Opinion

The Kansas City Royals haven't played October baseball since 1985, when they won the World Series.

The fact that this team pulled into first place all by itself in the American League Central with a dramatic 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night is kind of a big deal. And, frankly, an unexpected one.

The 2014 baseball season hasn’t been the kindest to Ron Washington and his Texas Rangers.

After all, they have led the big leagues in trips to the disabled list, and at one point, they had 16 players on it for one injury or another. And with 13 players currently on the DL and sitting 26 games under .500, the club is just hoping to finish the rest of the season unscathed.

In baseball, managers are often placed in an unenviable position. They are usually the first targets of blame if anything goes wrong with their team over the course of the season.

But, if the team ends up doing well, managers rarely get the credit that they deserve.

The Minnesota Twins acquired promising pitching prospect Jason Adam Monday in exchange for 35-year-old Josh Willingham in a deal with the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals' Twitter account broke the news:

When a ridiculous amount of criticism—whether in good and harmless fun or something different—is hurled an athlete's way, it can be used as motivation or just laughed at altogether. Hunter Pence is doing the latter.

Things were looking up for Stephen Strasburg headed into his start on Friday night against the Atlanta Braves. At least that’s how it seemed.

July 31 was a significant day in Red Sox history, as the team underwent perhaps the most dramatic makeover in franchise history, undergoing a fire sale once it became clear the team would not contend in 2014.

A fire sale's ultimate goal is to get a team back to contention, but the way general manager Ben Cherington went about it ran counter to most fire sales. Typically, fire sales consist of stripping the major league squad and pinning hopes on the progression of prospects.

The New York Yankees have had a long, strange trip through the 2014 season.

The Atlanta Braves acquired Emilio Bonifacio and James Russell from the Chicago Cubs at the July 31 trade deadline to bolster the roster for the stretch run.

In Bonifacio, the Braves strengthened their bench with one of the top utility players in the game. He can play all the outfield positions and infield positions (minus catcher and first base) while adding an element of speed to the Braves.

The 2014 MLB season has given us plenty of interesting storylines.

Chicago White Sox rookie Jose Abreu is filling up the stat sheet on a nightly basis. New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka took the American League by storm before landing on the disabled list.