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The Chicago Cubs landed a top prospect in shortstop Addison Russell in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, one that is bound to have ripple effects throughout the team's farm system while simultaneously setting up the big league club for future success.

The Cubs sent starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A's for Russell, outfield prospect Billy McKinney and right-handed pitcher Dan Straily.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported the deal: 

It looks like the Chicago Cubs are loading up for the future.

The Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs wasted no time in getting the MLB's trade season underway. 

The two clubs have agreed to terms on a blockbuster deal that will see the Athletics rotation get a major boost. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the deal:

Keith Law of ESPN provided more information on who the Cubs have acquired as part of the deal:

The Oakland Athletics are sitting atop the American League West as the 2014 MLB season approaches the All-Star break. After reportedly acquiring Chicago Cubs pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel on Friday, their grip on the division may only grow stronger.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and Keith Law of ESPN updated fans on the proceedings, while the MLB itself noted that the deal was official:

The Cincinnati Reds' top 10 prospects received a little bit of a shakeup since my last version of this recurring article. The MLB draft brought along newcomer Alex Blandino, while some other players either worked their way into the top 10 or found new homes on the list.

Much like previous installations, we'll go through each of the club's top 10 prospects, analyze their past week of play and issue a stock-up or stock-down grade based on their performance.

The Pittsburgh Pirates received a major boost last Saturday when their young starting pitcher, Gerrit Cole, made his first start in over three weeks.  

The 23-year-old had been shelved with right shoulder fatigue, which had caused him to lose velocity on his fastball and yield more hits to batters.  

Although this great save didn't happen July 4, today is a great day to look back at one of the most patriotic acts to happen on the diamond in Major League Baseball history.

On April 25, 1976, which was the year of the United States' bicentennial, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. In the middle of the fourth inning, two people ran onto the field. They didn't do it to interact with the players; they did it to protest.

On June 8, the Giants were a Major League best 42-21 with a 9.5 game lead over their rival Dodgers. It appeared the Giants would just run away with another NL West title.

My oh my how the tables have turned.

Fact: Masahiro Tanaka became the first Yankees rookie to win 12 games by the All-Star break.

Source: ESPN Stats & Info

Making his ninth start of the season and the 10th of his career, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker struck out seven Houston Astros over six innings in Thursday's 5-2 victory.