MLB Rumors

It's the Chris Sale show during this wild MLB trade rumors season. 

Sale might dominate the headlines right now because he took scissors to throwback jerseys and got sent home (no joke), according to Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports, but more importantly he's one of the biggest names on the market. 

With time running out until MLB's non-waiver trade deadline, nearly half of the league is sandwiched together atop the standings.

Fourteen teams have accumulated at least 50 victories. Shortly before the non-waiver trade window shuts on Aug. 1, a clear line divides the contenders and pretenders. Given the parity at the top, every playoff hopeful can convince itself that one or two shrewd moves will catalyze a championship run.

It's time for MLB teams to make a decision. 

With August getting closer, teams on the brink of the postseason have to decide whether it's time to make a move for the present or for the future.

The future means a front office throws up the proverbial white flag and sells off assets to teams with different ideas. It means securing spots of need for the long-term outlook and trying again at a later date, what some would call the smart approach.

As the grind of the long MLB regular season takes its toll and some rosters begin to wilt in the summer sun, shoring up a pitching staff can be the key to maintaining consistency and stocking away wins before the final playoff push in the fall.

There is no shortage of big names on the block as we head toward the 2016 MLB trade deadline on Aug. 1.

As teams prepare for their playoff pushes, they want impact players who can make a difference for the rest of the regular season and beyond. Of course, those stars aren't going to come cheap. The contending squads will have to give up noteworthy talent in return, which this year also includes high-profile players.

With Major League Baseball's trade deadline looming on August 1, there are some big names who could be on the trading block, including Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy.    

On Wednesday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that the Brewers and Cleveland Indians are "in talks" for the two-time All-Star. 

Continue for updates.

July means sellers reign supreme in Major League Baseball. 

That rings true at least from an attention standpoint, as teams that are out of contention are ready to turn an eye to the future and make a splash. It's not the most difficult thing to pull off, either, not with so many contenders willing to take the bait each year.

The usual MLB trade candidates typically follow a pattern. Veterans on cellar-dwelling franchises with contracts close to expiring dominate the pre-deadline rumor mill.

Yet as the August 1 non-waiver deadline approaches, the hot stove has expanded beyond the usual suspects to younger players on cost-effective deals. 

The MLB just got interesting. 

Not that it wasn't before, but things really kick up now with the All-Star break in the rear view, a summer of trades and teams jockeying for postseason position right down the road.

While a notable team like the New York Yankees might be close to getting off on an exit along the way, it could throw them right into the land of major trades with sellers looking to dump talent and contenders looking to gobble it up.

Anchored at the bottom of the American League East standings, the Tampa Bay Rays will be sellers at the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 1, and a big question is whether franchise stalwart Evan Longoria could be on the move.

Continue for updates.