It's been an eventful week in real-life baseball as familiar names like starting pitcher J.A. Happ and closer Zach Britton were traded by their respective teams. Trade deadlines in many season-long fantasy Baseball leagues are quickly approaching, making it important to evaluate your team's needs heading into the final months.Believe it or not, you can still find value on your league's waiver wire. Here are a few players that can help you in the long and short term.PLAYERS TO PICK UPROUGNED ODOR, 2B, Texas Rangers (68 percent owned in CBSSports.com leagues) - Act quick; this is probably the last week that Odor will be widely available. Odor got off to very slow start this season, but has batted well over .300 since the middle of June. He can help your team in the home run and stolen base categories.DERECK RODRIGUEZ, SP, San Francisco Giants (54 percent) - Rodriguez has given up three runs or fewer in 10 of his first 11 big league starts and has demonstrated excellent control for a rookie... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:STEEL CITY STREAKThe Pirates aim for their 12th straight win in a series finale against Cleveland. Pittsburgh pounded starters Corey Kluber and Shane Bieber for seven runs apiece in the first two games of the series. Starling Marte has a career-high 17-game hitting streak, and Pittsburgh is averaging 6.6 runs per game during its streak, which has pushed the team to 53-49 overall. Trevor Bauer will try to slow the Buccos and rediscover his command after walking a season-high five in a game against Texas last time out.DEADLINE WATCHMany of baseball's top teams will likely be watching Nathan Eovaldi's start against the Yankees closely. Eovaldi (3-4, 4.26) has been the subject of trade speculation after making a strong return with Tampa Bay following Tommy John surgery. New York may even be among the teams looking to acquire Eovaldi. The Yankees could use another starter, and they know the right-hander well — he pitched in 51 games for New... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:STEEL CITY STREAKThe Pirates aim for their 12th straight win in a series finale against Cleveland. Pittsburgh pounded starters Corey Kluber and Shane Bieber for seven runs apiece in the first two games of the series. Starling Marte has a career-high 17-game hitting streak, and Pittsburgh is averaging 6.6 runs per game during its streak, which has pushed the team to 53-49 overall. Trevor Bauer will try to slow the Buccos and rediscover his command after walking a season-high five in a game against Texas last time out.DEADLINE WATCHMany of baseball's top teams will likely be watching Nathan Eovaldi's start against the Yankees closely. Eovaldi (3-4, 4.26) has been the subject of trade speculation after making a strong return with Tampa Bay following Tommy John surgery. New York may even be among the teams looking to acquire Eovaldi. The Yankees could use another starter, and they know the right-hander well — he pitched in 51 games for... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:DEADLINE WATCHMany of baseball's top teams will likely be watching Nathan Eovaldi's start against the Yankees closely. Eovaldi (3-4, 4.26) has been the subject of trade speculation after making a strong return with Tampa Bay following Tommy John surgery. New York may even be among the teams looking to acquire Eovaldi. The Yankees could use another starter, and they know the right-hander well — he pitched in 51 games for New York between 2015 and '16 before tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.GOTTA RUNTrea Turner may return to the Nationals' lineup a day after being benched for a lack of hustle. Turner failed to run to first base after a bunt Monday, angering manager Dave Martinez. Turner said he put the bat up in "self-defense" because he thought he was going to be hit by the pitch and inadvertently put the ball in play, but added that he "probably should have run to first." Martinez said Tuesday that Turner needed... [More]

With the All-Star break complete, fantasy baseball players are digging in and hoping to make a run toward a championship season. With that goal in mind here are a few players that can help strengthen your team as you move on up in the standings:PLAYERS TO PICK UPJAKE BAUERS, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (55 percent owned in CBSSports.com leagues) - Bauer is batting .324 with five HRs and nine RBIs in his last eight games. He has power and is surprisingly good at stealing bases. Bauer will be a regular in the Rays lineup for the rest of the season and depending on your league's rules, he might gain outfield eligibility by season's end.ERVIN SANTANA, SP, Minnesota Twins (48 percent) - Santana spent the first part of the season on the DL and is set to make his season debut July 24. His first start is expected to be against the Blue Jays, who have the ninth worst batting average against right handed pitchers.KIRBY YATES, RP, San Diego Padres (31 percent) - Yates is set to inherit the closer's role now... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins took nine wins from an 11-game home stand into the All-Star break, a midsummer surge that can boost a middling team into the postseason race.This might not be that kind of year in the American League."I just wish we had more games ahead of us," first baseman Joe Mauer said.Ervin Santana is almost ready to rejoin the rotation. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano are expected back soon from minor league sabbaticals. Even if reinforcements help maintain this momentum, though, the strength of the league leaders might render it moot.Boston, Houston and New York are all on pace for 100 wins, with Seattle right behind. The Twins earned the second wild card spot last season with an 85-77 record that likely won't come close to qualifying this time. They're 44-50 now, 13 games behind the Mariners with Oakland, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles between them.Catching Cleveland, which leads the AL Central division by 7½ games, is the only realistic path."I think we will play... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:MIDSUMMER SKIDThe Nationals open a series against Miami hoping to end a five-game skid and get back to .500. Washington fell to 42-43 with a loss to Boston on Wednesday, the first time the preseason NL East favorites have been under .500 this late in the year since being 60-61 on Aug. 21, 2015. The Nationals held a players' only meeting after a 3-0 loss to the Red Sox highlighted by Adam Eaton's throwing error and a wild pitch from Ryan Madson. Jeremy Hellickson (2-1, 2.63) makes his second start since returning from the DL, while Marlins righty Pablo Lopez (1-0, 3.00) makes his second MLB start.NOT VERY VERLANDERJustin Verlander (9-4, 2.12) tries to stop a personal slide when the Astros open a series against the White Sox. Verlander has allowed nine runs in 11 2/3 innings over his past two starts, taking losses to Toronto (four runs) and Tampa Bay (five runs). Verlander hasn't allowed four or more earned runs in three straight starts since... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:MIDSUMMER SKIDThe Nationals open a series against Miami hoping to end a five-game skid and get back to .500. Washington fell to 42-43 with a loss to Boston on Wednesday, the first time the preseason NL East favorites have been under .500 this late in the year since being 60-61 on Aug. 21, 2015. The Nationals held a players' only meeting after a 3-0 loss to the Red Sox highlighted by Adam Eaton's throwing error and a wild pitch from Ryan Madson. Jeremy Hellickson (2-1, 2.63) makes his second start since returning from the DL, while Marlins righty Pablo Lopez (1-0, 3.00) makes his second MLB start.NOT VERY VERLANDERJustin Verlander (9-4, 2.12) tries to stop a personal slide when the Astros open a series against the White Sox. Verlander has allowed nine runs in 11 2/3 innings over his past two starts, taking losses to Toronto (four runs) and Tampa Bay (five runs). Verlander hasn't allowed four or more earned runs in three straight starts... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton is going back on the Minnesota Twins disabled list, while right-hander Ervin Santana has had a setback while rehabbing in the minors.Buxton went on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday as he continues to have problems with a fractured big left toe.Santana is still having problems with the middle finger on his pitching hand, which required offseason surgery.Buxton went on the disabled list on April 18 with a migraine and in his first minor league rehab game fouled a ball off his left foot, suffering the hairline fracture."It's one of those things where I felt like I could tolerate," Buxton said. "We all felt it would heal over time, but it's something that didn't do as we planned."Me in my opinion, hopefully, I find a better tolerance level, but in reality it's probably something I need to heal to keep it from lingering around. But I have to see where I set when this stint is over."He was reinstated on May 10, but hit .122 with 17 strikeouts and one walk in... [More]

With teams more than a quarter of the way through their season, sample sizes are becoming larger and more reliable. That makes it more clear which players to buy into and those that are showing signs of turning their seasons around.PLAYERS TO PICK UPErvin Santana, SP, Minnesota (20 percent owned in Yahoo) - Santana is eyeing an early June return to the Twins, which means now is the time that you should pick him up. He doesn't have high upside, but he's an innings-eating pitcher who will provide a stabilizing floor to your pitching staff.Brandon Nimmo, OF, New York Mets (2 percent) - The Mets always have too many outfielders, it seems, and this year it's Nimmo who is being left out of the fun. With Yoenis Cespedes on the disabled list, Nimmo will have his shot to play regularly for the Mets. In limited at-bats, Nimmo has shown the ability to get on base with his high walk rate.Nick Pivetta, SP, Philadelphia (33 percent) -What else does Pivetta have to do to be owned in 80 percent of leagues?... [More]

It's that time of the fantasy baseball season where owners really need to evaluate their rosters and see which struggling players are worth keeping on their teams, and which ones should be kicked to the curb.Let's take a look at players that can help you in the long term, as well as guys who are worth streaming this upcoming week to take advantage of good matchups.PLAYERS TO PICK UPJaCoby Jones, OF (5 percent owned in Yahoo), and Dixon Machado, 2B/SS (2 percent), Detroit: Much was made in the offseason about the elevated hard-hit rates in Detroit in 2017. This year, those rates have sustained, but two new names have raised eyebrows with how hard they are hitting the ball. JaCoby Jones has a 50 percent hard hit ball percentage, which would be seventh among hitters if he qualified. Meanwhile Machado is 25th in baseball with his 44.1 percent. Machado's numbers haven't translated over to fantasy success yet but Jones' have. Both should at least be on watch lists in 12-team leagues and deeper.Mike... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ryan Zimmerman fielded his position in a drizzle before the Washington Nationals' last exhibition game. Then he joined teammates for batting practice. Even took some trips around the basepaths, expending enough energy in the chill to redden his face.And then, when it was time for what became reigning NL East champion Washington's 3-1 loss against the Minnesota Twins to begin Tuesday, Zimmerman did what he so often did during spring training this year: He sat out.Taking an unusual approach to February and March, Zimmerman hit on back fields and faced pitchers destined for the minor leagues instead of playing in Grapefruit League games. He finished with two official at-bats. The 33-year-old first baseman insists he's healthy, insists he's ready for the regular season and insists — as does Nationals manager Dave Martinez — that he will play on opening day."I practiced. I did BP every day with the team. It's not like I was sitting in the clubhouse watching TV. I did all the... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Twin Cities were the place to be this winter with the Super Bowl in town.The Twins, meanwhile, have worked hard to make Minnesota more of a long-term destination."I wanted to go somewhere where they had a chance to win no matter what," said right-hander Lance Lynn, the last in a series of shrewd moves made to upgrade a team that was already well on the upswing after reaching the American League wild card game with a collection of 25-and-under contributors.That outlook seemed unfathomable when the Twins lost a club-record 103 games in 2016 and chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine barely touched the roster for 2017 upon taking over the front office. But that's what is happening: Players seeking a stable, successful environment have eagerly picked Minnesota."I think we can sense that," manager Paul Molitor said. "Everyone is, with good reason, excited about what lies ahead. I think this is an attractive place to come to right now, given... [More]

Capsules of American League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Cleveland Indians2017: 102-60, first place, lost to Yankees in ALDS.Manager: Terry Francona (sixth season).He's Here: 1B-DH Yonder Alonso, LF Rajai Davis, RHP Alexi Ogando.He's Outta Here: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Jay Bruce, RHP Bryan Shaw, RHP Joe Smith, OF Austin Jackson, LHP Boone Logan.Projected Lineup: SS Francisco Lindor (.273, 33 HRs, 89 RBIs, 44 2Bs, 15 SBs, 10 errors), 2B Jason Kipnis (.232, 12 HRs, 35 RBIs in 90 games), 3B Jose Ramirez (.318, 29, 83, AL-leading 56 2Bs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.258, 38, 107), 1B Yonder Alonso (.266, career-high 28 HRs, 67 RBIs with Athletics and Mariners), RF Lonnie Chisenhall (.288, 12, 53 in 82 games), C Roberto Perez (.207, 8, 38, club went 44-22 in his starts) or Yan Gomes (.232, 14, 56), CF Bradley Zimmer (.241, 8, 39, 18 SBs, 0 errors), LF Michael Brantley (.299, 9, 52 in 90 games) or Rajai Davis (.235, 5, 20, 29 SBs with Oakland and Boston).Rotation: RH Corey Kluber... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — With the recent additions of Lance Lynn and Jake Odorizzi to Minnesota's rotation, Kyle Gibson has found himself bumped to the back of the group.That's no slight to the slender 30-year-old right-hander. Even when Ervin Santana returns from finger surgery in late April or early May and Gibson likely becomes the fifth starter, he's still happy to be a contributor to a contending club and proud of the depth the Twins have suddenly built up after several lean seasons of starting pitching."Having that kind of consistency day in and day out can make it really difficult on other teams," Gibson said. "I've always thought that it is harder to keep the other team from scoring runs than it is scoring runs yourself. With the staff we have here now, hopefully we can keep a lot of runs off the board and let our offense do the rest."Gibson had a 5.07 ERA in both 2016 and 2017, when he was sent to Triple-A for two separate stints. He went 6-2 with a 3.55 ERA over his last 11 starts... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, a big blow to a team that has made a series of roster-enhancing moves throughout the offseason and into spring training.The commissioner's office announced Sunday that Polanco tested positive for Stanozolol, becoming the sixth player to be banned this year under the major league drug program. That's already one more than last season.Polanco started 127 games at shortstop last year for the Twins, finishing with a .256 batting average, 13 home runs, 13 stolen bases and 74 RBIs in his first full season as a regular in the lineup. His grandfather died in June, and the switch-hitting 24-year-old struggled through the early part of the summer until being benched temporarily in late June.From Aug. 1 through the rest of the season, though, he hit .316 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs over his last 55 games while taking over the No. 3 spot in the batting... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The unusually slow free-agent market took Lance Lynn's wait to find a team through the winter and well into spring training.The offer he settled on from the Minnesota Twins also came with the expectation of pennant race and perhaps postseason pitching."I wanted to go somewhere where they had a chance to win no matter what," Lynn said on Tuesday at his introductory news conference. "It seemed like the perfect fit, and I look forward to doing what I have to do, which is take the ball when it is my turn."Lynn agreed to a $12 million, one-year contract that includes bonuses of $1 million each for 170 and 180 innings. He was given a turn right away and struck out five batters in three hitless innings of an exhibition against Baltimore. He walked one."Other than that, everything went about as smooth as it possibly could," Lynn said. "Get ready for the next and kind of keep the buildup for opening day."Twins manager Paul Molitor said Lynn will make another start on Sunday."We're... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The unusually slow free-agent market took Lance Lynn's wait to find a team through the winter and well into spring training.The offer he settled on from the Minnesota Twins also came with the expectation of pennant race and perhaps postseason pitching."I wanted to go somewhere where they had a chance to win no matter what," Lynn said on Tuesday at his introductory news conference. "It seemed like the perfect fit, and I look forward to doing what I have to do, which is take the ball when it is my turn."Lynn agreed to a $12 million, one-year contract that includes bonuses of $1 million each for 170 and 180 innings. He was given a turn right away and struck out five batters in three hitless innings of an exhibition against Baltimore. He walked just one.The Twins are banking on more performances like that when the wins and losses actually count, stretched out over a full game."When you talk about a competitor and the makeup every time he takes the mound, this is somebody... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Patiently monitoring baseball's slow-moving market, the Minnesota Twins made several significant improvements to the team that made a surprise run last season to the AL wild card game.Right-hander Lance Lynn became the latest addition when the Twins finalized a $12 million, one-year contract on Monday, another low-risk move to strengthen a pitching staff that ranked 19th in the major leagues last year with a 4.59 ERA."I think there was at least, my take on it, a real interest of the player to make this a marriage and I think that helped our cause," Twins manager Paul Molitor said.Lynn, who joined his new teammates on the field for an afternoon workout in Fort Myers, will be introduced at a news conference on Tuesday before taking the mound for an exhibition against Baltimore.Molitor thinks there's a chance that Lynn could be ready to pitch the first time through the regular-season rotation."I told him this is different circumstances, if you're not ready to throw 100 pitches... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Patiently monitoring baseball's slow-moving market, the Minnesota Twins made several significant improvements to the team that made a surprise run last season to the AL wild card game.Right-hander Lance Lynn became the latest addition when the Twins finalized a $12 million, one-year contract on Monday, another low-risk move to strengthen a pitching staff that ranked 19th in the major leagues last year with a 4.59 ERA."I think there was at least, my take on it, a real interest of the player to make this a marriage and I think that helped our cause," Twins manager Paul Molitor said.Lynn, who joined his new teammates on the field for an afternoon workout in Fort Myers, will be introduced at a news conference on Tuesday before taking the mound for an exhibition against Baltimore.Molitor thinks there's a chance that Lynn could be ready to pitch the first time through the regular-season rotation."I told him this is different circumstances, if you're not ready to throw 100 pitches... [More]