Rankings/List

The risk of any trade is that the player leaving your team will wind up having the more productive future than the player that you received.

Major League Baseball is full of these stories.

Remember when the San Francisco Giants traded Francisco Liriano, Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser for A.J. Pierzynski? I'm sure the Giants regretted moving those three.

The NL Central has had a lot of drama so far this season, with four teams separated by four games or less. This is due in large part of many outstanding performances by unexpected players.

The intense battle has blown up in the NL Central with the development of the Pirates and the injury of Albert Pujols. With so many competitive teams—the NL Central is the only division with six—there are bound to be many talented players.

During the last weeks of July there will be major trades coming for MLB.  This article will provide some answers as to why major league teams trade away certain players; whether it is to make a playoff push or if they have run into some financial trouble, there is always a reason why teams in MLB trade athletes.

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The first month of baseball is coming to an end.

Breakout teams, key injuries and hot hitting has culminated into the exciting product that the MLB has to offer.

However, while we sit back and watch these natural occurrences take place, what does that do for our fantasy teams?

Many owners have been biting their fingernails through the first month of fantasy leagues, anticipating their early round draft picks to breakout and earn their keep.

The rookie crop in the American League Central Division is a little weak in rookies right now. The strongest prospects in the division are Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Lonnie Chisenhall, but they are still maturing in the minors.

Of the rookies that have been playing in the majors, most are struggling. None of the current players have made much of an impact on the Rookie of the Year race.

Here are the last three Rookie of the Year winners out of the AL Central:

Angel Berroa, Kansas City Royals—2003

Carlos Beltran, Kansas City Royals—1999

Though it's still too early to determine who will take the field in Phoenix for the 2011 MLB All-Star Game, it's always worth a look back at who has played well in the first month of the new season.

The San Francisco Giants are looking forward to having their manager, Bruce Bochy, lead the National League All-Stars and to having the most All-Stars from San Francisco in nearly a decade.

Here's a look at the Giants All-Stars from the month of April, ranked in order of their impact for the club.

This is a slideshow on the top 10 Yankee performers right now.  Keep in mind that the entire show is not based on past seasons' performances.  It is only based on the future, which I think is the most relevant tool that we can look to at this point.  Thus, don't be surprised if you see some major names kept off of this list.

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We are now about a month into the season, and there have been a ton of surprises that nobody saw coming. 

Two of last season's worst teams are atop their division. Teams who made major acquisitions in the offseason has struggled. Players who have been around the league for what seems forever are still hitting the ball like they are 20 years old.

There have been so many things we all didn't see coming that makes this season so exciting.

Let's now look at the 10 biggest surprises so far of the 2011 season.

The Tampa Bay Rays' starting rotation has remained strong despite the turnover of a lot of key members of the team. The Rays' rotation is still among the best in baseball and will keep them competitive for years to come.

Ah, the simpler days of baseball.

I remember a time when the number of runs a batter drove in was actually considered a decent measurement of his worth. Just thinking about it makes me feel like an old man sitting on a porch rambling incoherently about the good old days when an RBI meant something, and candy bars cost a nickel.