What do the Tigers do now?  First they started the season with Todd Jones as the closer hoping they could squeeze out another season of him using Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya in higher leverage 7th and 8th inning situations.  Instead, Detroit finally got fed up with his poor performances and replaced him with Rodney.  Almost immediately after being

If you need a hitter, in any format, Toronto outfielder Adam Lind is your man.  Most of the chatter and attention around this time of year is centered around who will be traded and how those moves affect player values in fantasy.  Lind’s terrific recent performance has gotten lost in the shuffle.

I have promoted Lind since he was called up once again back on June 22, and he has more than delivered.  The Blue Jays finally let him play everyday (and likely

The Diamondbacks have acquired pitcher Jon Rauch in an attempt to shore up their shaky bullpen.  Arizona had seen their relief corps as a strength earlier in the season, but the performances of Brandon Lyon, Chad Qualls, and Toney Pena have dropped off in recent weeks and Juan Cruz and Doug Slaten remain on the disabled list.

Rauch has been solid this season as the closer for the Nationals for most of the season.  At 6-foot-11 he is the tallest pitcher in major league

Chicago has responded to Milwuakee's acquisition of C.C. Sabathia by trading for Oakland ace Rich Harden in a six player deal.  The Cubs get Harden and reliever Chad Gaudin for pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson, and minor leaguer John Donaldson.

Sitting four games ahead of the Brewers and 3.5 ahead of the Cardinals entering Wednesday, the Cubs made this bold move that will greatly improve the team provided the oft-injured righty stays healthy.  Harden is one of the best talents in baseball, but has yet to prove it consistenly on the field

Milwaukee has won the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes.  The Indians and Brewers have agreed to a trade will send the big lefty from the A.L. Central to the N.L. Central in exchange for prospects Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, and a player to be named.  Sabathia is on a tremendous run recently after a bumpy start to the season and instantly becomes one of the best players in the Senior circuit.  He has 109 strikeouts (against just 20 walks) in 104 innings with a 2.16 ERA over his last 14 starts.  He will provide a huge upgrade over Seth McClung who he will replace in the

Dodger shortstop Rafael Furcal will undergo surgery to repair a bulging disc leaving his season (and his team's playoff chances) in doubt.  He is expected to miss two months at the minimum, but that means he would be returning in September which leaves precious few games left in the regular season.  Los Angeles started Thursday just 1.5 games behind Arizona, and in the West two good weeks could create a comfortable cushion in the standings.

 

Furcal was hitting .366 with a 1.045 OPS at the time of his injury.

Here are some injury notes on some key players in baseball this week.  Fantasy players should pay close attention because some of the biggest names will be spending some extended time on the bench:

• Chipper Jones has already missed 8 games, and now he looks headed to the DL.  Jones has avoided the disabled list all season despite a nagging hamstring injury, but now he may also miss the All-Star game despite hitting .394 for the season.

• Yunel

Three top fantasy outfielders in the pre-season, who have missed significant time this season, all returned to active duty this week.  Josh Willingham missed almost two full months, but returned on Tuesday and hit fourth for the Marlins.  Eric Byrnes came back Monday from hamstring injuries, and has hit leadoff in his past two games.  Gary Sheffield returned to to DH duties on Tuesday and made an auspicious return, hitting a home run.

All three were considering great fantasy options before the season started, but injuries have caused them to be widely available in many

Fantasy owners looking for saves have a few new options becoming available soon, they just might have to wait awhile, and do some speculating. Mike Gonzalez is obviously the first choice currently available. He was activated on Wednesday, and got a save the same day. Rafael Soriano is on the disabled list for the second time this season with elbow problems and can’t be considered reliable. Gonzalez himself is coming off Tommy John surgery, but he is the closer and is

One of the last ready-made major league prospects has finally been brought up to the bigs.  San Diego’s Chase Headley joined the team over the weekend, and will likely join the lineup Tuesday against the Yankees.  The Padres are starved for run production and power (outside of Adrian Gonzalez who is having a monster year) and Headley certainly will help.  A switch-hitter, he has hit 13 home runs, 40 RBI, and 34