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 National League midseason review.
The Best of the Best
There are a lot of really good teams in the National League in 2024, but one team jumps off the page more than others. The Philadelphia Phillies have been nothing short of sensational and they have three starting infielders in the All-Star game to prove just that in Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, and Trea Turner. The Phils aren’t messing around this year and have a pitching rotation to power them through October.
After that, you can’t overlook the Dodgers who have a lineup that would intimidate Nolan Ryan. Their offseason addition of Shohei Ohtani has paid off in a big way as he is the betting favorite to win MVP. Tip your caps to the Brewers too who lost manager Craig Counsell to the rival Cubs and traded away a Cy Young winner in Corbin Burnes, yet they sit just a game worse than LA as of this writing.
The Rest of ‘Em
Per usual, the Braves are still doing their thing. Adding Chris Sale to their rotation was incredibly important given the injury to ace Spencer Strider after this first start. The Braves will be knocking on the door come October as we have become accustomed to. After them, the Padres and Cards are both making noise in their respective divisions.
The Padres are getting an improbable season from Jurickson Profar while their other stars in Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado help guide their offense. The Cards are underperforming, and it starts with their run scoring abilities but if they piece it together, they will be around come October.
What Happened?
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs. The D-backs are fresh off their World Series appearance but have yet to make a dent in the divisional race. To be fair, they started slow in 2023 and then turned it on towards the end.
The Cubs went out and stole Counsell and made him the highest paid manager in MLB history, but they have nothing to show for and are in dead-last in the NL Central which can’t be what fans expected early in the season.
Bold Trade Prediction
My big bold prediction is that the Cubs kick this season to the curb, and they become hardcore sellers at the deadline, primarily focused on moving Cody Bellinger who signed a large contract during the offseason. His 2023 season looks less and less like it will be replicated.
Maybe this one isn’t so bold but expect the Dodgers to make a big move. This team cannot risk having an early exit in October and the front office that put all this money into the roster will be looking for a big name pitcher to add to a depleted rotation.
Playoff Prediction
- Phillies
- Dodgers
- Brewers
- Braves
- Diamondbacks
- Padres