Opinion

If it sounds like a scenario ripped straight from a Hollywood script, maybe that's fitting: the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels clashing in the World Series. Angeleno pitted against Angeleno. Tinseltown abuzz with October intrigue.

There is a moment when a star player winces, or staggers or crumples in pain, and an entire fanbase holds its collective breath. Sometimes it's nothing, sometimes it's everything.

Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fans, the injury suffered by MVP center fielder Andrew McCutchen doesn't sound like nothing. 

Even though the July 31 trade deadline has passed, there is still a chance for some big-name stars to change teams via waivers.

Which top players have a chance of clearing waivers and heading to a new team?

Find out as Bleacher Report's MLB Lead Columnist Scott Miller breaks down which high-profile athletes have a realistic chance of being moved by the end of August.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The St. Louis Cardinals were active at the non-waiver trade deadline this season.  The moves shook up the clubhouse by sending two clubhouse favorites, Allen Craig and Joe Kelly, to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for John Lackey and Corey Littrell.

Even though the traditional trade deadline has come and gone, with a flurry of activity that changed the landscape of this year's postseason race, Major League Baseball teams are still working diligently to make trades through August 31.

The difference between the two trading periods is that players must clear waivers now to be traded anywhere or teams can work out a deal with another club that puts in a waiver claim, but in that latter scenario, there is a 48-hour window for trades to be worked out. 

Poised to win the American League Central for the fourth consecutive year, the Detroit Tigers' fortunes this October will rest squarely on the right arm of one Justin Brooks Verlander. 

Although the July 31 trade deadline has passed, the activity across major league baseball is not yet finished.

The Cleveland Indians were one of the more active teams at the July 31 trade deadline.

The club entered the deadline in a curious position, sitting 6.5 games back of the division-leading Detroit Tigers and five games back of the final AL wild-card spot. Without all the necessary pieces to make a serious run at the division, the Tribe chose to ship off two of their more high-profile players.

Jose Abreu can hit home runs. That much has been obvious from the moment he put on a big league uniform. But his talents, clearly, go well beyond the long ball.

Excitement has trailed the Cuban star since he inked a six-year, $68 million contract with the Chicago White Sox last fall. But his reputation, by and large, was that of a single-tool slugger.

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.