Fan News

While Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera and Jose Reyes may be the top performers in the Toronto Blue Jays lineup right now, it’s important to not overlook the team’s bench, which has quietly been serving as the catalyst for Toronto’s offense.

David Price may be one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball right now, but as a rookie, he was just a hard-throwing reliever.

The southpaw appeared in only five regular-season games, including one start, with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. However, when it came time for the most important game in franchise history, Rays manager Joe Maddon wasn't afraid to hand the ball to the rookie.

The Oakland Athletics have had the American League's best record for virtually the entire season, but any A's fan knows in-season success doesn't guarantee playoff wins. Winning in October takes a deep roster, a couple of top-level players and a whole lot of luck.

Many Major League Baseball players are on edge on the day of the trade deadline, so if a player gets traded, his team should at least be the first to tell him. That's not what happened with a couple of (now former) St. Louis Cardinals players.

First baseman/right fielder Allen Craig and pitcher Joe Kelly were traded from the Cardinals to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher John Lackey on Thursday afternoon. 

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, who pushed his hitting streak to 20 games Thursday afternoon, is just the second player in the last 65 years with multiple 18-game streaks during his rookie season, per Lee Sinins' Complete Baseball Encyclopedia. Abreu joins Ichiro Suzuki, who racked up hitting streaks of 23 and 21 games on his way to winning the American League MVP award as a rookie in 2001.

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

With all the trades that were agreed upon by the MLB trade deadline, prospects were involved in many of the deals. While acquiring a young, unproven player may not exactly be the sexiest move a team can make, these assets can be the key to future success for an organization. Who do you think were the best prospects to be traded?

Watch as Bleacher Report's MLB Prospects Lead Writer Mike Rosenbaum breaks down the best prospects moved at the deadline.

Well, that was an exciting trade deadline, wasn't it?

This year's July 31 non-waiver deadline had everything that baseball fans can ask for. We saw a former Cy Young winner, still very much in his peak, get dealt; a true ace for the defending World Series champions found a new home. 

Many Major League Baseball teams hold Star Wars promotions at their ballparks at some point in the season. Thanks to one graphic designer, the teams could now even change their logos for the special night.

The Oakland Athletics spent the July 31 trade deadline upgrading their roster, but the team started August by cutting ties with one of the few players that hasn't worked out for general manager Billy Beane this season. 

According to the team's official Twitter account, former closer Jim Johnson has been released by the A's: