9 storylines to watch as MLB's second half begins: Aaron Judge vs. Cal Raleigh, Zack Wheeler for Cy Young, Mets vs. Phillies and more

Yahoo

16-07-2025

There were plenty of major storylines throughout the first half of the 2025 MLB season. Whether it was the Rafael Devers trade, Clayton Kershaw's 3,000th strikeout or even Eugenio Suarez's four-homer game, there was plenty to talk about.
So with the All-Star break about to wrap up, here are nine storylines to watch as baseball's second half begins on Friday.
Aaron Judge vs. Cal Raleigh for AL MVP
Early this season it looked like no one would be able to catch Aaron Judge in his quest for his second consecutive AL MVP Award. Judge put together a historic first two months, hitting almost .400 going into the month of June along with his usual epic power.
But in the Pacific Northwest, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has been putting together a historic season of his own, crushing 38 home runs — the second-most before the All-Star break in MLB history — and captivating all of baseball.
Judge still has the edge over Raleigh as the second half begins, and with him hitting a robust .355 with 35 homers and 81 RBI, it'll be difficult to wrest the award away from the Yankees' captain. But Raleigh has gained serious momentum, and between his monster first half and his victory in Monday's Home Run Derby, things are going his way.
If Judge captain takes a step back in the second half and Raleigh continues his torrid pace, the race for AL MVP is going to be a memorable one.
Can the Dodgers' pitching make it to October?
The Dodgers won the World Series in 2024 with very little starting pitching. Then they made pitching depth a priority this past offseason, acquiring two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and international phenom Roki Sasaki to add to their rotation.
But Los Angeles' pitching plans have still not gone the way they hoped. In what has become a theme for them over the past several seasons, much of their rotation has hit the injured list.
Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw, Snell and Sasaki have all spent time on the IL. Shohei Ohtani didn't begin pitching in the big leagues until June. The one success story for L.A. has been right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season and given them the ace they need at the top of the rotation.
At this point, the Dodgers are slowly getting healthy, with Glasnow back in the rotation, Snell on a rehab assignment and Ohtani up to three innings in his big-league outings. On paper, the Dodgers have more than enough starting pitching to be the NL's elite team down the stretch. But once again, health will be a critical variable for them over the season's final two months.
Will the Red Sox shake up the AL East?
Things looked bleak for the Boston Red Sox just about a month ago. Their roster was banged up and struggling, and after a months-long battle between superstar Rafael Devers and the team, the Red Sox shipped him to the Giants in a move that shocked baseball. On June 27, Boston was 40-43 and looking for any sign of life to stave off another lost season.
It looks like they found it.
Coming out of the break, Boston is riding a 10-game winning streak and just three games back in the AL East. After looking like a team that was destined to be a seller, the Red Sox instead hold the second wild card and are in position to add at the deadline.
The questions for the Red Sox going forward are 1) how long can they keep playing at this level and 2) now that they've gotten themselves back in the postseason conversation, can they chase down the Blue Jays and Yankees to make this division a three-team race?
Zack Wheeler's chase for his first Cy Young Award
Since Zack Wheeler arrived in Philadelphia five years ago, the Phillies' right-hander has turned himself into one of the best pitchers in the game. Whether it's dominating in the regular season or being a shutdown Game 7 starter in the postseason, Wheeler has done everything you could ask of your ace.
And after years of consistent dominance, Wheeler is putting together his best season yet. The Phillies' right-hander is 9-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 19 starts. He leads the National League in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine, batting average against and WHIP, and he's second to only Paul Skenes in ERA.
Wheeler has finished as the runner-up twice in NL Cy Young Award voting, in 2022 and 2024. But this season, he appears to be the front-runner for the award, and if he can stay healthy, he'll finally get the hardware that has eluded him throughout his career.
Can the 2025 Rockies avoid baseball infamy?
It's been a miserable summer in Denver, as the Colorado Rockies' are chasing the shadow of the 2024 White Sox as they head toward the worst record in MLB history. Colorado has already fired longtime manager Bud Black, and the team won just nine games in the season's first two months.
Things haven't exactly gotten better, but the Rockies did double their win total in the month of June, going 10-16, and as the second half begins, the Rockies have a 22-74 record, which puts them just a few games behind where the White Sox were at the same point last season (27-71).
Colorado will absolutely be at a talent deficit on a nightly basis over the final two months of the season, and they face an uphill battle, particularly in the NL West. At the same time, they've shown at points this season that they can still win some games and even a series, as the Marlins and Nationals found out.
But can the Rockies win enough games to keep themselves out of the record books? Only time will tell.
Will the Cubs hold on in the NL Central?
The Chicago Cubs are back. They've been on a roll all season, with much of their success thanks to a high-octane offense that is top five in MLB in nearly every major offensive category. On an individual basis, they're getting huge seasons from Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki and likely NL MVP finalist Pete Crow-Armstrong.
But for as well as the Cubs (57-39) played in the first half, the Milwaukee Brewers haven't gone anywhere. In fact, since May 1, the Brewers have the best record in baseball, and they're just one game behind the Cubs in the Central. The Cardinals and Reds are also not far behind, so this division is far from a done deal.
Chicago's one weak point is the starting rotation. Even with Shoto Imanaga and Matthew Boyd pitching at high level, the Cubs desperately need one more rotation arm to go with what could be a World Series-caliber offense. And with this division anything but guaranteed, the Cubs have even more incentive to be aggressive at the trade deadline.
Which trade deadline acquisition will shock baseball?
Speaking of which, the MLB trade deadline is only two weeks away on July 31, but this year could be a slow one. There are a lot more buyers than sellers, with 10 teams within 5.5 games of a playoff spot, in addition to the 12 currently in playoff position.
The big question this deadline: Which team will address their need for starting pitching the best? Nearly every postseason contender needs a starting pitcher, with a few actually needing more than one. But unlike in other seasons, a frontline starter or ace type who can carry a team for two months just isn't available this year.
The closest to that is Sandy Alcántara, who is a few years removed from being the best pitcher in the world and the NL Cy Young winner in 2022. The first half wasn't the prettiest for Alcántara, but his numbers have trended up in recent weeks. The fact that he's under club control for the next three seasons could make him the crown jewel of a weaker trade market.
This is likely to be a year when teams have to pay a premium for middle-of-the-rotation arms due to the lack of elite starters available. It'll be interesting to see who does it anyway.
Can the Tigers get the AL's No. 1 seed?
The Detroit Tigers were the best team in the American League for nearly the entirety of the first half. With a combination of strong pitching and timely hitting, they've shown that last season was no fluke by running circles around the rest of the AL. As the second half begins, it seems like they have the AL Central locked up, so the next question for the Tigers is can they secure the No. 1 seed in the American League playoffs?
Early this season, it looked like the Yankees were the front-runners for the top seed this year, but the Houston Astros were lurking in the background, and in recent weeks, they quietly crept within three games of the Tigers for the AL's top spot. Now securely atop the AL West, it's clear that even without slugger Yordan Álvarez, the Astros are once again among the American League's elite.
The Tigers are still well positioned to cruise to home-field advantage through the AL postseason, but Houston has shown that after significant roster changes in the offseason, they're still right there. Expect a battle between Detroit and Houston the rest of the way.
Mets vs. Phillies in the NL East
Everything was going the New York Mets' way early in the first half. Slugger Pete Alonso was carrying the offense while looking as good as he ever had in a Mets uniform, and the team's starting pitching was among the best in baseball.
But as the calendar turned to June, things changed. The Mets' elite starting pitching got banged up, including breakout star Griffin Canning rupturing his Achilles tendon after being a big part of the team's pitching success, and the offense cooled off.
Meanwhile, the Phillies slowly got back to being one of the National League's best, and with the Mets' June swoon, the Phils jumped New York as the division's leader. Wheeler, as noted above, is at the peak of his powers leading the rotation, and both Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez have pitched at an All-Star level. With two-time MVP Bryce Harper healthy once again, the Mets will be fighting for a wild card unless they can get back on track and keep pace with the Phillies.
If the Mets need a silver lining to their recent stumbles, it's that their $765 million man, Juan Soto, has gotten back to his MVP-caliber ways at the plate lately. We know Soto has the ability to carry a team for weeks at a time, and as the Mets begin their second half in XX, it looks like they're going to need it.