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MLB All-Star break: 10 biggest storylines of 2017

By Joshua Sadlock

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 05: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees in action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on July 5, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 7-6. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 05: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees in action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on July 5, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 7-6. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Another exciting first half has come to a close for MLB and its players; which stories stood out at the most important?

The first half of the 2017 MLB regular season has come to a close, and with the All-Star Game set for Tuesday night, it’s time to review the biggest stories that dominated the sport before the break. Already this year, the league has been taken by storm by a massive slugger in the Bronx named Aaron Judge. The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers are running away with each league, and could have their divisions wrapped up by early August.

The league has seen more rookies come up and begin producing at an elite level immediately, but is also seeing a return to form by old All-Stars like Andrew McCutchen and Ryan Zimmerman. There have been concerns raised about the baseballs the league is using, and home runs have been flying out at a dizzying pace. The Chicago Cubs have seen their World Series title defense get off to an ugly start, with infighting, injuries and weak hitting and pitching. Is it too late for Theo Epstein to work more magic?

Baseball is in a great place right now with new superstars popping up all over the league, previously downtrodden teams rising up and exciting playoff races on tap. As we look to the start of the second half, let’s reflect on the ten-biggest stories of the first half.

10. When will the big trades start moving?

The addition of the second Wild Card has made for very interesting trade deadlines over the past few seasons. This year could be even more interesting with most of the American League still in the playoff hunt. Rebuilding has also become much more acceptable for teams in the bottom of the league, and teams are no longer hesitant to trade their stars who are still a year or two away from free agency.

We saw the first big salvo of rebuilding and selling over the winter when the Chicago White Sox traded Chris Sale and Adam Eaton for massive hauls. The Pittsburgh Pirates also came close to dealing MVP Andrew McCutchen. The White Sox still have several big pieces to move, and McCutchen has pulled himself back to All-Star form after a down year in 2016. Speculation on which stars will be moved from rebuilding teams has dominated the first half.

The most interesting team to watch at the deadline will be the Kansas City Royals, who have three big free agents coming up this winter. That, and their .500 record, should seemingly have the Royals destined for a sell-off at the trade deadline, but they have been the hottest team in the league over the past month-plus. Every other contender would love to get their hands on Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain or Jason Vargas, but the Royals could elect to buy instead and try to make one last push with their core. Either way, the 2017 trade deadline is shaping up to be a doozy.

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