The MLB season is in full swing and there's no shortage of drama already. We have New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge chasing a .400 batting average season while also slugging better than the rest of the league. Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani might be off to a better start this season than he was last season and he hasn't even pitched yet.
There are teams like the Yankees and Dodgers at the top of the standings while the Detroit Tigers shockingly join them up there. The Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves have been quite disappointing this year, but there's still quite a lot of time left in the season. Baseball is just getting started. We're only about one-fourth of the way through the season and it's already been so exciting.
Let's take a look around the league at some of its biggest storylines.
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Rafael Devers trade not out of the picture yet
The biggest story in the sport of baseball right now revolves around Boston Red Sox infielder Rafael Devers. Devers has been in the news for the last few months since Alex Bregman signed with the Red Sox in free agency. Devers seemingly refused to slide into the DH slot at first, before accepting the move weeks later.
Now, Triston Casas is hurt, and Devers is refusing to slide over to first base to replace the injured star. This kind of reaction has sparked many to insist the Red Sox could trade Devers. While this seems like a shocking idea on the surface, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently suggested the idea of Devers being traded isn't as far-fetched as it seems.
The thought that Devers could be traded doesn't seem likely to me. Boston committed a lot of money to him and he's a cornerstone of the franchise. Unless he demands out, which he hasn't, it doesn't seem like a real idea that he could be traded. But if he was tossed on the trade block, he would likely net an incredibly massive return for Boston.
Cubs proven right in decision to DFA pitcher
The Chicago Cubs have been one of the better teams in baseball this season, but their pitching staff hasn't been the main reason why. During the offseason, the Cubs opted to select pitcher Gage Workman from the Detroit Tigers in the Rule 5 Draft. Manager Craig Counsell had high hopes for the young pitcher as he looked to make his way with the Cubs.
But the Cubs decided to designate him for assignment before they opted to trade Workman to the Chicago White Sox for cash. This was a bit of a bold decision for the Cubs to make, especially after the team's manager spoke so highly of the young pitcher.
A few weeks after the trade, the White Sox have also opted to designate Workman for assignment. It turns out the front office of the Cubs was right in their idea to give up on the young pitcher because if he couldn't make it with the White Sox, he definitely couldn't make it with the Cubs.
Diamondbacks to promote top prospect to big leagues
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been solid this year, but they need to take it to another level if they want to compete in the loaded National League West. This division currently has three of the best teams in the National League with the Diamondbacks being a few games behind the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. But they're only a step behind this trio of teams, so it wouldn't take much for the Diamondbacks to close the gap.
This week, the Diamondbacks made the first move to close that gap. The Diamondbacks are reportedly planning to promote top prospect Jordan Lawlar after spending 2024 in the minor leagues. The 22-year-old is slashing .336/.413/.579 with six home runs and 15 doubles in 37 games at Triple-A this season. He's more than ready to be back in the big leagues for the first time since he saw a little bit of time at the MLB level in 2023.
Lawlar could be the spark the Diamondbacks need to get their team on the same level as the Padres, Giants, and Dodgers. He's likely going to move positions in order to stay in the lineup as consistently as possible.
Either way, this is one of the best prospects in the game. The Diamondbacks faithful should be very excited, but baseball fans as a whole should be excited, too.