We near the midpoint of the 2008 baseball season, and we’ve seen things change course suddenly and without warning. If the playoffs began today, the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks would continue playing, while the big payrolls of the New York Mets, Yankees and Detroit Tigers would be watching from home.

The question is, is today’s state of affairs indicative of what will happen come September? In some cases, yes. In others, no. Today, we’ll put some of the hotter issues under the microscope and take a stance one way or the other.

1. The Philadelphia Phillies will win the NL East and beat the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series to make the organization’s first World Series since 1995. They will be denied a title by the Boston Red Sox though, who win it for the third time in five seasons.

2. The Arizona Diamondbacks will win baseball’s worst division, the NL West, but will be swept by the Phillies in four games in the National League Division Series.

3. Chipper Jones will fall at least 20 points shy of hitting .400.

4. The Cleveland Indians will trade ace C.C. Sabathia to the highest bidder, likely the Yankees whose starting rotation will labor through most of July. The Yankees will also deal for Colorado Rockies lefty Brian Fuentes.

5. Chase Utley will win the National League MVP. Alex Rodriguez will win his second straight MVP award in the American League.

6. Cincinnati Reds right-hander Edinson Volquez will lead the majors in strikeouts, but lose out to Arizona’s Brandon Webb for NL Cy Young honors. Despite his team finishing at least 10 games back of a playoff berth, Toronto’s Roy Halladay will win it in the AL.

7. The Milwaukee Brewers will jump the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central standings to capture the league’s wild card berth.

8. Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun will lead the NL with 45 home runs.

9. Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton will play in fewer than 140 games and still lead the AL with 125 RBIs.

10. The Oakland A’s will reverse trends from the previous season and play worse in the second half of the year. They will finish with an 80-82 record.

11. Ken Griffey Jr. will be traded from Cincinnati to Tampa Bay in the days leading up to the July 31 trade deadline.

12. The Tampa Bay Rays will be swept when the Boston Red Sox visit Tropicana Field from June 30-July 2.

13. Angels’ closer Francisco Rodriguez will fall short of his current 62-save pace, but will save at least 50 games to set a new career-high. He will have 10 more saves than the next closer on the list, Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon.

14. Come September, Joba Chamberlain will be one of the AL’s most prolific starting pitchers. He’ll pitch the Wild Card-winning Yankees’ third game of the playoffs, following Chien-Ming Wang and Sabathia in the rotation.

15. Jacoby Ellsbury will lead baseball with 70 stolen bases and win AL Rookie of the Year honors. Jay Bruce will snap out of his recent funk and win it in the NL.

16. In place of fired Willie Randolph, Jerry Manuel will lead the Mets to a .500 record or better, but won’t be the team’s manager come 2009.

17. With no chance to compete, the Mariners will beat out the Washington Nationals by a nose for baseball’s worst record. Both teams will finish with at least 100 losses.

18. The Detroit Tigers will take the Chicago White Sox to the wire, but lose the AL Central by one game and miss the playoffs.

19. Three players will finish with 30-30 seasons; Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips, and Cleveland’s Grady Sizemore. Carlos Beltran, Nick Markakis, Corey Hart and David Wright will be among the eight or so players who have 20 homers and 20 steals.

20. Houston Astros manager Cecil Cooper will be the next to get fired as the Astros continue to struggle and finish in the NL Central cellar.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.