Opinion

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.  

The Atlanta Braves (47-38) are currently riding a season-best seven-game winning streak as we hit July.

Despite their hot streak, the Braves hold just a half-game lead in the division as the Washington Nationals have also improved their play.

You can bet general manager Frank Wren will be looking to improve the roster as the July 31 trade deadline nears in order to give the Braves a leg up over the Nationals.

There's what Jake Arrieta used to be, and then there's what Jake Arrieta is.

It may not coincide with some ridiculous campaign commercials dished out by rich politicians, but the 2014 MLB All-Star vote has been entertaining nonetheless.

Like any formal political vote, the MLB's deadline is rapidly approaching, and each and every tally will count. Some positions are such toss-ups at this juncture that it's hard to imagine who comes out on top.

Late last week we learned through a report by Ben Badler of Baseball America (h/t MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams) that another high-profile Cuban hitter, outfielder Yasmani Tomas, had defected in order to pursue a career in Major League Baseball.

One thing that can be said about the 2014 Chicago White Sox is that they have certainly been more fun to watch than they were last season, but then again that's not saying much.

In 2013 the White Sox were one of the worst offensive (or most offensive, depending how you look at it) teams in all of baseball, which made for some long days at U.S. Cellular Field. This ineptitude led general manager Rick Hahn to desperately start searching last off season for somebody, anybody, who could come in and help reignite the stagnant offense.

If the price is right, one of the game's most dominant left-handed power arms could be on the move well before Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline. But what's the right price for a division rival to scoop him up? And what if that rival is the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees?

After being removed from his role as the closer of the Pittsburgh Pirates one week ago, Jason Grilli was settling into his new role as a normal reliever.

The 2014 season has reached its midway point, meaning Derek Jeter's farewell tour, age-40 season and goodbye to the game of baseball has reached the same juncture. When assessing Jeter's play thus far, context is critical.