Prospect Pipeline

While there already has been a large influx of prospects promoted to the major leagues this season, there are even more set to arrive when active rosters expand from 25 to 40 players on September 1.

For teams still vying for a postseason berth, the timely promotion of an impact prospect for the stretch run can provide a much-needed boost to their lineup, starting rotation or bullpen. Meanwhile, teams already out of the playoff hunt use the final month of the regular season to audition some of their top prospects.

Felix Hernandez is having a historically good season, arguably the best of his 10-year career with the Seattle Mariners.

Where would the Yankees be right now if not for Brandon McCarthy?

While it will be several years until most of the 2014 draft picks are ready for the major leagues, that doesn't mean we can’t get excited about the early returns from some of baseball’s brightest young players.

Thanks to an accelerated signing deadline in mid-July that was ushered in in 2012 as part of the new collective bargaining agreement—it used to be mid-August—draft picks are now encouraged to quickly begin their professional careers.

Things were looking up for Stephen Strasburg headed into his start on Friday night against the Atlanta Braves. At least that’s how it seemed.

While there already has been a large influx of prospects promoted to the major leagues this season, there are even more set to arrive when active rosters expand from 25 to 40 players on September 1.

Last year’s wave of September call-ups marked the arrival of some of baseball’s top rookies, including Billy Hamilton, Yordano Ventura, Nick Castellanos and Jonathan Schoop.

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane is tired of his team being “one-and-done” in the playoffs.

Parity has been the story of the 2014 season.

With a little more than two months remaining in the regular season, the Detroit Tigers are the only team with a division lead of more than three games, as they currently hold a seven-game advantage over the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central.

With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline rapidly approaching, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the Tampa Bay Rays will trade David Price.

Should the Rays deal the Cy Young Award-winning left-hander, they are likely to receive a bounty of young talent (mostly prospects) in return. The team that acquires Price should get a big boost heading toward the playoffs.

However, as you'll see in the case studies below, trades are not always even.

The signing deadline for 2014 draft picks officially passed Friday at 5 p.m. ET, and the Houston Astros were not able to sign No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken, according Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). He also reports that the Astros failed to sign fifth-rounder Jacob Nix and 21st-rounder Mac Marshall.