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Buyers and sellers got together on trade deadline day as major league teams played a high-priced game of poker.

While some late trades were still coming in, the 4 p.m. ET deadline has passed, and we look at some of the biggest deals that were made.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made one of the first moves as they acquired left-handed starting pitcher Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick from the Oakland Athletics, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Minor leaguers Frankie Montas, Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton are moving from the Dodgers to the A’s. Rosenthal credited Jeff Passan of Yahoo for reporting that Montas was included in the package. 

Impact: The Dodgers are getting a dependable outfielder who has the ability to play well in important games and give the team an overall upgrade. Hill can be an effective pitcher when healthy, but there are no guarantees he will deliver for the Dodgers.

The New York Mets tried to keep their playoff hopes alive by adding a big bat in Jay Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick was the first to report the deal.

The Mets have struggled to hit and drive in runners with clutch hits this season. That’s an area where Bruce may be able to help. Bruce has belted 25 home runs this season and has driven in 80 runs. He also has a .559 slugging percentage.

The Mets are sending high-level prospect Dilson Herrera and Max Wottel to the Reds. It appeared that pitcher Brandon Nimmo would be the centerpiece going from the Mets to the Reds, but he is staying with New York.

“The only thing to do now is play baseball,” Bruce said, according to Rosenthal. “I’m a baseball player, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Impact: Bruce is a big-time hitter who will make the Mets’ lineup much more dangerous. However, this may not be a playoff team and the former Red may not be enough to put them over the top. Herrera is one of the top second base prospects in baseball and he should become a key asset for the Reds.

The New York Yankees continued to sell off their assets when they moved outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers for top right-handed pitching prospect Dillon Tate, Erik Swanson and Nick Green, in a trade that was reported by Jeff Passan.

Impact: The 39-year-old Beltran helps fortify an already strong Texas lineup. Beltran has hammered 22 home runs, 70 RBI and he has a .304/.344/.546 slash line. The Rangers will have the ability to feature Beltran and Adrian Beltre back-to-back in their lineup. The key for the Yankees is Tate, who must continue to develop and become an impact pitcher. It appears to be an outstanding deal for the Rangers.

After failing to trade catcher Jonathan Lucroy to the Cleveland Indians, the Milwaukee Brewers traded Lucroy and relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress to the Rangers, according to Rosenthal.

Lucroy is one of the best offensive catchers in baseball and he has a .299/.359/.482 slash line. Prospects Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz are going to the Rangers. 

Impact: Another huge move for the Rangers, who appear to have a legitimate chance at representing the American League in the World Series. The fact that they did not have to send highly regarded prospect Joey Gallo to Milwaukee makes it a big win for the Rangers.

The Cleveland Indians got the ball rolling with a successful trade for New York Yankees relief pitcher Andrew Miller.

The move saw the Indians send four minor leaguers to the Yankees for the versatile left-handed reliever. Outfielder Clint Frazier and pitcher Justus Sheffield are the two main acquisitions, according to ESPN. Frazier was the fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft, while Sheffield was a first-round selection in 2014.

The Yankees also acquired minor-league pitchers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen.

Impact: Miller appears to be an excellent acquisition for the Indians. In addition to his superb work on the mound, he is under contract through the 2018 season. Miller is averaging 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings and he has a 1.39 earned run average to to go with his 6-1 record. The Yankees did an excellent job in continuing to acquire young prospects.

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The talk has been going on for at least a month. Many fans thought the New York Yankees, rich in relief pitching but too far down in the standings, would be willing to trade some of their assets before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.

In particular, closer Aroldis Chapman and setup man Andrew Miller were the team’s most desirable trade chips. The flamethrowing Chapman was almost certain to be on the market because he’s set to become a free agent in the offseason.

However, there seemed to be some doubt coming from the Yankees’ ownership box. Owner Hal Steinbrenner seemed to be taking a cue from his late father, George. The Yankees were always the team that loaded up around the trade deadline. They did not sell stars for future assets; it’s not the Yankee way.

On Sunday, Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported Steinbrenner had not given his approval to start selling off players.

However, there are strong indications that Steinbrenner may be softening his stance. Heyman later reported the Yankees and Chicago Cubs were talking about a potential trade that included Chicago minor league shortstop Gleyber Torres.

The Cubs, of course, are in first place in the National League Central and have designs on going to their first World Series since 1945 and winning it for the first time since 1908. Chapman would not guarantee either one of those scenarios, but he would provide an intimidating presence at the back end of the bullpen, which the team doesn’t have with Hector Rondon in the closer role.

Rondon has a 1.95 ERA and 18 saves, but he can’t match the 105 mph fastball that Chapman throws.

If the Yankees and Cubs don’t work out a deal for Chapman, the Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals are reportedly interested, according to Heyman. 

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal added credence to the idea of the Indians going after Chapman. While he did not mention the Yankees closer’s name, he noted the Indians are interested in upgrading their bullpen.

After Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Indians saw their record fall to 56-41, putting them six games ahead in the American League Central. However, they have lost three games in a row and six of their last 10.

While Cleveland could use help at the catcher position since Yan Gomes suffered a separated shoulder in mid-July, they may be able to get by without trading for a catcher, instead letting Chris Gimenez and Roberto Perez split duties behind the plate. As a result, talk has centered on bullpen help for manager Terry Francona and the Tribe.

The Chicago White Sox may be in sell mode as they sink further out of contention.

After a 23-10 start, the White Sox have fallen to 48-50. While there has been a lot of speculation on uniform-cutting left-handed ace Chris Sale, the Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo reported White Sox left-handed starter Jose Quintana could be available if a trade partner presents an “overwhelming” package to general manager Rick Hahn.

Quintana may have an 8-8 record, but he has a 2.97 ERA and 116-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 130.1 innings, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

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Baseball’s Hall of Fame will open its doors to two of the most impactful hitters in recent memory when Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza enter the Cooperstown, New York, shrine Sunday.

Griffey and Piazza entered Major League Baseball at the opposite ends of the hype spectrum when they were drafted in 1987 and 1988, respectively.

Griffey, the son of Ken Griffey Sr.—who was one of the core players of Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine throughout the 1970s—was selected first overall in the MLB draft.

Piazza did not appear to have much hope of reaching the big leagues, as he was selected in the 62nd round. The draft now ends after Round 40.

2016 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

When: Sunday, July 24

Time: 1:30 p.m. ET

Where: Clark Sports Center; Cooperstown, New York

TV: MLB Network

Live Stream: BaseballHall.org

Piazza was selected because Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda knew his father, Vince, and both men were convinced Piazza could be a special hitter, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

The younger Piazza made the most of his opportunity, becoming a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Silver Slugger. He finished his career with 427 home runs and a .308/.377/.545 slash line with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida (now Miami) Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics.

Piazza proved to be one of the greatest hitting catchers in the history of the game, and he regularly demonstrated his ability to hit with power to all fields.

Baseball-Reference.com shared some of his numbers:

His induction speech figures to be emotional, because Piazza was a long shot to make the major leagues, let alone earn a spot in Cooperstown.

“I’m definitely going to cry,” Piazza said, per Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News. “I’m trying to figure out what medication I’m going to need without being loopy. It’s going to be tough.” 

Piazza made the Hall of Fame with 83.0 percent of the vote, while Griffey made it with 99.3 percent of the vote.

Griffey had a magnificent career with the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox, finishing with 630 home runs. He was a 13-time All-Star, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, a seven-time Silver Slugger and the 1997 American League MVP.

Junior played from 1989 through 2010, finishing his career with a .284/.370/.538 slash line.

Whistle Sports shared some of his highlights:

Fans recognized him as one of the two greatest players in the game (along with Barry Bonds) during the first part of his career with the Mariners, and most expected Griffey to continue putting up eye-catching numbers when he went to the Reds in 2000. However, while he was productive with the Reds, his sensational career was slowed by injuries after he arrived in his hometown.

Griffey topped the 40-home run mark six times during his career with the Mariners, but he hit the 40-homer mark only once with the Reds. Additionally, he had a .300-plus batting average seven times in Seattle but just once in Cincinnati.

Griffey never played in a World Series during his career, and that’s one of the reasons why the Hall of Fame ring means so much to him.

“It might be on the gate when you ring in,” Griffey joked, per Casey McGraw of the Times Union. “It might be like the Stanley Cup, I might take it around, do some things with it; brush my hair with it. I’ll figure out something, but it’ll be seen.”

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While the New York Yankees have failed to play good baseball for much of the season, they have hovered around the .500 mark in 2016. That record has allowed them to stay within hailing distance of the second wild-card spot in the American League.

However, they may be on the verge of dropping out of a realistic position to earn that postseason spot, and if they do, Fox Sports insider Ken Rosenthal reported they will be willing to part with some of their key talent before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

The biggest trading chip they have is fireballing reliever Aroldis Chapman, who is a free agent at the end of the season. Chapman is the kind of closer who can help a playoff team become dominant when he has the ball in the ninth inning.

Once the Yankees make the determination that they are going to move Chapman, look for general manager Brian Cashman to work the phones in an effort to drive up the bidding for a pitcher who is capable of throwing 104 mph or higher and striking out the side in a key situation.

All-Star Carlos Beltran is another Yankee who is likely to be moved, according to Rosenthal. Beltran is having a productive season, hitting .297 with 19 home runs, 58 RBI and a .542 slugging percentage, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Beltran has also been an exceptional postseason hitter throughout his long career. He has a lifetime .332 batting average along with 16 home runs and 40 RBI. That playoff success could allow Cashman to get a better return for the 39-year-old outfielder.

This is an unusual position, because the Yankees have always been interested in adding to their team as they prepare for the playoffs. But the team has not been able to sustain momentum this year, and that’s why Cashman may ultimately have to sell off assets like Chapman, Beltran and perhaps a few others.

The Yankees and the Kansas City Royals have already talked about a trade involving Beltran, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar was one of the names mentioned in that proposed trade.

Carlos Gonzalez often sees his name in trade-rumor stories, but it seems far more likely that the Colorado Rockies will hold on to him at this point.

According to Rosenthal, the Rockies have received calls and offers (37-second mark) for Gonzalez, but general manager Jeff Bridich has not followed through on any of those offers. Rosenthal said Colorado will hold on to Gonzalez rather than trade him at this point because they have a better chance to contend by 2017 with him than without him.

Gonzalez is under contract through 2017, and so is Bridich. It may simply be a matter of self-interest for the Colorado general manager.

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The Home Run Derby takes center stage Monday night, as the top sluggers in both leagues will try to outdo one another in numbers and distance in front of a raucous crowd at Petco Park and a national TV audience.

Major League Baseball has descended on San Diego, for the All-Star festivities, and huge power hitters such as home run leader Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles and strongman Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins are likely to draw oohs and ahhs from the appreciative fans.

ESPN will televise the event at 8 p.m. ET.

The eight players will participate in a single-elimination tournament. They are seeded by the number of home runs they have hit, and ties are broken by the player with the most home runs since June 1.

Each batter will get four minutes in the box to blast as many home runs as he is capable of hitting. Each player is entitled to call timeout for 45 seconds in each round. Players who reach the championship round will have the option of calling timeout twice.

They will gain an additional 30 seconds of hitting time if they hit two home runs of 440 feet or longer in any round.

A one-minute swing-off will break any ties, and if it is still tied at that point, players will alternate three-swing swing-offs until a winner is determined.

Trumbo is the top seed in the tournament with a major league-leading 28 home runs and will meet No. 8 seed Corey Seager, who has bashed 17 home runs. In addition to his advantage in total home runs to this point, Trumbo has a long home run of 458 feet, and his average dinger has traveled 413 feet, according to research compiled by Doug Miller of MLB.com (h/t Statcast).

Seager has a long home run of 440 feet with an average of 399 feet.

Defending champion Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox is the No. 2 seed this year. He has belted 25 home runs at the All-Star break and will meet seventh-seeded Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies. CarGo has 19 home runs, and his longest blast of the season was 462 feet. His average is 422 feet.

That could give him an advantage over Frazier, whose longest home run is 427 feet with an average of 391 feet.

Other first-round matchups include No. 3 seed Adam Duvall (23 home runs) of the Cincinnati Reds against No. 6 seed Wil Myers (19) of the hometown San Diego Padres. No. 4 seed Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners has 21 home runs and will meet the fifth-seeded Stanton, who has 20 bombs.

Cano won the event in 2011 as a member of the New York Yankees.

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The duty of making up the All-Star lineups is left to American League manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals and National League manager Terry Collins of the New York Mets.

It’s one of many jobs both men have in the All-Star Game. The two 2015 World Series managers want to knit together the best lineups possible, work nearly every reserve into the game and find a way to win the contest for their respective leagues.

It takes a surgeon’s touch to accomplish everything without offending any of the participants.

So, in an effort to make the overall job just a bit easier for each manager, we offer our projected starting lineups for each league.

There have been many changes since the All-Star teams were announced July 5 as a result of injuries and pitchers who will be unavailable Tuesday night at Petco Park in San Diego. The National League had to replace two starting outfielders in Yoenis Cespedes and Dexter Fowler as a result of injuries. The American League starters remain intact.

We know that Mike Trout led off last year’s All-Star Game with a home run and captured his second straight MVP award, but we have to go with Jose Altuve in the leadoff spot.

Altuve is having a remarkable year with a .414 on-base percentage, .343 batting average and 14 home runs. That’s simply remarkable power for a player who checks in at 5’6″ and 165 pounds, but that’s why Altuve may be the American League MVP at the end of the season.

If Altuve doesn’t get that award, Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles may take it away from him. He has split his time between shortstop and third base this year and is clearly a brilliant fielder. Machado has belted 19 home runs with 53 RBI and has a .322 batting average.

Trout may lobby Yost to bat leadoff after his success last year, but he will fit in nicely in the No. 3 hole. Trout is the best all-around player in the game, and since the Angels are struggling this year, he may once again make the All-Star Game his personal playground. Trout has a .427 on-base percentage to go along with 18 homers and 57 RBI.

David Ortiz has to be the clean-up hitter, doesn’t he? In a video filmed in November on the Players’ Tribune, Ortiz announced his plans to retire at the end of this season, and even though he has been sensational in 2016, he has not backed away from his retirement promise.

Ortiz is one of the game’s greatest clutch hitters, and don’t be surprised to see him go off in San Diego. Big Papi hit his 22nd home run Sunday, and he has been raking all season (.332/.426/.682).

First baseman Eric Hosmer of the Royals, who has belted 13 homers and knocked in 39 runs, follows Ortiz in the lineup. Mookie Betts continues to spark the Red Sox as their leadoff hitter, but he will hit a bit further down in the lineup in the All-Star Game. Betts can hit the long ball and also steal a base.

Sal Perez is a brilliant catcher and was recognized by the fans as he received the most votes of any player. He is technically sound behind the plate and a fine clutch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Red Sox take up the final two spots in the batting order. Bogaerts is a prospect who has lived up to the hype with a .331 average, 10 homers and 55 RBI, while Bradley had a 29-game hitting streak earlier this year and is a sensational center fielder.

Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox deserves to get the start for the American League. The long, lean left-hander has a 14-3 record to go with a 3.38 earned-run average and a 1.04 WHIP.

The American League has won three All-Star Games in a row and has dominated the series since 1988 by reeling off a 21-6-1 record. Collins will try to reverse that with a lineup that starts with reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper.

While Harper is hitting .259, he has belted 19 home runs and 52 RBI. He is capable of jump-starting the National League with his power. Same thing goes with No. 2 hitter Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies, who moves into the starting lineup in place of Cespedes.

The Chicago Cubs fill the No. 3 and 4 spots in the order with Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, respectively. Bryant has a .379 on-base percentage and has belted 25 home runs, while Rizzo has a .410 on-base percentage with 21 home runs and 63 RBI. That’s a pretty sweet one-two punch on Chicago’s North Side.

Buster Posey is no stranger to big situations, as he has helped backstop the Giants to three World Series titles. He has hammered 11 home runs and knocked in 41 runs so far this season.

Since the DH is in play in the All-Star Game, Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks is a great fit. The 6’3″ slugger has a .421 on-base percentage to go with 15 homers and 58 RBI. Ben Zobrist follows, and he is the ideal hitter if the National League needs to perform a hit-and-run or pick up a clutch hit.

Starling Marte will start in place of Fowler, while Addison Russell will bat ninth and play shortstop. While Russell is hitting just .234, he has hammered 11 homers and driven in 49 runs.

Look for Collins to give the ball to Johnny Cueto of the Giants. Cueto has a 13-1 record to go with a 2.47 ERA and a 115-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

All stats from MLB.com and CBS Sports.

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The Home Run Derby has become a staple of the All-Star festivities since it was first introduced in 1985, and Major League Baseball seems determined to keep improving the competition.

Eight players will take part in this year’s event, and they are seeded based on the number of home runs they have hit to this point in the season. Ties are broken by giving the edge to the players who have hit the most home runs since June 1.

The eight players in the derby include Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles, defending champion Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox, Adam Duvall of the Cincinnati Reds, Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners, Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins, Wil Myers of the San Diego Padres, Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies and Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Major League Baseball is running the Home Run Derby the same way the NBA or NHL runs its playoffs. The top seed will square off with the eighth seed, the second seed will meet the seventh seed, the third will battle the sixth and the fourth will meet the fifth.

After the first round, the highest remaining seed will meet the lowest, and the two middles seeds will battle for a spot in the finals. Those two semifinal winners will meet in the championship round.

Each hitter will have four minutes to hit as many balls over the fence as possible, and a player can gain an extra 30 seconds of hitting time by hitting two blasts that go 440 feet or more. Hitters competing in the first two rounds get one 45-second break in each round, while finalists can call timeout twice in that round.

If a round ends with the two participants tied, they will meet in a 60-second swing-off, with no timeouts available. If it is still tied, each player gets three swings until the tie is broken.

MLB went to these rules in 2015, per Sports Illustrated.

Frazier won last year’s title as a slugging third baseman of the Cincinnati Reds. This time, he represents the Chicago White Sox, and he will try to become the second White Sox power hitter to win the Home Run Derby. The other winner was Hall of Famer Frank Thomas.

Frazier will have to take on Gonzalez, and he knows that’s a tough matchup. “You look at who I’m stacked up against, and there are some big guns,” Frazier told Scott Merkin of MLB.com. “It starts off with Carlos Gonzalez. It’s going to be a tough first round.”

Stanton’s ability to hit the long blast may make him the most exciting figure in the Home Run Derby. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Stanton has hit 32 home runs that have traveled 450 feet or longer since 2010.

Cano won the event in 2011, and his smooth swing gives him a chance to get in a groove and rip off a slew of home runs.

Trumbo will be expected to beat Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, but expectations bring pressure. If Trumbo doesn’t get off to a good start, he could have a hard time dominating the competition.

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The criticism about the MLB All-Star Game providing the winning league home-field advantage in the World Series has some merit. The advent of interleague play would provide the perfect opportunity to give the league that has the better record the edge of playing the seventh game of the World Series at home, and it would probably be a better way to make the determination.

There would probably be criticism of that solution, just as there is of the current one. But the critics often fail to bring up the fact that it was a nonissue prior to assigning the winning league the advantage of playing a potential four games at home in the World Series.

The American and National League simply alternated home-field advantage every year, and while having the sixth and seventh games at home appears to be a significant advantage, the teams that did not have the advantage won the World Series eight straight years from 1965 through 1972.

Playing for home-field advantage keeps both teams involved. While managers still have to work the majority of players into the All-Star Game, they are compelled to try to win the game for their league.

That may be one of the reasons that the American League has nine relief pitchers on its roster. Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost has had success turning baseball games over to his talented bullpen, and he will try to employ that same philosophy with relievers like Craig Kimbrel of the Boston Red Sox, Andrew Miller of the New York Yankees, Brad Brach of the Baltimore Orioles and Will Harris of the Houston Astros.

The National League has eight starting pitchers, including Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs, Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets, Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins and Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants. The best National League pitcher, Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been sidelined by a trip to the disabled list with a bad back.

The American League starting lineup features outfielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, third baseman Manny Machado of the Orioles, second baseman Jose Altuve of the Astros and catcher Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals.

Trout is considered by many to be the best all-around player in baseball, and the numbers tend to back him up. He is hitting .323 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI. Machado has played shortstop for the majority of the season, but he is a remarkable fielder at third base and has 19 homers and 53 RBI.

Altuve is making a run at the AL MVP Award with his .350 average and 14 home runs, while Perez has 12 homers and 37 RBI through the first half of the year.

The National League will be heavily dependent on its all-Cubs infield. Anthony Rizzo has belted 20 home runs and driven in 61 runs while compiling a .402 on-base percentage. Kris Bryant may be outdoing Rizzo on the opposite side of the infield at third base. Bryant has already hit 25 homers while driving in 64 runs.

Second baseman Ben Zobrist and shortstop Addison Russell are the other Cubs in the infield, while Buster Posey of the Giants will be behind the plate. Posey has a reputation as one of the game’s best clutch hitters, and he has hammered 11 home runs and knocked in 41 runs while hitting .289.

If the game comes down to the reserves, both teams have plenty of firepower. The American League will depend on Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners, Ian Desmond of the Texas Rangers and reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The National League will look to Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies, power-hitting Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Wil Myers of the host San Diego Padres.

All-Star Weekend will get underway with the All-Star Futures Game Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on MLB Network. The Home Run Derby will be held Monday night at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN, while the All-Star Game will be played Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET and televised on Fox.

All statistics courtesy of MLB.com.

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Can Mike Trout make it three All-Star Game MVP awards in a row?

That’s the question for the Los Angeles Angels phenom as he was once again voted into the starting lineup for the American League Tuesday night. The All-Star Game will be played July 12 in San Diego, California.

The American League has won three games in a row, and catcher Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals secured the highest vote total of any player in either league. The Royals catcher is becoming a dominant player.

Perez’s teammate, Eric Hosmer, will join him in the American League starting lineup, starting at first base. Jose Altuve, a legitimate American League MVP candidate, will start at second base. The Houston Astros star is hitting a league-best .353 and he has also bashed 14 home runs and 49 RBI.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox has plenty of company in the starting lineup. In addition to slugging designated hitter David Ortiz, outfielders Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. will also start for the American League. Bradley had a 29-game hitting streak earlier this year, and he is one of the best defensive outfielders in either league.

Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles, another legitimate MVP candidate with a .325 batting average along with 18 home runs and 50 RBI, will start at third base even though he has played most of the season at shortstop.

On the National League side, the Senior Circuit has a distinctly Chicago Cub flavor. Anthony Rizzo will start at first base, Ben Zobrist was voted in as a starter at second base along with Addison Russell at shortstop and MVP candidate Kris Bryant is at third base.

Zobrist edged out Daniel Murphy of the Washington Nationals by 88 votes, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and while that’s a difficult reality for the Washington second baseman, he did make the team as a reserve.

Buster Posey edged out Yadier Molina and will start behind the plate for the National League. However, a good case can be made that Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals deserved to start as a result of his superb first half.

Ramos made the All-Star team as a reserve, and teammate Bryce Harper will start in the outfield along with Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets and Dexter Fowler of the Cubs.

Other National League key reserves Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Matt Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals, Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies and Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Seager has been impressive throughout the year. He is hitting .305 with 17 homers and 41 RBI, and his performance has been more consistent than Russell’s. The Chicago shortstop hit two home runs Tuesday and now has 11 for the season

American League reserves include Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles, who has 24 home runs, along with Robinson Cano, who is hitting .303 with 19 home runs for the Seattle Mariners. Ian Desmond, an MVP candidate for the Texas Rangers, made the American League team at shortstop. He is hitting .321 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI.

Clayton Kershaw was named to the National League pitching staff and almost certainly would have been the starter if he had not been put on the disabled list recently with a back issue. That honor could fall to Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals, Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs or Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets.

Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox could start for the American League, although that honor could go to Cole Hamels of the Texas Rangers or perhaps Danny Salazar of the Cleveland Indians. The American League has nine relief pitchers and just five starters.

There are significant snubs on both sides. Brandon Crawford (.270, 8 HR, 53 RBI) has been a mainstay for the San Francisco Giants at shortstop and he won’t be in San Diego, and neither will Freddie Freeman (.292, 14 HR, 31 RBI) of the Atlanta Braves or Gregory Polanco (.297, 12 HR, 50 RBI) of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ian Kinsler did not get named to the American League team, even though he is on pace to score 123 runs and drive in 100. Power hitter Chris Davis of the Orioles was left off the American League team despite bashing 21 home runs and driving in 56 runs. Red Sox star second baseman Dustin Pedroia was not named to the American League team, either.

 All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The All-Star Game is one week away, and Major League Baseball will announce the starting rosters for the American League and National League on Tuesday night.

While there is a chance for some changes in voting based on last week’s results, the tightest races are in the American League’s outfield and the National League’s catching showdown. 

Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, the MVP of the last two All-Star Games, should be secure in the American League outfield, while Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox are trying to hold off Lorenzo Cain of the Kansas City Royals and Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles. 

Bradley had a 29-game hitting streak earlier this year, which brought him some attention. In addition to being one of the top defensive outfielders in the game, he brought his improvement as a hitter into focus. While his average has dropped in the last month, Bradley is still hitting .294 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI.

Betts started the season slowly, but he has raised his average to .296, hit 18 home runs and knocked in 57 runs. Betts has stolen 13 bases on 14 attempts, while Bradley has swiped seven on eight attempts.

Cain is having a solid year for the Royals, but his numbers are a tad below those of the Boston duo. Cain, who suffered a hamstring injury in late June, is hitting .290 with eight home runs and 39 RBI.

Even if Trumbo doesn’t make the starting lineup, it will be difficult to keep him off the American League roster. He has pounded out 24 home runs and knocked in 62 runs while putting together a respectable .280 batting average.

On the National League side, Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals had a lead of slightly more than 5,000 votes over Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants, so the vote could end up in either star’s favor when MLB makes the final announcement.

While Molina and Posey have been two of the best catchers in the big leagues over the years, Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals appears to be the most deserving candidate this season.

Ramos is having a sensational season, hitting .340 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI. Posey is having a fine year with a .291 batting average along with 10 homers and 40 RBI. Molina’s production has been limited, as he has hit just one home run and driven in 27 runs to go with his .259 batting average.

The four Chicago Cubs infielders are leading the way at their respective positions. Anthony Rizzo is in command at first base, while Ben Zobrist and Kris Bryant are on top at second and third base, respectively. Those three are having fine years for a Cubs team that got off to a sensational start this season, but shortstop Addison Russell has been disappointing.

Russell is hitting .238 with nine home runs and 45 RBI, and Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies and Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers are having better years. Story is batting .264 with 19 home runs and 50 RBI, while Seager is hitting .305 with 17 home runs and 41 RBI.

On the American League side, catcher Salvador Perez is the leading vote-getter among all major leaguers with more than 3.7 million votes.

David Ortiz is the second-leading vote-getter with more than 3.4 million supporters, and he is running away with the top spot at designated hitter.

Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros is dominating at second base, while Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles has a sizable lead over Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Machado‘s lead is controversial, however, because the ballot lists him at third base even though he has been playing shortstop for the Orioles.

All statistics courtesy of CBS Sports as of July 4.

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