Fansided

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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MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 05: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles warms up in the on-deck circle in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on July 05, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 05: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles warms up in the on-deck circle in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on July 05, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

6. What’s up with ___________?

Take a quick look at the standings, and it may feel as though several divisions have been turned upside down. The Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays have been fighting over last place in the AL East. The Texas Rangers are out of the playoffs and buried in the AL West. The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are both below .500, and the San Francisco Giants are five games behind the pitiful San Diego Padres in the NL West and have the second-worst record in all of MLB.

Teams that were expected to contend for the playoffs this year are struggling for any number of reasons. Some of the worst starting pitching in MLB history and a slow start for Manny Machado have sunk the Orioles after a 22-10 start. The Blue Jays have not gotten good pitching while Jose Bautista continues to age. Texas had to endure one of the worst starts to a season ever by closer Sam Dyson. No one has had it worse than the Giants, who have low-key been the worst team in baseball for the past calendar year.

These would-be contenders will have to pick up the pieces as the trade deadline approaches and have a serious look at their chances for this year and beyond. The Blue Jays, for example, may try to go for it like they did in 2015 because their core is not getting any younger. Baltimore has to think about trading Manny Machado, and the Giants should auction everyone but Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey.

Success is fleeting in Major League Baseball, no matter how open a team’s window of contention seems to be. These teams can still figure it out, but time is slipping away.

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