Preview/Prediction

The 2015 MLB All-Star Game is set to descend upon Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 14, and this year's star-studded rosters shouldn't disappoint. 

And the biggest question this year revolves around the National League's ability to snap the American League's two-year winning streak. After shutting out the AL 8-0 in 2012, the NL has been downed in consecutive years by superior squads from the land of designated hitters. 

The All-Star Game seems to be in the hands of the players who were elected as starters.

The fans have spoken, and they have made several sharp choices this year, particularly in the National League.

However, reserves have made a huge impact on the All-Star Game since its inception in 1933, and it is quite likely that the talented group that will start the game on the bench will produce one or two heroes, and perhaps more.

All the talk this time of year is about contenders and pretenders, buyers and sellers, but the reality of the situation is that every team in baseball is always looking for ways to improve. Essentially, everyone is a buyer and a seller—because you've got to give up something of value to get what you want.

For high-profile snubs like Clayton Kershaw and Johnny Cueto, the 2015 MLB All-Star Game final vote represents one last chance to sneak into the Midsummer Classic.

Each year, a few select players have the misfortune of being labeled as "All-Star Game snubs." The fan vote to determine starting position players is an imperfect system, as evidenced by the current crop of potential starters in the American League. Eight Kansas City Royals players rank within the top three vote-getters at their positions.

With the 2015 MLB All-Star Game's roster announcements approaching, fans can soon resume America's favorite pastime: bickering about baseball.

There are never enough spots to go around, which means a few deserving candidates always get snubbed. While those exclusions are occasionally caused by poor decisions, some guys simply lose out to other stars.

Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby will celebrate its 30th birthday with a new look.

While the Derby has been subject to its fair share of rule changes in the past several years, this year's makeover focuses on a change already made to regular-season games: the length.

For the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Martinez, the question is not whether they'll be starting in the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, but whether they'll even be taking part in the exhibition.

With the Midsummer Classic rapidly approaching, A-Rod and Martinez are just two of a slew of first-half standouts who look like they'll be left on the outside looking in when the American League and National League rosters are announced.

This Thursday officially marks the start of the 2015 MLB international signing period, and while the process has become far more regulated with the addition of signing bonus pool restrictions, it remains perhaps the biggest crapshoot in all of professional sports.

After all, most of these prospects are still just 16-year-old kids who have seen limited scouting exposure playing in Latin America, and teams will soon be shelling out seven-figure bonuses banking on them living up to their potential.

If it seems like it's getting late early in baseball, well, it kind of is, as MLB's July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is just over four weeks away.

That's not a whole lot of time for teams to figure out whether they're going to be buyers or sellers, and this year's deadline promises to be as unpredictable as any that we've encountered in recent seasons.