Opinion

As the minutes tick away prior to Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline, all 30 Major League Baseball teams appear to be in a state of flux. Sure, there are a handful of teams that can feel good about their playoff aspirations, but are they championship-caliber clubs?

That's the question every general manager faces every year, though some start the season with an understanding of what these 162 games will look like.

Derek Jeter continues to break career records, and at this age, it’s no surprise. Earlier in the season. he eclipsed Lou Gehrig’s doubles record of 534, and most recently he passed Carl Yastrzemski for seventh on the all-time hits list.

With the nonwaiver trade deadline just around the corner, MLB trade rumors are swirling around at a furious pace. One such rumor that has gained a lot of momentum over the past few days is the potential dealing of Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester.

With the Sox out of contention, it appears as though the team may be willing to move the impending free agent.

The 2014 MLB nonwaiver trade deadline is Thursday, July 31, and the rumors surrounding the biggest names in baseball have fans trying to predict where the top players will land.

The 2014 MLB trade deadline is scheduled for Thursday, July 31, and as it is every season, the rumors have started to come fast and furious from all corners of the sport.

With huge names like A.J. Burnett, Jon Lester, Matt Kemp and Jonathan Papelbon potentially on the move, the landscape of baseball could shift if the rumored trades come to fruition before the deadline.

Lost in all the respect and hoopla surrounding Derek Jeter’s last season as part of the New York Yankees is the fact that the squad is still very much in the race for an American League playoff spot.

Starting pitcher James Paxton appears close to returning to the Seattle Mariners rotation after missing nearly four months with a strained lat muscle.

Troy Tulowitzki is one of the best players in the game today. He not only hits for average but also has extraordinary power for a shortstop. Any team looking to acquire him by the trade deadline would have to be willing give up a hefty sum in return. A few teams are said to be interested in making a trade for Tulowitzki.

Of the teams rumored to be interested in his services, which do you think makes the most sense?

Major League Baseball is rife with parity right now, and that's both a good and bad thing. On one hand, a lot more teams and fanbases have legitimate hopes and dreams of reaching October. On the other, this relatively new league-wide equality has neutered the trade deadline—formerly one of the most exciting times of the season—to an extent.

We are now just days away from the July 31 MLB non-waiver trade deadline date and the Baltimore Orioles (58-46) have been on quite the hot streak since the second half of the season began.