The break is over and it’s time to get serious.
While the All-Star Game is always a fun little break, it certainly feels nice to get back to the regular season, especially when things seem to be going well. The Cubs are firmly atop the NL Central and have their eyes set on the postseason, but to get there, we’ll still need to contend with the trade deadline. While it remains to be seen if the Cubs will look to bolster their roster, we’ll hear plenty of speculation and reporting over the coming week.
We’ve got some fun tidbits for you today, including a superstar player who has penned a children’s book, a former All-Star who has retired, and how the All-Star Game fared with audiences.
Let’s get right into it.
- Davy Andrews looks at the night Kyle Schwarber killed extra innings.
- Tim Capurso shares the ratings for this year’s unusual All-Star Game.
- Former All-Star pitcher Kyle Gibson has announced his retirement, reports Madison Williams.
- One key player for each team going into the second half of the season. (MLB)
- David Schoenfield looks at the key storylines that ruled the first half of the season.
- Cal Raleigh has gotten the most hilarious sponsorship to match with his “Big Dumper” nickname. Story by Karl Rasmussen.
- Michael Baumann laments the quiet start to trade season.
- Shohei Ohtani has penned a children’s book featuring his dog decoy.
- Jay Jaffe continues his Replacement Level Killers series with left and right fielders.
- Ken Rosenthal shares what he’s hearing about the trade deadline with two weeks to go. (The Athletic subscription required.)
- Tom Dierberger looks at the six most disappointing players of the first half.
- What trends defined the first half of the season? Story by Michael Rosen.
- Mitch Bannon takes a look at what has turned the Blue Jays into an unexpected winner. (The Athletic subscription required.)
- It’s been a rough month for Ketel Marte, whose house was robbed during the All-Star Game. (AP)
- A very cool gesture from the Rangers.
Cool gesture: The Texas Rangers gave starter Nathan Eovaldi the $100,000 All-Star bonus in his contract even though he didn’t make the American League team. Eovaldi has been brilliant this season, posting a 1.58 ERA over 91 innings. He’s one of the most respected players in MLB.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 16, 2025
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.