A much-needed break for MLB teams has approached as All-Star week has come. Some of the standings were expected months ago when the season began, but some are much more surprising. Here's a look at the standings as we enter the middle of baseball season.
AL East
The Red Sox are 50-39 and are 3.5 games up on the New York Yankees. The Red Sox were expected to be leading the division when they acquired Chris Sale in the offseason. Sale is making a case to win the Cy Young Award, but the Red Sox are thinking much bigger than an individual award. The Yankees were atop the division, but a 3-7 skid dropped them down to 45-41.
The Tampa Bay Rays are 47-43 and are tied with the Yankees for second place. The Baltimore Orioles are just 42-46. The Toronto Blue Jays are 41-47 and could be dealing Justin Smoak or Jose Bautista soon.
AL Central
The Cleveland Indians were expected to win the division, but it is a closer race than most expected. The Indian are 47-40 and are just two games up on the Minnesota Twins who are 45-43. The Kansas City Royals are just 2.5 games back at 44-43. The Detroit Tigers are 39-48. Many expected more from this team, but fans will expect contracts to be moved and Brad Ausmus to be fired. The Chicago White Sox are tied with the Tigers with the same record in a rebuilding season.
AL West
The Houston Astros just put up 16 runs on Sunday and won their 60th game to be 60-29.
They are running away with the division with a 7.5 game lead on the Los Angeles Angels. The rest of the division could be sellers at the trade deadline as every other team is below .500. The Angels are 45-47, the Texas Rangers are 43-45, the Seattle Mariners are 43-47, and the Oakland Athletics are 39-50. Pay attention to names such as Yu Darvish, Clayton Richards, and Sonny Gray at the trade deadline.
NL East
The Washington Nationals are 52-36 and have a 9.5 game lead in the division. Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy, and Bryce Harper all are starting in the All-Star game. All the other teams in the division are below .500. The Braves are 42-45, the Marlins 41-46, the Mets 39-47, and the Phillies are 29-58. Pay attention to Marcell Ozuna and Jay Bruce as they will likely be dealt.
NL Central
The Brewers are shocking the world right now with their 5.5 game lead over the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs. The Brewers are the only team in the division with a record over .500 at 50-41. The Brewers might be buyers at the trade deadline and could go after a starter.
The Cubs are 43-45 and have been linked to making no trade according to their team president. The St. Louis Cardinals are tied with the Cubs with the same record and are unknown to what direction the team is taking. The Pittsburgh Pirates are 42-47 and the Reds are 39-49. Could this be the season the Reds deal Joey Votto?
NL West
The best division in baseball features the best team in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers are 61-29 and have won six streaks. There might be a Dodger versus Astros World Series in the making the way those teams have been playing. The Arizona Diamondbacks are 7.5 games behind but have a great record of 53-36.
The Colorado Rockies went on a skid, but are 52-39 and would make the playoffs if they started today. The San Diego Padres are 38-50, while the San Francisco Giants are 34-56. Brad Hand of the Padres might be gone soon, while Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija are on the trading block.
