Bold second-half predictions for all 30 MLB teams

The Major League Baseball season is unpredictable.

Before the first pitch of the second half of the season was thrown, the Chicago Cubs acquired ace Jose Quintana from the Chicago White Sox in a blockbuster deal.

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge is on pace to slug 57 home runs.  

The Boston Red Sox cut ties with Pablo Sandoval. 

So, with the second half of the regular season about to commence, USA TODAY's Kevin Santo makes his bold predictions:

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Boston Red Sox

• Bold prediction: Chris Sale wins the Cy Young Award. If the left-hander continues at this pace, no one in the AL will come close to touching his strikeout total.

New York Yankees

• Bold prediction: Aaron Judge becomes AL MVP. Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and George Springer have strong cases. But Judge stands alone.

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Tampa Bay Rays

• Bold prediction: Brent Honeywell gets the call-up. The Rays need help on the mound, and the screwball-throwing right-hander has 119 strikeouts in 92 1/3 innings in the minors.

Baltimore Orioles

• Bold prediction: The Orioles sell, a lot. It has been a season to forget in Baltimore, and fighting for a wild-card spot isn’t enticing enough to keep the Orioles from looking toward the future.

Toronto Blue Jays

• Bold prediction: Marcus Stroman gets dealt. Performance, price tag and controllable years make Stroman too tempting to deal and meaningfully reload the system.

Cleveland Indians

• Bold prediction: Corey Kluber finishes as the AL ERA champ and gives Sale a run for Cy Young honors.

Minnesota Twins

• Bold prediction: The wheels fall off in the second half.

Kansas City Royals

• Bold prediction: Third baseman Mike Moustakas will break the franchise single-season home run record. It’s not that bold, as the number to beat is 36, but Moustakas is on pace to finish with 47 homers.

Detroit Tigers

• Bold prediction: J.D. Martinez gets traded. Time to cash in on prospects.

Chicago White Sox

• Bold prediction: The fire sale doesn't end with Jose Quintana. T

Houston Astros

• Bold prediction: The Astros win the World Series. They just need to stay healthy.

Los Angeles Angels

• Bold prediction: Trout continues his career-long streak of top-two MVP finishes.

Texas Rangers

• Bold prediction: The Rangers empty the farm system one more time.

Seattle Mariners

• Bold prediction: The skid continues. The Mariners finished the first half with a 4-10 record, and there are no signs their slump won’t continue.

Oakland A's

• Bold prediction: GM Billy Beane will move center fielder Rajai Davis and right-hander Sonny Gray for future assets.

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Washington Nationals

• Bold prediction: Max Scherzer wins his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award. This wouldn’t be so bold if Clayton Kershaw wasn’t in the picture, but the two aces have been jockeying back and forth all season.

Atlanta Braves

• Bold prediction: The Braves will accelerate their trade activity, starting with outfielder Nick Markakis.

Miami Marlins

• Bold prediction: Christian Yelich gets back on track.

New York Mets

• Bold prediction: Jay Bruce gets traded. A robust, 23-homer first half enhanced his value; by the end of the month, a thirst to contend should make Bruce’s no-trade clause an afterthought.

Philadelphia Phillies

• Bold prediction: Pat Neshek gets dealt. There are plenty of contenders who could use a reliable reliever.

Milwaukee Brewers

• Bold prediction: Milwaukee seems one more reliable starter away from making a serious run, and they can trade a lot to do so.

Chicago Cubs

• Bold prediction: Kyle Schwarber really does get traded. Simply, they need young pitching — and Schwarber can deliver that.

St. Louis Cardinals

• Bold prediction: The Cardinals roll the dice before the trade deadline. St. Louis will need to add a source of run production — potentially at a high price — if it wants to compete.

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Bold prediction: Andrew McCutchen gets traded. The Pirates aren’t going anywhere this season and will capitalize on his revived value.

Cincinnati Reds

• Bold prediction: Zack Cozart is dealt at the trade deadline to a West Coast team.

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Bold prediction: They land a solid No. 2 or 3 starter, even if it takes sacrificing outfielder Alex Verdugo.

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Bold prediction: Paul Goldschmidt finishes as the Diamondbacks leader in all major batting categories. He’ll need to hold off third baseman Jake Lamb for home runs and RBI, but Goldschimdt is on a tear and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

Colorado Rockies

• Bold prediction: The Rockies shop for a starter. The rotation has improved, but left-hander Kyle Freeland’s 3.77 ERA is best among Rockies starters, and another reliable option is necessary.

San Diego Padres

• Bold prediction: Carlos Asuaje sees a lot more of the field. The wins don’t matter and the Padres might as well give their youth a shot. The 25-year-old second baseman has played 17 games but posted a .302 average in that span.

San Francisco Giants

• Bold prediction: The Giants call up Albert Suarez, and he stays. The Giants are desperate for answers.