MLB News & Rumors: 5 Things To Watch For In Final 2 Months Of Regular Season [VIDEO]

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It's been an exciting MLB campaign so far, but things are getting set to heat up even more as the final stretch of the season begins.

In the wake of a non-waiver trade deadline that saw many players find new homes and several teams stock up for the pennant chase, the road through August and September is sure to be an interesting one around the league.

Many things can change by the time the final day of the regular season hits on Oct. 4.

As the playoff pushes continue, here are five things to watch for over the final two months of the season.

1) Waiver Trades

Though the non-waiver deadline has come and gone, teams can still strike deals through waivers in August, so the personnel movement may not be done just yet.

Names that could possibly be traded include the Red Sox's Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, the Padres' James Shields and the Phillies' Chase Utley.

2) Triple Crown Dreams

The National League hasn't boasted a Triple Crown winner since Joe Medwick in 1937, but there's a chance that the spell comes to an end in 2015.

The two most likely candidates to accomplish the feat include Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

Harper enters Wednesday ranking second in the NL in batting average (.330), first in homers (29) and fourth in RBI (68). Goldschmidt, meanwhile places first in average (.335), fourth in homers (22) and second in RBI (77).

It's safe to say one of these two will be NL MVP at the end of the season, barring a two-month collapse, but will they have a Triple Crown to go with it?

3) Ending The Drought?

The Astros and Mets lead all MLB clubs for current stretches of futility with six straight losing seasons. Houston hasn't made the playoffs since losing the World Series in 2005 while New York hasn't notched a postseason berth since being eliminated in the NLCS in 2006.

Both teams are on the right track toward changing that thus far in 2015.

The Astros (60-48) have been one of the best surprises in baseball this season and they enter Tuesday with a three-game lead over the rival Angels, a club they swept away in a three-game set from July 28-30.

The Mets (57-50) own a one-game lead over the Nationals and swept them over the weekend at Citi Field. New York has also won five straight.

4) Wacky Wild-Card

The wild-card race is getting close in both leagues and it's sure to stay that way to the bitter end.

In the AL, the Angels (56-50) and re-vamped Blue Jays (56-52) hold the top two spots while the Orioles and Twins are both one game back with 54-52 records. The Rays and Rangers are also in play.

In the NL, the Pirates (61-44) and Cubs (58-47) own the top two positions while the Giants (58-48) are only a half-game back. The Nationals are also in the mix, but could overtake the Mets and drop them into this fight.

5) New Faces in New Places

After the trade deadline, several new acquisitions could be key to helping clubs win their respective races against their divisional foes.

The Blue Jays made several moves, most notably adding David Price and Troy Tulowitzki, and they are now in a wild-card position while they're also only 5.5 games behind the Yankees.

The Astros added Scott Kazmir and Carlos Gomez in trades with the hope of staving off the Angels while the Mets picked up several players, most notably Yoenis Cespedes, for their division race with the Nationals.

The Royals, already armed with a 9.5-game lead in the AL Central, added Johnny Cueto to shore up their rotation heading down the stretch and into the playoffs barring a collapse of epic proportions.

With all this movement throughout the league, a lot can be altered with different bats and arms added to new clubs.

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