2026 MLB thread - Play Ball!

[Jmass]

I did get to see the Rangers beat the Yankees the other day. Which was fun!
But the Rangers still can’t get their offense going…Cory Seager needs to get out of his funk!

Were you the guy that popped that Yankee's fan? That looked like it hurt!

[Jmass]

double post - sorry

[TrekStar]

I also like the ABS challenge, it’s quick and we need to get these balls and strikes called right.

Another thing about this year I like? The Braves are doing great!!! I wasn’t expecting them to be doing this well, what the heck happened to the Phillies and Mets?? not that I really care, go Bravos.

[shaunaconda]

Were you the guy that popped that Yankee's fan? That looked like it hurt!

Haha…no that was the game or two before I went.

[Jmass]

After passing the quarter turn for the season how's your team doing? What moves do they need to make to contend?
I'm cautiously peeking out of one eye waiting for the balloon to pop for the Cardinals. We fans were prepped pretty hard to be ready for a painful season. It's been a lot of fun so far but at some point I fear Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman will drift back to their previous years' stats. By now pitchers are figuring out Weatherholt so we'll see how he adapts. And the pitching with the exception of a few relievers has been surprising a lot of folks. Just too much stuff going right to sustain.

[MRP]

All Star Break is almost upon us and we're more than halfway through the season. Trade deadline is hovering on the horizon as well.

What did folks think of All Star Selections? Did all the deserving folk get in? Any snubs? How'd did your team do for selections?

For the Sox, I would have given Sonny Gray the nod over Ranger Suarez-not that Ranger wasn't deserving, but Gray is having a better year. Despite the Sox having a sub-par year overall, they did have 4 deserving players, but only 2 got selected initially (Contreras got picked a SA replacement when Vlad decided not to go).

The Sox have gotten hot heading towards the break after a dismal first half, but the AL has been so bad they were not really out of it. Only 2 teams seem to be truly out of it in the AL going into the break (Angels & Royals), but realistically I think there's too many teams the Sox would have to leap frog to get into a Wild Card spot even if they stay hot. I think there best bet is to be sellers on Chapman and Gray, and try to leverage that into a bat for the line up for next season (preferably an infielder or a catcher). Maybe Duran too if they get the right deal. They've been bit by the injury bug (Crochet, Story, Roman and now Early and possibly Suarez), they're going to lose Contreras for a week due to a suspension for throwing a batting helmet at a guy in a brawl, and they just have too many holes in their line up to take advantage of the great pitching they've been getting. Cedanne Rafaela & Wilyer Abreu have been solid and spectacular defensively. Durbin finally found his footing, but SS, 2B, catcher, LF and DH have all been unproductive spots in the line up. And with a bunch of rookie pitchers in the rotation, a 2nd half fade as they hit the rookie wall is a real concern. They can get by for half a season with Whitlock taking over for Chapman, and they're going to lose Gray at the end of the season anyways, so they should look to improve the roster using those trade chips while they can.

It will be interesting to see how the trade deadline plays out, especially with the labor dispute hanging over the '27 season. Who knows if there will even be a season next year.

-M

[Dan2Dan]

'My' Padres regressing to the mean. Had to win yesterday to hit .500. Been here so many times before. That said, .500 after 92 games is maybe 5-10 wins more than I anticipated in Spring Training at this stage. So there's that!