Nine burning questions about the second half of the season (and beyond) were put to 22 baseball executives

	Ichiro Suzuki Brad Mangin/SI

1. Which free-agent-to-be has done the most to bolster his stock in the first half?

Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Mariners 27%
Torii Hunter, OF, Twins 18%
Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees 14%

Loose lips: "Pretty quietly Ichiro is having an outstanding season, even by his standards." . . . "Hunter has been out of his mind. His best year by far. Someone's going to look at his numbers and pay big."

2. Which free-agent-to-be has hurt his stock the most in the first half?

Andruw Jones, OF, Braves 77%
Jermaine Dye, OF, White Sox 9%

Loose lips: "Andruw was a $100 million guy before the season. It's going to be interesting to see how far he falls." . . . "A year ago Jermaine Dye was an MVP candidate. Now he's killing the Sox."

3. Which player (in either league) has been the biggest surprise so far?

Jeremy Guthrie, RHP, Orioles 18%
Josh Hamilton, OF, Reds 18%
Sammy Sosa, DH, Rangers 14%

Loose lips: "Amazing what Josh Hamilton is doing after falling so far. Shows you how much talent he has." . . . "Guthrie's more than a surprise. He looks like he can be something special."

4. Which team will win the NL pennant?

Padres 41%
Mets 36%

Loose lips: "The Padres' bullpen is second to none. They've got the starters, if Chris Young stays this good. [Greg] Maddux has been there. [Jake] Peavy is obviously an ace." . . . "The Mets still are the class of the league with their lineup. Scary."

5. Which team will win the AL pennant?

Red Sox 50%
Tigers 27%

Loose lips: "Boston is the most balanced team and still has offensive upside in the second half. The Tigers are a close second, but their bullpen is a mess. How they do is contingent on the trades they make to bolster [the pen]."