American League Page 7 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Marcus Semien is an MVP candidate again, and you probably didn’t notice again
Discussing the MVP race in the AL is the definition of wasting time these days. It’s going to be Shohei Ohtani’s award in a unanimous, what’re-you-new-around-here kind of vote. He’s simply done things for a full season never seen before, and when you do that, you win the MVP. ...

Why are so many people betting on Bryce Harper to win MVP?
Fernando Tatís is going to win the National League MVP Award this year. That might sound obvious, but it’s something I feel needs to be stressed, because for some reason, half of all bets on the award’s winner are going to… Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper. ...

Down the stretch they come: Here’s what to watch out for as the MLB season hits final run
We have less than a month and a half before the MLB postseason starts on October 5. We know most of the teams that will be involved. The White Sox are pretty much locked in as either the two- or three-seed in the American League. The Brewers could potentially make a run at the top seed in the Nation...

The Giants just won’t die
For everyone who isn’t a child of Will Clark or Jason Schmidt, watching the Giants hold off the Dodgers in the NL West has been something like watching one of those nature videos of a lion stalking a wounded antelope. It’s not a question of if or when. It’s going to happen....

Alex Rodriguez is the Alex Rodriguez of saying idiotic stuff
“[The Dodgers] have become the New York Yankees of baseball.”...

That's baseball: Saturday night, West Coast, no-no edition
Tyler Gilbert made his major league debut on August 3 against the Giants, mowing ’em down 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts in the eighth inning of the Diamondbacks’ 3-1 victory. He then made two other appearances out of the bullpen: an extra-inning loss thanks to a Giants ghost runner scoring on Augu...

Every Mike Trout season ends like this
It’s becoming part of the MLB schedule at this point. Pink bats on Mother’s Day, and purple on Father’s Day. All-Star Game in July. Trade deadline at the end of July. And then a discussion of whether Mike Trout, who hasn’t played since May 17 due to a right calf strain, will be shut down for the sea...

Let’s not give Bryce Harper the NL MVP just yet
At the All-Star break, the Philadelphia Phillies were a .500 team and weren’t being taken very seriously as threats to take the NL East crown from the Mets. Despite throwing everything and the kitchen sink at All-Stars Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto in 2019, the Phillies have not reached the playoff...

You get a high-impact player! And YOU get a high-impact player!
Well, I’ve been having an aneurysm trying to keep up with all the trades happening in Major League Baseball today and late last night. We here at Deadspin have talked about a few of them already, but it seems like every half hour another impactful trade happens — so we’re rounding up all of the most...

What’s the Story? With Yanks it’s a tale as old as time
The Yankees’ pursuit of Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, reported by ESPN’s Buster Olney, is apparently serious enough that Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, not the throw-it-against-the-wall-to-see-if-it-sticks type, speculated Friday about the implications that acquiring the All-Star would have on New York...

Nelson Cruz can absolutely still rake
Last night, we had our first big name dealt ahead of the MLB trade deadline on July 30. Twins’ slugger c was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays along with pitcher Calvin Faucher in exchange for two of the Rays’ top-20 prospects. Nelson Cruz is one of the biggest bats in baseball. Since 2010, no hitter has m...

Hear me out: Tony La Russa… Manager of the Year?
Tony La Russa could shockingly be A.L. Manager of the Year for playoff-bound White Sox...

Deadspin predicts: Teams that will improve, or regress, in the second half
The All-Star Game has come and gone. The American League continues to wreck the Senior Circuit year-in, year-out, and it’s abundantly clear that Vladdy Jr., Shohei Ohtani, and Liam Hendriks are the coolest dudes in the sport. Now, the attention turns to the second half of the season. Will the teams ...

All-Star Takeaway: MLB is alive, internationally supreme, and going to get better
DENVER — It would be nearly impossible for any fan to have left the MLB All-Star Game here at Coors Field on Tuesday night without feeling good about the game. ...

Uniform uniforms was a baaaaaaaaaad choice
Every sport’s All-Star Game features the best players. What’s made baseball’s Midsummer Classic unique, and many would say the best showcase around, is that you get to see things you wouldn’t see in an ordinary game, while the game still remains true to itself. Last night we saw the American League ...

If only this could be Stephen A. Smith’s last take
When Stephen A. Smith opens his mouth, it’s typically bullshit. Generally speaking, when it comes to an opinion of his having anything to do with sports or adjacent to sports, I completely ignore him and accept him for what he is — someone who delivers hot takes and yells loudly because it gets view...

We've got some midseason baseball awards
Let’s hand out some fake awards, because why not. The baseball season is nearing the halfway point, with the sport shutting down for the All-Star Break after this coming Sunday. Some familiar names have dominated headlines, but a few surprises have worked their way into the conversation as well....

Mookie Betts is great, but he shouldn’t be an All-Star
Personally, I was shocked when Tampa Bay Rays’ outfielder Austin Meadows earned a spot as an All-Star reserve on the American League squad. While I do believe Meadows is a fantastic player, he’s hitting just .242 with 16 homers and an .821 OPS. Those are good numbers, but All-Star worthy? Now that’...

The Baltimore Orioles are a beautiful mess that makes absolutely zero sense
The Orioles are not a good team. They haven’t been a consistently great team since the late ’90s. Sure they had that one season in 2014 where they got swept in the ALCS after winning their first division title in 17 years, but were only good for that one season. The Orioles have finished either 4th ...

No, you don’t fix the Yankees by trading Aaron Judge
Trade season is underway in baseball, with the Blue Jays acquiring Adam Cimber and Corey Dickerson from the Marlins, while the White Sox pursue Diamondbacks infielder Eduardo Escobar. The deadline is back to its usual date of July 31 this year, and over the next month, plenty of teams will try to pa...