Preview/Prediction

The 2014 MLB draft is almost here, and while players will emerge from the later rounds, all eyes will be on which players will go where in the first round.

This year's draft begins on Thursday with the first three rounds. For the third straight year, the Houston Astros will have the No. 1 overall pick, and they'll have to decide between a number of exciting pitchers or a couple of positional players.

In baseball, the season can be broken down into three stages that form the backbone of each campaign, setting the stage for present and future success.

April and May serve as a tentative, conservative stage in which big moves rarely happen, managers don't sit on hot seats and executives spend countless hours preparing for the June draft. By the time August and September arrive, the work is done and the best teams rise to the top.

Many of the top-ranked prospects in the Seattle Mariners organization have already reached the major leagues, but a few more could be on the way shorty.

The Mariners have already had James Jones, Dominic Leone and Roenis Elias make their major league debuts in 2014, and each has experienced some success. It should be only a matter of a few weeks before Chris Taylor and Carson Smith join them to fill a couple of holes on the roster.   

While most Los Angeles sports fans are still frustrated at the Lakers' fortunes in last week's NBA draft lottery, the hometown baseball team has its own draft coming up in less than two weeks.

The 2014 MLB draft is set to begin on June 5, with the Los Angeles Dodgers slated to make a selection at No. 22.

Last year, the team chose right-handed pitcher Chris Anderson out of Jacksonville University with the 18th pick. 

The 2014 MLB All-Star Game will be played on July 15, or a little over a month-and-a-half from now, but it's never too soon to start diving into what this year's rosters might look like.

Arguing about who deserves to be on the rosters and who the biggest snubs are each year is half the fun of the game itself, and there will no doubt be some notable snubs once again this coming season.

With the 2014 MLB draft just about a month away, the Cubs once again have a top-five pick. Last season they appeared to hit a home run by taking 3B Kris Bryant with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, and this season they hold pick No. 4. There are several different directions the club could go, but pitching is likely to be a top priority. 

With his next home run, Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols will break a tie with Hall of Famer Eddie Murray to take sole possession of 25th place on MLB's all-time home runs list. Pujols hit career homers No.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander is 9-10 with a 5.26 ERA in 20 career road starts against the Cleveland Indians, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Tuesday, when the two teams face off at Progressive Field.

Sports bettors will find that the Tigers are minus-145 favorites in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at 7.5 in the market.

It will still be another month and a half before the MLB trade market kicks into full gear, but it's never too soon to start speculating as to who could be on the move this July.

What follows is my take on the 10 best players likely to find themselves on the trade market and perhaps on the move to new teams at some point in the season ahead.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista needs just one home run to take sole possession of fifth place on the all-time

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