That sound you heard as theMLB trade deadline approaches' That was the balance of power shifting perceptibly toward the American League.We've still got time for more twists and seismic upheavals before Friday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver cutoff. But as of Thursday night one thing is clear: Most of the marquee talent has either been shipped to or stayed within the AL, and the league isduhstronger for it.The most recent salvo saw the Houston Astros acquire two-time All-Star Carlos Gomez,along with right-hander Mike Fiers, from the Milwaukee Brewers for a bushel of prospects, including outfielders Brett Phillips and Domingo Santana and pitchers Adrian Houser and Josh Hader, per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.That's a nice return for the BrewersPhillips and Hader were among the Astros' top 10 prospects, per Baseball Americabut the short-term gain goes to Houston.Gomez nearly wound up in New York, but the Mets nixed the deal Wednesday because of concerns over the outfielder's right hip, perAnthony DiComo and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.Assuming Gomez is healthyand the 'Stros must be reasonably convincedhe'll boost a Houston lineup that already ranked third in the AL in runs scored entering play Thursday.And Gomez, who owns a.262/.328/.423 slash line this season with eight home runs, is inked through 2016, so he's more than a rental.He's also the tip of the soon-to-be free-agent iceberg when it comes to the talent that's flooding the American League.North of the border, the Toronto Blue Jays are adding A-list players with reckless abandon.First, the Jays netted shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies in the season's most shocking deal to date. Then, they nabbed David Price, one of the market's most coveted arms, from the Detroit Tigers, as reported by ESPN.com."These types of players, the great superstar players, rarely become available," Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos said after acquiring Price. "We think we're a good team and adding a guy like Price we think makes us that much stronger and will give us a chance to win. It's as simple as that."With an absurdly loaded offense that paces baseball in runs and ranks near the top in virtually every statistical category and a rotation anchored by one of the best left-handers in the game, Toronto is suddenly the team to beat in the AL East.In the Central Division, meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals are busy gilding the lily.Already the class of the AL, the defending league champions got ace Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds and jack-of-all-trades Ben Zobrist fromthe Oakland A's.With the moves, as SI.com's Cliff Corcoran noted, "Kansas Cityhas seemingly completed its season-long transition from scrappy underdogs to the team to beat in the American League."Returning to the AL West, another stud left-hander, Cole Hamels, jumped from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Texas Rangers, per MLB.com's T.R Sullivan. And let's not forget that the Astros preceded the Gomez deal by acquiring southpaw Scott Kazmir from Oakland.That's a bushel of All-Star-caliber players changing hands, and just about all of the receiving parties have been in the AL.Yes, again, the cost in prospects has been uniformly high; many farm-system rankings will have to be reshuffled after the deadline dust settles.Right now, however, in the summer of 2015, we're staring at a new paradigm. Where before the American League was the Royals and everyone else, there are now three loaded squads, one in each division.Expect the Blue Jays, who sat at 51-51 and seven games behind the New York Yankees entering play Thursday, to make a hard charge for the AL East.Look for Kansas City to further cement its status as the king of the Central. And while the Los Angeles Angels have made things interesting, this feels like the moment Houston turns on its rocket boosters.The NL still has its share of stout contenders, includingthe Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals, just to name the current division leaders. But thanks to a flurry of wheeling and dealing, the AL is nipping at the Senior Circuit's heels.All of that, naturally, could go up in a puff of smoke. Baseball has a way of toying with our expectations and making a mockery of smug prognosticators (ahem). They play the games on the field, not on paper, in case you hadn't heard.On paper, however, the American League just got measurably strongerand the race for October got a whole lot more intriguing.All statistics current as of July 30 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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