New York Mets corner infielder Mark Vientos is in the midst of a disappointing season, one in which he's failed to build on last year's momentum. Predictably, Vientos has found himself the subject of recent trade rumors leading up to the July 31 deadline -- a dynamic he opted to talk about with reporters on Monday.

To set the stage for the sprint to the deadline, here's a primer based on what I'm hearing from front office executives across the league.

Is this season fun or what? Even with a loss on Sunday, the Blue Jays made a huge statement by taking three out of four from the Tigers. Max Scherzer made one mistake to take the loss Sunday, but he mostly looked dominant while striking out 11 batters on his 41st birthday.

Major League Baseball's trade deadline is scheduled for next Thursday (July 31), meaning that teams have less than a week to get their midsummer shopping done. The Mariners made the first notable transaction of the mad season on Thursday night,

The New York Mets have been linked to some trade rumors recently, some even indicating they could cut ties with young star Mark Vientos.

ESPN is predicting that the Cincinnati Reds will make a major splash at the deadline. Multiple MLB writers have acquiring much-needed help before the July 31 trade deadline. They have the Reds completing three pretty big trades, though the likelihood of one is low and another has no mention of what it would cost the Reds.

This time of year, nearly all Major League Baseball discourse revolves around the Trade Deadline. For contenders like the Mets, most of that discussion is about the areas they can improve.