In baseball, there is one day that truly defines the destiny of all 30 MLB teams, and that day actually is only a half day.
The trade deadline, and the moves that are made before it show which teams are serious about reaching the playoffs that season, and which ones are already making postcards that read “Next Year.” With the deadline days away, it is only fitting to make a prediction before the deadline passes and a separate one for when the deadline has been long gone.
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The moves made can drastically affect their chances of reaching October, so it would be fun to see the changes made to these predictions before and after the major moves are made.
AL West: Houston Astros
While the AL West is a good race between the Astros, Rangers and even the Mariners are still in the hunt, I have to give it to the Astros.
The Astros have a plethora of talent at pretty much every position, and from what I can tell they have very few weaknesses.
They have some of the best young players in the league with George Springer, Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, not to mention a strong rotation anchored by 2015 Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel.
The only problem with the team now is that they have lost a young star in Luis Valbuena due to an injury that could sideline him for a while.
Other than that, this team looks poised to not only make the post-season but make a run for the World Series.
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
This was a hard choice between the Tigers and Indians. I overall went with the Tigers for a couple reasons.
The biggest reason is because the team has enough offense to substantiate its decent pitching. People always say that when it gets to the dog days of summer, good pitching will prevail, but when that team as off-the-charts offensive potential, they can make up for any shortcomings on the defensive side of the ball.
The other reason is that the Indians look like their bubble could pop at any time. While their team is good, it doesn’t look good enough to keep going at this pace throughout the rest of the season. They have a solid offense and some good pitchers, but it doesn’t look like a good matchup against the Tigers, especially.
There is definitely a chance that they keep their first place standing, especially if they pick up some big pieces at the deadline, but for now, it looks like Detroit will take the Central.
Al East: Boston Red Sox
I honestly don’t know how this team has gotten so good, but I am all aboard the Boston hype train. This team has all the talent in the world and a strong leader taking control of the team.
The young players like Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr are paired alongside the veterans like David Price, Rick Porcello and David Ortiz.
While this is Big Papi’s last year, he is playing like he could go for many years to come. His leadership in the dugout and locker room is invaluable to this team
With Big Papi’s leadership, he could help rally all the young and old talent on this Boston team and drive them all the way to the post-season.
As stated already, these are predictions before the trade deadline and will probably change after 1 p.m. PST on July 31. The deadline can change the fates of teams not only in 2016 but in the years to come.
