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The latest Cuban star has found a new MLB home.

Rusney Castillo has agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox, as first reported by William Perez Villalba of Glorias del Beisbol Cubano. Already, there are differing reports on just how good the outfielder will be.

Already the all-time leader in strikeouts, Nolan Ryan became the first pitcher to ever record 5,000 strikeouts when he fanned future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson on August 22, 1989.

Now 25 years later, that looks like a mark that will never be reached again, and it's not the only milestone that may never be touched.

For the sake of argument, we'll consider the modern era to be everything that happened after the 1919 season.

There is no jockeying back and forth at the top of the wild-card standings for these teams. Not yet, at least.

But just because these teams face sizable deficits in those races with about six weeks remaining until Game 162 doesn’t mean their chances are flatlined.

Dark horses? Sure. Long shots? A couple of them. Time to look to 2015? Eh, not quite.

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Are you too cool to bring your glove?

That's what most people say, which is why 99 percent of the time when a ball goes into the stands, an all-star-like display of clumsiness ensues.

No matter the excuse for unpreparedness, though, every fan wants to make a spectacular catch and hand the ball to the little kid next to them.  Darn societal conscience.

As the end of August approaches, clubs looking to bolster their MLB rosters in advance of a playoff run will need to pull off waiver trades in the next 11 days if they want the new addition to be eligible for postseason play.

The immediacy of the situation cannot be overstated. It also leads to a question: What types of trade ideas are possible with the information we already have at hand?

With their playoff hopes dashed long ago, the Boston Red Sox are left to evaluate the players on their roster with an eye toward 2015 for the rest of the season.

That’s a task that will become easier in September, when MLB rosters expand and the Sox are afforded the chance to view more players in a major league setting and to get their ever-increasing pool of young players some experience in the big leagues.

The calendar reads August, meaning the MLB trade deadline has passed. That does not, however, mean clubs have no method of bolstering their roster before the postseason.

Trading can still occur, but it just must funnel through the waiver system. Teams can place a player on revocable trade waivers. If he’s claimed, the organization has 48 hours to strike a deal, relinquish his rights or pull him off waivers.

As September edges closer, there are still 16 MLB teams within four games of a playoff spot. That means that for more than half of baseball, the future is now. 

From David Price's dominance in Detroit to Andrew McCutchen's imminent return in Pittsburgh, what follows is a look at the most encouraging sign for each team. For the clubs that have already tumbled out of the race—or that were never in it to start—examining the bigger picture is required. 

The Chicago Cubs have done an exceptional job at collecting assets in recent years, but with many of their young players ready to contribute, they will soon need to turn those assets into a balanced roster built to compete for a World Series title.

Baseball has a new pope.

After a couple of failed tries, Rob Manfred has been installed as the new MLB commissioner by a unanimous vote of baseball's 30 owners, per the MLB Public Relations Twitter account. While the league's bosses were meeting in Baltimore, there was plenty of action on the field.