Preview/Prediction

There's a false narrative making the rounds that it's too early for teams to be wheeling and dealing. History tells us that's simply not the case—significant deals can be struck before the calendars flip to June.

Two of the more notable names to be moved before the season's third month in the past 25 years are Lee Smith, one of the game's all-time great closers who went from Boston to St. Louis in 1990, and Mike Piazza, who should be in the Hall of Fame and was traded not once, but twice in May 1998.

The Seattle Mariners entered the 2015 Major League Baseball season with championship aspirations, but their inconsistent play has them toward the bottom of the American League standings.

The Oakland A's season has not gone as expected, and yet we may see a few more surprises before all is said and done.

Just over one month into the season, the A's are struggling.

Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir have been solid. After them, the starting pitching has been all over the place. The offense is inconsistent, and the bullpen is a problem. Injuries have decimated the roster as well. From leadoff hitter Coco Crisp to closer Sean Doolittle, key players have missed extended periods here and there.

While it might still be too early for teams to pull the trigger on substantial trades, it's never too early for us to start thinking about what some of those deals might look like.

From clubs looking to fill holes created by injury to those looking for young talent that could be part of a long-term solution, the rumor mill has begun to pick up speed and is pointing us toward the clubs that could be among the first to agree to a swap.

The first five weeks of the 2015 season have been filled with surprises for the Seattle Mariners.

Offseason acquisition Nelson Cruz has been on a tear nobody could have seen coming and is currently leading the majors by a healthy margin with 14 home runs. Cruz has really helped Seattle stay afloat during a rough stretch of play.

The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers both find themselves chasing the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central standings heading into the series opener of a three-game set at Comerica Park Tuesday.

Thank god the NL Central is a weak division.

Despite being just a .500 ballclub through their first 30 games, the Chicago Cubs find themselves in second place in the division and 6.5 games behind the strongest team in baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Alex Rodriguez stands alone in fourth place on the all-time home run list after hitting his 661st bomb against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankees Stadium on Thursday, passing Willie Mays.

For MLB executives, the busy season is right around the corner.

The big league trade deadline is still a couple of months away, but team officials definitely need to keep their phones close by. Just ask Doug Melvin, the general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Coming off a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the New York Yankees have emerged as serious contenders on the odds to win the World Series and the American League pennant this season.

The AL East-leading Yankees (16-9) are at 20-1 odds to win the World Series and tied with the Red Sox at 7-1 to win the pennant behind a pair of AL Central teams that are virtually tied for the division lead.