central, but might still be looking to make a big move to put them over the top. Can they win it all this year with a very talented roster?