Javier Baez has gone from has-been to All-Star starter again
Considering Javier Baez was all but branded an aging has-been who would never live up to his bloated free agent contract, the Tigers shortstop’s 2025 resurgence has been nothing less than magical. After three disappointing seasons in Detroit, the Bayamon, Puerto Rico native known as “El Mago” (The Magician) for his dazzling defense, found himself in the unlikeliest of places this week — on the field in Atlanta as the AL’s starting shortstop in the 2025 All-Star Game. Baez, now 32, came to Detroit in 2022 after seven and a half seasons with the Chicago Cubs and a couple of
MLB All-Star week missed Jose Ramirez’s presence and stature
It’s a shame Jose Ramirez bowed out of the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, depriving baseball fans who don’t often get a glimpse of the smallish-market Cleveland Guardians to witness one of baseball’s most consistent stars in the midst of another strong year. A rare combination of switch-hitting power and speed, Ramirez decided to rest the aching right ankle he sprained in early May rather than participate in the midsummer break festivities. “I want to go to the All-Star Game, especially with the support from the fans, but I feel the best thing for the team is to be able to
Juan Soto is about to spend the next 15 seasons trying to live up to his paycheck
If ever there was a baseball player who despite his generational talent and seemingly unlimited future has so much to prove this year, it's Juan Soto. There's a good reason the new Mets right fielder, just 26, scored the most lucrative contract in MLB history this winter from deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen. Soto really is that good, and should get even better as he enters his baseball prime. But there's a lot riding on that $765 million he'll earn over the next 15 years. Soto is under pressure to not only have another outstanding year — his 41 HR, 109
Small moments at MLB All-Star Game week make for lifetime memories
By Julio Pabon ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Attending the 95th annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game—also known as the Midsummer Classic—is always an adventure and a joy for baseball fans of all ages. What began with the very first All-Star Game at Comiskey Park in Chicago during the 1933 World’s Fair has now evolved into a five-day celebration of the sport—a full “baseball universe” packed with events, excitement, and community. From Friday’s HBCU Swingman Classic to Tuesday night’s main event, the All-Star Game itself, this extended weekend is a haven for everyone connected to the sport: fans, players, coaches, agents, corporate
The forgotten All-Star game: Latino legends played in Polo Grounds’ last game ever in 1963
It was the All-Star game few baseball fans witnessed, and few today know it was ever played at all. More than 60 years ago, on a warm and sunny autumn afternoon in New York, two teams comprised of Latino players from the Major Leagues squared off at the Polo Grounds for an exhibition game billed as a charity event to benefit a new Latin American Hall of Fame. Held on Oct. 12, 1963 — a week after the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the New York Yankees in the World Series — it would be the last baseball game ever played
Vlad Guerrero Jr. signs $500M, 14-year deal to stay with Blue Jays
After striking out on several top free agents going into the 2025 season including Juan Soto, the Blue Jays finally signed a big-name, game-changing star — who happens to be Vlad Guerrero Jr., already the face of the franchise. Guerrero agreed to a $500 million, 14-year contract to stay with the only organization he’s ever known. The deal places the slugging first baseman and son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero among the highest paid players in the game at just 26 years old. It’s the second-largest in MBL history after Soto’s record $765 million, 15-year deal with the Mets
Eugenio Suarez is a big-time slugger with a low-profile problem
Aaron Judge’s big opening weekend series at Yankee Stadium to kick off the 2025 season was one of the bigger stories in baseball, with the Bombers captain netting AL Player of the Week honors for hitting four homers in three games against the Brewers — including a grand slam. Oh, and he did it old school without the benefit of the new controversial “torpedo” bats a handful of Yankees players are using. Yet a lesser-known star had a not-so-bad weekend series himself to win the NL Player of the Week award, though you wouldn’t know it from all the attention
The day Michael Pineda got into a sticky situation
The Yankees waited a long time to reap the fruits of their controversial 2012 trade for pitcher Michael Pineda, and when the strapping, 6’7” righty finally made his Yankee debut two years later after a raft of injuries, it looked like New York had itself a future ace in the making. That is, until Pineda got caught with his hand – and neck – in the pine tar jar. Pineda was 23 and coming off a solid rookie season in 2011 for the Mariners, one that included a selection to the All-Star game when the Yankees traded power-hitting catching prospect
