AL Central

The Minnesota Twins acquired promising pitching prospect Jason Adam Monday in exchange for 35-year-old Josh Willingham in a deal with the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals' Twitter account broke the news:

The Detroit Tigers were only 2.5 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central heading into play Friday, but their division title chances may have taken a hit. Jason Beck of MLB.com filled fans in on the latest regarding pitcher Anibal Sanchez:

The Detroit Tigers have enjoyed a storied 121-year history, winning 11 American League pennants and four World Series championships.

Much of this success can be attributed to the iconic pitchers that have donned the "Olde English D" during their careers.

Poised to win the American League Central for the fourth consecutive year, the Detroit Tigers' fortunes this October will rest squarely on the right arm of one Justin Brooks Verlander. 

The Cleveland Indians were one of the more active teams at the July 31 trade deadline.

The club entered the deadline in a curious position, sitting 6.5 games back of the division-leading Detroit Tigers and five games back of the final AL wild-card spot. Without all the necessary pieces to make a serious run at the division, the Tribe chose to ship off two of their more high-profile players.

Jose Abreu can hit home runs. That much has been obvious from the moment he put on a big league uniform. But his talents, clearly, go well beyond the long ball.

Excitement has trailed the Cuban star since he inked a six-year, $68 million contract with the Chicago White Sox last fall. But his reputation, by and large, was that of a single-tool slugger.

Fresh off of sending Chris Sale, Jose Abreu and Alexei Ramirez to Minneapolis for All-Star festivities, the Chicago White Sox began their post-All-Star break schedule by splitting six home games against the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals

With the 2014 Major League Baseball trade deadline quickly approaching, the Cleveland Indians find themselves in a curious position. The team is currently three games over .500 and 4.5 games back of the division-leading Detroit Tigers.

The Detroit Tigers are once again championship contenders in 2014. At 55-41 and 6.5 games clear of their nearest division rival, they are poised to make another run at an elusive World Series title. Key to their success so far has been the breakout season of starting pitcher Rick Porcello.

What are the odds of this? 

On Friday night, Chicago White Sox outfielder Adam Dunn got about as close to hitting a home run as one can get with the ball bouncing off the top of the outfield wall twice while still remaining in play.