Partners MLB

In the next few weeks, Major League Baseball will embark in trade frenzy. Every team must quickly decide whether they are a buyer or seller.

Do they have a chance to compete this year? Is it better to hold the pieces for a run next year? Should they sell any valuable assets to rebuild for years to come?

It is not easy for a general manager to make these decisions.

The MLB draft means more than just a replenishment of the many major league farm systems.

Like a political poster, the draft screams change and, more importantly, hope for a winning future.

MLB's worst teams are giddy at the prospects of achieving this winning future; they look at their top draft picks as not only tickets out of last place, but also as keys to the pennant.

Some of these teams are in such dire need for improvement that they could use the help now sooner rather later.

So who will get to the majors first?

This season has been one of many ups and downs for many teams in Major League Baseball. From winning streaks to losing streaks and from perfection to injuries, there are a multitude of story lines. Let's see what songs best represent different teams throughout the league. Keep in mind, this is according to the title of the song, not the lyrics.

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In 2009, Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer each won his league's Most Valuable Player Award.

For Pujols, it was a unanimous victory and his third MVP Award, tying the non-Bonds record of three, held by many players.

For Mauer, it was almost unanimous - some Tiger-homer voted for Miguel Cabrera - and his first MVP, putting him on the long list of catchers to have won the AL MVP Award.

Other than their 2009 Most Valuable Player Awards, Pujols and Mauer have something else in common - they each lead this list of the top ten players who may one day be the best player to ever play their position.

Last summer, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Henderson is one of the greatest players of all time, and an easy choice for voters.

Rice was a more difficult choice, making it after more than a decade on the ballot. But plenty of worthy candidates remain on the outside looking in.

In Bill James' book about the Hall of Fame, he suggests that fans often try to make cases for players they grew up watching, and liked.

We should focus more on the best players we can put in, rather than simply making a case for a player because we can.

With the major league baseball draft about two weeks away, there are many teams still scrambling around trying to figure out what to do.

High School versus College? Power bat versus Pitcher? Immediate help or projection player?

High school or prep telent is looked upon as what is their ceiling. There is a lot or projectibility here, whereas college talent usually has almost all their tools in order. They basically need some refinement.

After the first 44 games of the 2010 baseball season, the Tampa Bay Rays find themselves twenty games over .500 and six games ahead of the New York Yankees - who, oh by the way, have the third best record in baseball - in the AL East.

Strange things are afoot in Major League Baseball, and not just in Tampa Bay. Here is a look at the Top Ten Most Shocking Statistics in Baseball so far in the 2010 season.

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This season is Roy Halladay's first in the National League after spending his entire career to this point with the Toronto Blue Jays. Given his early start, Halladay may prove to one day be one of the greatest inter-league crossovers of all time. But this begs the question: who are the best players to have played in both the American and National League.

Of course, in a very literal sense, the greatest player to ever play in both leagues was Babe Ruth, who spent the last 28 games of his career with the Boston Braves.

Baseball uniforms sure have changed over the years. From the flannel material to cotton to polyester, baseball players have adorned numerous types of fabric for the sake of team unity. But it is not just the uniforms themselves that dictate a player's appearance.

Players have gone to many lengths to alter their look on the field, adding their own personal twist to their daily gameday attire. Over the years, players have pushed the limit with their changes and looks. Some have worked while many others have not.

It always hurts to see a batter struggling to hit at the plate. It is always annoying to see a batter swing at pitches they have no business swinging at. It is just as annoying for a hitter's average to drop 100 points in a season.

These are the hitters who just cannot catch a break this season. They've hit in the past, but suddenly cannot find the ball.