It is customary at All-Star Break time for front offices, sports writers, and fans alike to take some time to assess their clubs. At a little over half-way through the 162-game schedule, what do we know about our teams’ strengths and weakness? What pieces could be added (if the team is still in the playoff hunt) to put us over the line? Or what pieces can be traded away (if the team is hopelessly mired in mediocrity) to begin rebuilding for next season?

The clubs I am following most closely again this season are: the Minnesota Twins, the New York Mets, the Oakland Athletics, and the Chicago White Sox. Let’s take a look at their records.

Team	Wins	Losses	Games Back
Twins	54	42	4.5
Mets	49	46	12.5
Oakland	37	61	15.0
White Sox	27	71	32.5

The White Sox and Athletics are obviously mired in mediocrity. Both have terrible owners. And both of their terrible owners, coincidentally, are trying to get new ballparks for their respective franchises. Both clubs will be sellers at the trade deadline.

The best player that Oakland has for trading at this point is clearly 25-year-old Relief Pitcher Mason Miller. Miller’s WHIP (Walks and Hits to Innings Pitched) is an astounding 0.88! He has 70 strikeouts in just under 40 innings pitched. Oakland’s other trade bait of note might be ex-Twin Left Fielder Brent Rooker. The 29-year-old is batting .291 with 21 homers.

The White Sox, surprisingly for a terrible team, have a lot of players that will be of interest to other clubs. These include left-handed, 25-year-old, Starting Pitcher Garret Crochet (.950 WHIP with 150 Strikeouts in 107 games pitched), and position players Luis Robert Jr. and Tommy Pham.

The two teams that have the best chance of still making the playoffs this year (as Wild Card teams at least) are the Twins and the Mets. In my mind, that makes them both buyers. But maybe that is just the fan in me speaking. According to The Athletic the Mets have an Expected Win Total at this point of 83.1. (While the Twins have an Expected Win Total of 89.5.)

Both the Mets and Twins have been playing well of late, at least offensively. Though both need help with relief pitching. But then again, who does not need relief pitching this time of the year?

On the one hand, it seems like 100 mph relief pitchers are one of the things that teams have no trouble developing these days. But at the same time, the balance between being a hard thrower and a true “pitcher” remains a rare thing. Relief pitchers just seem to yo-yo up and down organizational ladders.

According to The Athletic, the most likely World Series match up is the Dodges vs. the Yankees. My prediction: Twins-Mets, with the Mets winning in 7. Remember, you read it here first!