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MLB’s weekend slate brings intriguing regional rivalries, including the first Subway Series of the season. While the Yankees board the 7 train to face the Mets, the Cubs take the Red Line to visit their Windy City counterparts, the White Sox. Meanwhile, the Dodgers will have to endure some highway traffic to face the Angels.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable MLB teams in action this weekend:
1. The Yankees lead the AL in HR, RBI and OPS. Cam Schlitter feels like a Cy Young candidate. What is their weakness?
(Photo by Michael Zagaris/Getty Images)
Kavner: This looks like the team to beat in the American League, but the bullpen and bottom of the lineup have some weak spots, and now there’s suddenly a lot more pressure on Gerrit Cole to get back to his old self after Max Fried left his start with elbow soreness. Opponents are hitting .260 against David Bednar, Fernando Cruz misses a ton of bats but also walks too many batters – one of the main reasons for his 1.44 WHIP – and Camilo Doval, Jake Bird and Paul Blackburn all have ERAs well above 4.00. They should be able to grab another arm of leverage at the trade deadline.
The other issue is what happens when a pitcher overtakes the Ben Rice-Aaron Judge-Cody Bellinger part of the lineup. While every team would like more offensive depth, the Yankees’ No. 6-9 hitters rank 25th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage and 19th in OPS. These numbers are too low for a team with championship aspirations. They need to find a way to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells forward.
2. What solution can the Mets make to at least climb the NL East standings?
(Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
Thosar: The Mets finally looked like they could put together a run that fans would get behind after sweeping the Tigers at a revitalized Citi Field this week. Much of that energy came from the surprising promotion of top prospect AJ Ewing, who hasn’t suffered a loss since arriving to the big leagues. The 21-year-old outfielder is off to a fast start, posting a .333 batting average with four walks, three RBIs, three runs scored, a stolen base and four strikeouts in three red-hot games. His confidence while working at the plate was infectious. The front office making the desperate but necessary decision to promote Ewing was the first real solution this club needed to try to climb back up the NL East standings.
All conversations about the Mets looking like a playoff contender start with their underperforming offense. Some of their poor outcomes are self-inflicted, like expecting center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and infielder Jorge Polanco to stay healthy. But others are downright perplexed, like third baseman Bo Bichette forgetting how to hit, and the young cores of Brett Bay, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez unable to find consistency in what is now their fifth major league season. Bichette went from a 129 OPS+ last year to a 62 OPS+ in over 40 games this year. If Bichette can get back on track, Francisco Lindor could soon return from his calf injury, and the young Mets can do their part, the Mets can try to dig themselves out of their hole.
3. Speaking of the NL East, the Braves feel like they could run away with the division. What’s behind Atlanta’s hot start?
(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Thosar: The Braves have the best pitching staff in the National League, which is a supreme achievement considering the rotation seemed out of commission before the season even started. First it was Spencer Schwellenbach who was injured. Then it was Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz and finally Spencer Strider. The Braves are running away with the division despite all of this, posting the second-best rotation ERA (3.04) and third-best bullpen ERA (3.10) in MLB. Beyond the continued excellence of future Hall of Famer Chris Sale, no one expected right-hander Bryce Elder to be this great. The Braves starter owns a 1.81 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, besting his FIP of 3.09 and suggesting he got lucky. In reality, the pitching staff didn’t even need to be that dominant given how dangerous the offense was.
First baseman Matt Olson leads the roster with an NL-leading 184 OPS+ and 2.4 fWAR. The 32-year-old’s 14 home runs are tied for fourth-most in the majors. Right behind him is catcher Drake Baldwin, who follows up his 2025 NL Rookie of the Year award with a stellar sophomore season. Baldwin’s 37 runs scored an MLB lead, and his 155 OPS+ trails only the A’s Shea Langeliers’ 173 OPS+ among all big league catchers. These two bats in particular have helped Atlanta boast the best offense in baseball. The Braves lead MLB in average (.271), slugging (.252), OPS (.786), runs scored (237) and RBI (232). Their combination of high contact and elite power is threatening, and it all looks durable for this battle-tested team.
4. The White Sox are holding strong in the AL Central. Should the South Siders be thinking about the playoffs?
(Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kavner: The fact that we’re talking about this a year after they won 60 games and two years after the worst season in modern baseball history is an incredible achievement in itself. THE surprise signing of Munetaka Murakami has provided a real jolt – they’re 22-21 entering their three-game series against their Northside neighbors and would currently occupy the second wild card spot in the uninspiring American League – and their success to this point goes beyond the powerful and polarizing feel of the NPB. Miguel Vargas’ offensive breakout is finally upon us, Colson Montgomery now has 32 homers in 113 career games and Davis Martin has a 1.62 ERA in eight starts. They also got to this point without standout wide receiver Kyle Teel, who is expected to return soon.
If they find a way to sneak into the playoffs, it will be an incredible success. But they’re not going to mortgage their future to get there, and this isn’t a team built to make a deep run in 2026. This year is still a developmental year for their intriguing young talents, and I can’t imagine the White Sox will sacrifice them for “win now” moves. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, they do with Murakami, though. If they can’t or won’t extend it, they should at least listen to competitors’ offers while its value is this high.
5. Blake Snell’s return gives the Dodgers a boost, but do they face any tough decisions?
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times
Kavner: They will, and in reality, those roster decisions already started earlier this week when Mookie Betts was activated and they opted for Alex Freeland. On the pitching side, an even tougher decision looms when Tyler Glasnow is ready to return, even with their six-man rotation. Most likely, one of Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan or Roki Sasaki will have to move to the bullpen, get an option to Triple-A or be placed on the injured list.
Based on performance so far, the most obvious move would be to send Sasaki either to the minors or to the bullpen, but the Dodgers don’t seem inclined to do that either. They insisted they thought the best thing for his development was to let him continue to debut in the majors. He’s performed better as of late, but it’s hard to argue that he’s more deserving of a rotation spot than Wrobleski, who had a 0.56 ERA in his first five starts, or Sheehan, who has a 3.38 ERA in his last five starts. Still, it seems very likely that the odd one out is either Wrobleski, who proved last October that his players can play a relief role, or Sheehan, who has struggled to maintain speed in starts. They will “kick the can down the road” regarding this decision, as they like to say, for as long as possible.
