One second-half goal for every club

One second-half goal for every club

July 19th, 2024

With the All-Star break over and the second half of the 2024 season beginning Friday, overlying goals have come into focus for all 30 MLB teams.

Some clubs will make major moves at the July 30 Trade Deadline, going all in and dreaming of a World Series title. Others are committed to rebuilding, dealing away players at the Deadline to bolster their farm systems. And some are caught in the middle, with the next two weeks critical to their long-term direction.

Here's one second-half goal for each team, with the help of every club's MLB.com beat writer.

Jump to: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West

American League East

Blue Jays: Pick a direction for 2025
and will be entering their final year of club control, which the Blue Jays need to maximize. This organization keeps pivoting without results, though, and this could be their final shot at getting it right before a full rebuild. Having veteran starters in , and will help, but the Blue Jays need to see much more from Bichette, and others to give them -- and this fanbase -- some optimism for next year. -- Keegan Matheson

Orioles: Win the AL East
After the O’s won the AL East championship in 2023 -- ending a nine-year division-title drought -- the expectations have been raised in Baltimore. The Orioles’ focus is finishing first in the East every year, and they’ve put themselves in a good position to potentially do so again this season. The O’s went 58-38 in the first half -- for comparison, they were 59-37 at the 96-game mark last year, when they finished 101-61 -- and they hold a one-game lead over the Yankees (57-37). It’s the first time Baltimore has led the AL East at the All-Star break since 2016. -- Jake Rill

Rays: Maintain momentum
The Rays’ first half was perfectly encapsulated by their 48-48 record. But they finished much better than they started in terms of their record (14-9), winning series (seven of their last eight) and their overall quality of play, leaving them only 5 1/2 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. The Rays had a 4.46 ERA after 73 games but dropped that to 3.35 over their final 23 games thanks to better pitching and significantly better defense. Their offense remains an issue, although key hitters like , and have been better lately; Arozarena has an .833 OPS since June 1, with Díaz at .817 and Lowe at .907. But with the Trade Deadline looming, have they shown enough to stay together? -- Adam Berry

Red Sox: Make the playoffs
The Red Sox haven’t participated in the postseason in four of the last five seasons, and the clear goal this year is to end that drought. In the offseason, the Sox made the decision to lean into their youth movement rather than make big external additions. Thus far, the strategy has worked, and players like , , and would love to play meaningful games in September and October. Originally, the Sox were focused on the Wild Card. But a late surge in the final month leading into the break has put manager Alex Cora’s squad a mere 4 1/2 games back in the AL East. -- Ian Browne

Yankees: Turn back the clock
When the Yankees woke in their Boston hotel on the morning of June 15, they owned baseball’s best record at 50-22, also pacing the Majors in ERA (2.94) and runs scored (371). It was then, as general manager Brian Cashman said, that a light switch flipped – the season took a 180-degree turn, with the Bombers winning just eight of their next 26 games. Manager Aaron Boone said that he saw positive signs during the club’s final road trip going into the break; to hold off the Orioles and claim the division, they’ll need to recapture that early-season form. -- Bryan Hoch

AL Central

Guardians: Win the AL Central
They gave themselves a cushion with a red-hot start to the season. Now, the Guardians just need to continue the momentum in order to run away with the division. There will certainly be hurdles in order to do that, especially when it comes to their rotation. The Guardians are desperately relying on and to thrive in the second half, and they’ll also need to continue to be the source of consistency he’s provided in the first half to make this happen. They need to be strong in his comeback from Tommy John surgery, and maybe an extra pickup at the Trade Deadline can help. But this is a team ready to relive the fun postseason experience it enjoyed in 2022 after a disappointing year in ’23. -- Mandy Bell

Royals: Keep the momentum
The Royals are 52-45 and two games out of the final American League Wild Card spot, tied with the 2015 team for the second-most wins before the All-Star break in franchise history, trailing only 1973 (55). Imagine seeing that statement at the end of 2023, when the Royals had 106 losses under their belt. They are just four wins shy of last season’s entire win total -- with 66 games still to go. The turnaround has been pretty incredible, even though there have been the usual ups and downs of a baseball season. The Royals have a chance to do something special in 2024, but that means they have to keep this up for the next two-and-a-half months. The good news? The Royals will begin the second half on Friday with a nine-game homestand against the 27-71 White Sox, the 49-48 D-backs and the 47-51 Cubs. Fourteen of the Royals’ first 20 games out of the break will be at Kauffman Stadium, where they are 31-18 with the second-most home wins in the Majors. Starting strong will be key, and the Royals could be running toward their ultimate goal of making the playoffs this year. -- Anne Rogers

Tigers: Let youth lead the way over .500
The Tigers’ 47-50 record is their best mark at the All-Star break since 2016, helped by an 8-2 stretch against the Reds, Guardians and Dodgers to close out the first half. Detroit did it with the most plate appearances by players age 24 and younger since the 2018 Rangers. Rookies , and showed varying signs of progress over the aforementioned stretch, with Keith on a tear in July and Malloy seeing the game slow down for him while cutting down on strikeouts. The Tigers need to continue that momentum into the second half and get ready for likely another influx of young talent. Even if they can’t claw into a division race, a run into the AL Wild Card picture isn’t out of the question with several matchups against division competitors later in July. Detroit’s first winning season since 2016 is well within reach. -- Jason Beck

Twins: Win the division
Yes, the Guardians have the best record in the AL, but the Twins have methodically closed the gap to 4 1/2 games at the break, which makes this less outlandish. What’s at stake? The AL Central winner might have a good shot at the first-round bye this postseason, and the second-place finisher seems likely to face a strong AL East runner-up in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, whether it’s the Orioles or (gulp) the Yankees. Best to avoid that if possible. -- Do-Hyoung Park

White Sox: More talent analysis, development
Acquire more young talent is probably the true biggest second half goal, but the Trade Deadline arrives on July 30 so this target features more of a big-picture view. , the team’s No. 3 prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline, already is a rotation fixture, as is . Starters such as Ky Bush, Jake Eder and Mason Adams also could receive second-half opportunities, as could a reliever like Eric Adler. The biggest name to watch for is shortstop Colson Montgomery, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, who has had some good moments at Triple-A Charlotte but is hitting .212 overall. Development will be the focus over all else. -- Scott Merkin

AL West

Angels: Continue to develop young players
The Angels are trying to build a solid foundation for the future around young players such as catcher , shortstop and first baseman . Right-hander has been solid and reliever also looks like a potential closer of the future, but they need fellow youngsters such as , and to step up at the big league level. They also need to see how outfielders and perform the rest of the way to determine their future roles. -- Rhett Bollinger

Astros: Win their seventh AL West title in eight years
The Astros have won the last six AL West titles that have been competed in full seasons and have put themselves in position for another one this year. They were 10 games out of first place on June 18 and closed to within one game of the Mariners with a strong finishing kick. They went 17-6 in their final 23 games before the break, averaging six runs per game despite not having All-Star right fielder in the lineup. The return of Tucker and ace from injuries and a Trade Deadline acquisition or two could make the team to beat in the AL West. -- Brian McTaggart

Athletics: See what you have in the youngsters
The rebuilding A’s have seen several of their top prospects reach the Majors over the past year. Now, it’s about getting them reps and letting them develop through the ups and downs of the big leagues. Rookie , who earned American League Player of the Week honors heading into the All-Star break, is an example of the growth the A’s hope to see from their young roster in the second half, along with players such as No. 1 prospect Jacob Wilson, who is going to be promoted to the Majors on Friday according to a source. -- Martín Gallegos

Mariners: Win the AL West, finally
It may have seemed ambitious at the season’s outset, especially given that Seattle shares a division with each of the past two World Series champions. But after building a 10-game edge atop the AL West by June 18, anything but a division title would be a significant disappointment at this point. And their lead heading into the All-Star break -- on the heels of a brutal weekend in Anaheim -- is down to just one game over the Astros, who just so happen to be visiting T-Mobile Park this weekend. They’ve been in the driver’s seat, in first place for 68 straight days. Yet the optics of not finishing there would be highly disappointing, both within and outside the clubhouse. -- Daniel Kramer

Rangers: Get healthy, go on a run
The Rangers are currently five games back of first place in the American League West after a pair of brutal stretches in May and June, but they’re not fully out of the race. Even better, they’ll hopefully get back a pair of impact bats in (wrist fracture) and (back), two veteran starting pitchers in and and more pitching depth in . All the pieces are there for Texas to go on a major run and rattle off a string of wins to get them back into the thick of things. -- Kennedi Landry

National League East

Braves: Stay healthy
Without and , the Braves still have the potential to win their second World Series within the past four years. But one more significant injury would likely be the crushing blow. With , , and , the Braves have a rotation that could give any team problems during the postseason. Instead of chasing a seventh straight National League East crown, this team needs to pace these starters and make every effort to ensure they are physically capable of being effective in the playoffs. -- Mark Bowman

Marlins: Avoid a 100-loss season
After a surprise postseason berth in 2023, the last thing the Marlins wanted to do was lose 100 games in a season for the fourth time in franchise history. In order to avoid that dubious milestone, the Marlins must win 29 of 65 games (.446 winning percentage) in the second half. Several factors will determine whether the club can keep that pace, and it begins with the health of its starting pitching. -- Christina De Nicola

Mets: Make the playoffs
It’s a plain-and-simple goal for good reason. The Mets have done well to put themselves back in contention following a near-disastrous start to the season. This isn’t yet a team that can say “World Series or bust,” but at this point -- given the skill level on the roster, the vibes around Queens and the presumed commitment from management to help at the Trade Deadline -- anything less than a Wild Card berth would be a significant disappointment. -- Anthony DiComo

Nationals: Continue to build toward the future
Shortstop ' being named an All-Star at only 23-years-old exemplifies the Nationals’ youth movement. Four Pipeline top-30 ranked prospects already have made their Major League debuts this season and are seeing regular playing time: MLB’s No. 2 overall prospect ; two impactful lefties in the Nats starting rotation, and ; and starting third baseman . The second half of the season will be a valuable opportunity for these young players to gain experience and build chemistry, while likely welcoming more prospects to the big league stage. -- Jessica Camerato

Phillies: Win the World Series
The Phillies will open the second half with an 8 1/2-game lead over the Braves in the NL East and a 6 1/2-game lead over the Dodgers for the best record in the NL. Philadelphia is the best team in baseball but is not an upstart team who can’t believe its good fortunes. It lost in six games to Houston in the 2022 World Series. It lost in seven games to Arizona in the 2023 NLCS. It is a team playing with an edge because it believes this is the year to win the World Series. Anything less will be a major disappointment. So, everything in the second half will be geared toward that, which means keeping everybody healthy and fresh for the postseason. -- Todd Zolecki

NL Central

Brewers: Defend the NL Central crown
After making the postseason in five of the previous six seasons including division titles in 2018, ‘21 and ‘23, the Brewers were expected by many prognosticators to take step back in ‘24 after losing their top two starters, (traded) and (injured), then losing NL Reliever of the Year to a back injury in Spring Training that cost him the entire first half. But here they are in first place once again, 4 1/2 games up on the runner-up Cardinals at the break with just enough pitching and a young, but much more proficient offense that ranks second in the Majors in on-base percentage and eighth in runs per game. Oh, and Williams is expected back by the end of July. -- Adam McCalvy

Cardinals: Win the NL Central
Before losing to the rival Cubs last Sunday, the Cardinals got within 3 1/2 games of first place in the NL Central – the closest they had been to the Brewers since April 18. The Cardinals turned around their season with a May 12 defeat of the Brewers, going 35-22 with that victory. Now, they must prove that they can run down Milwaukee and beat the Brew Crew over the second half of the season. They play six more times – Aug. 20-22 in St. Louis and Sept. 2-4 in Milwaukee. -- John Denton

Cubs: Get on a hot streak, make playoffs
The North Siders won eight of 11 games entering the All-Star break and are hoping that is the start of an extended run of winning. Chicago believes it is a much better team that its 47-51 record would indicate, and the ballclub was only 3 1/2 games back of the NL Wild Card picture at the season’s intermission. A constant wave of injuries plagued the Cubs in the first half, impacting the bullpen most notably, and the lineup went into a team-wide lull through May and June. If the rotation can remain a strength and the offense can keep up its upswing ahead of the break, the Cubs at least have an outside shot of climbing back into the Wild Card race. -- Jordan Bastian

Pirates: Get over the hump
The goal all year has been to play in October, and Pittsburgh is certainly in the mix to do that. A four-game winning streak helped the Pirates finish the first half of the season with a .500 record and just a game and a half out of a Wild Card. They have one of the best rotations in the game, anchored by , who already looks like a Cy Young candidate. They need more offensive production, but and are two of the hottest hitters in the National League. If one or two more hitters can step up like that, it might be enough to sneak into the playoffs. -- Alex Stumpf

Reds: Make the playoffs
For that goal to remain viable, the Reds will first need to avoid becoming Trade Deadline sellers. That happens by opening their second half strong during a three-city road trip to Washington, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Despite all of Cincinnati's sometimes mind-boggling inconsistencies and mistakes in the first half, the club is still near a .500 record and contending for a NL Wild Card berth because nobody has been able to run away with it. -- Mark Sheldon

NL West

D-backs: Get back their injured pitchers
One of GM Mike Hazen’s biggest objectives last offseason was to improve the team’s rotation and it looked like he had done just that when he signed to a four-year free-agent contract in December and then took advantage of a slow free-agent market to snag Jordan Montgomery on a one-year deal the day after the season began. Pairing those two with , and gave Arizona one of the best rotations on paper to start the year. Every one of those starters except for Pfaadt has been on the IL at some point in the first half with Rodriguez yet to throw a regular-season pitch for the D-backs and Kelly out since April. Montgomery, who missed the final couple weeks of the first half, is expected back after the break and Rodriguez and Kelly should be back in early August which should provide a big lift to the rotation. -- Steve Gilbert

Dodgers: Get healthy
With a seven-game lead in the National League West, there’s little doubt that the Dodgers will win the division for an 11th time in the last 12 seasons. But with all the injuries piling up, the Dodgers have been close to a .500 team over the last two months. Getting , , and maybe sometime soon after the break will be helpful. is also expected back in about a month. The Dodgers will be judged by what happens in October, so they must make sure they go into the postseason at full strength. -- Juan Toribio

Giants: Get the rotation back to full strength
The Giants’ best chance at making a serious playoff push likely rests on their rotation, which was ravaged by injuries in the first half but should get a major boost from the impending return of veterans and . With All-Star and reigning National League Cy Young winner -- who flirted with a perfect game in his final start before the All-Star break -- leading the staff, the Giants could finally begin stringing together some wins and show that they have what it takes to separate themselves from the pack in the crowded NL Wild Card race. -- Maria Guardado

Padres: Win a Wild Card spot and enter the playoffs healthy
A season ago, the Padres felt they had a roster built for the postseason. They didn’t get there. This year, that roster has some question marks, mostly related to injury. But if and return from their injuries and perform up to their All-Star capabilities, this is the type of group that could do damage in a short series. But they’ve got to get there first, and the NL Wild Card race remains a jumbled mess. -- AJ Cassavell

Rockies: Determine if the building program can be quickened
The toughest decision may be whether to depart with a starting pitcher – righty has the most value, but lefty also is coveted. The question is how will the Rockies feel about their pitching at season’s end. The healthy and effective return of lefty and the heartening return of , plus the rapid development of recently drafted pitchers Chase Dollander (team No. 1/MLB No. 36 prospect), Sean Sullivan (team No. 13 prospect) and Carson Palmquist (team No. 14 prospect) and a healthier list of prospects could have the Rockies feeling there is starting depth in 2025. If the offense gains long-missing consistency -- again, there is a group of prospects either up or knocking on the door – and the pitching is solid, it could lead to a little more aggression in the trade/free agency market this winter. -- Thomas Harding