The MLB All-Star game is just days away, and we have encountered a fascinating season in baseball thus far. The races are tight in both league’s wildcards and there are sure to be some major trades as we get closer to the trade deadline. Here’s our 2024 American League midseason review.
The Best of the Best
There are three absolute powerhouses in the American League at this point and two of them come from the same division. The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are going to fight till the death in the East. As of this writing, they are two games apart in the East and will be at the 60-win mark soon.
The O’s are in their youth movement and it’s clear that their window will be sustained for years to come as they push to win a World Series. The Yankees have relied on the power of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto who have taken the meaning of Bronx Bombers to a whole new level.
The third powerhouse…the Cleveland Guardians. Led by first year manager and former journeyman Stephen Vogt, Cleveland is right up there with the Yanks and O’s and will likely be fighting for the first overall seed.
The Rest of ‘Em
You must start with the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals. The AL Central finally has multiple competitive teams that are all fighting at the top. It is nice to see the Royals having success after years of rebuilding. The Red Sox are also a team to watch, but they seem to be overperforming based on their roster. Whether or not they can sustain a fight in the Wild Card race remains to be seen.
The AL West has been an utter disaster. The Mariners, who are in first place, wouldn’t even be in second place in any other division. That being said, you can never count out the Astros, but the West isn’t producing a powerhouse this year.
What Happened?
The Texas Rangers. Fresh off a World Series, this team is way below .500 and they might even have to consider themselves sellers at the deadline. To be fair, injuries have plagued them from Jacob deGrom to Max Scherzer to Josh Jung. But the Rangers are not nearly the team that they were a year ago and they are going to have to go on a run here over the next few weeks or risk being dismantled.
Bold Trade Prediction
I think the Mariners and Orioles are the two teams that push all their chips in. The Mariners window is closing and this is a fan base that is starved for some success. If I am Seattle, I am offering up the farm for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who would fill a major hole in their lineup at first base and is the kind of game changer that can get you to the World Series.
For the O’s, they could use one more dominant arm at the back of their bullpen. They have the pieces to get Mason Miller from Oakland who is under contract for many years to come.
Playoff Prediction
- Orioles
- Guardians
- Mariners
- Yankees
- Royals
- Red Sox