Rankings/List

The Baltimore Orioles (49-40) are finally in the driver's seat, having reached first place in the AL East this past weekend.

After playing a doubleheader on Saturday and a 12-inning contest against the rival Boston Red Sox, the Orioles could look to the farm for some bullpen help to finish out the stretch before the All-Star break.

With less than four weeks remaining until the MLB July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the action around the league is starting to pick up.

Though the 2014-15 international signing period officially began only last Wednesday, a majority of the top prospects in this year's class have already signed or agreed to sign with a major league club.

While most teams played by the rules and stayed within their allotted bonus pools, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox opted to ignore spending limitations (at the cost of a future penalty) in order to sign many of the top-ranked prospects in this year’s class. 

Who will represent the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game?

This question is a reflection of how the team has played so far this season both individually and collectively. 

Since 2008 the question surrounding the Rays' All-Star selections has been how many players the team would send. The franchise has sent at least two players to the Midsummer Classic each season since changing the name to the Rays.

The idea of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is sound. It's designed to gather the best players in the league in one place, and it mostly succeeds at doing so.

But not always. On occasion, players who have no business being called "All-Stars" end up at the Midsummer Classic. It's our duty as honest, baseball gods-fearing citizens to not forget them.

Since joining the league in 1962, the New York Mets have excelled at making some of the worst player acquisitions in baseball history.

Due to mismanagement, front-office ineptitude, poor player development and a myriad of other reasons, the Mets have always seemed a step behind other teams in player evaluation. As a result, some of the trades and free-agent acquisitions over the years have been disastrous.

Mets fans, grab some ice cream. Here are the 10 worst trade or free-agent acquisitions in Mets history.

For the first time since 2010, the Seattle Mariners will have a position player representative at the All-Star Game.

Robinson Cano will be making the trip to Minnesota on July 15 to play in his fifth consecutive All-Star contest. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will join teammate Felix Hernandez, who would be making his fourth straight appearance.

Less than five weeks remain until the MLB July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

What happens during this time can turn a moribund franchise around or take a contending team from the brink of greatness and put it over the top. Now is when general managers can set their franchise back or forever cement their legacy as the architect of greatness.

This season already has featured promotions for some of baseball’s top prospects, as we’ve seen George Springer, Gregory Polanco, Marcus Stroman and Andrew Heaney receive call-ups to the major leagues, while big names such as Kris Bryant, Mookie Betts and Joey Gallo have moved up to higher minor league levels.

Even though the Cubs are 11 games under .500 this season, they still have a few deserving All-Stars. Both on the mound and at the plate, the team has had players step up, and those players should be playing in Minnesota this July.