The Major League Baseball season has reached its 16-mile marker, and teams are shifting gears to tackle the second half with renewed focus. With just over two weeks until the trade deadline, contenders are making moves to bolster their rosters, while teams on the bubble are scrambling to stay afloat.
The Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays are among the teams that could make significant changes at the deadline. The Twins’ bullpen is a prime target, with right-handeders Joe Ryan, Jhoan Duran, and Griffin Jax all having three years of club control left.
The AL East is a hotly contested division, with the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles all vying for supremacy. The Red Sox are currently in first place, but the Rays’ struggles have created an opportunity for other teams to make a push.
In the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are battling for dominance, with the Brewers holding a narrow lead in their rivalry series. The NL West is a three-team race between the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners, with the Astros’ surprising win streak making them favorites to take the division.
On the individual player front, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is having a phenomenal season, posting 7.4 fWAR, which is second only to Cal Raleigh of the Mariners. The NL MVP race is less crowded, but Shohei Ohtani’s 4.7 fWAR puts him in contention.
Pitching prowess is also on display, with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet emerging as AL Cy Young Award contenders. Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates is making an unorthodox case for the NL Cy Young, despite struggling to win games.
The Colorado Rockies are on a downward spiral, having lost 22 of their first 46 games. Manager Bud Black has already been fired, and the team’s playoff chances seem unlikely.
As the second half gets underway, teams will need to navigate injuries, trade deadlines, and shifting divisions to make a push for the postseason. With the stakes higher than ever, the next few weeks promise to be thrilling for baseball fans.
Source: https://pitcherlist.com/5-things-to-watch-for-in-the-second-half-of-the-2025-mlb-season