Fan News

One day after getting a king's send-off at Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez is no longer a New York Yankees player.

Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the Yankees released Rodriguez prior to Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

More to follow.

The best-laid plans of fantasy baseball players will often go awry. 

Because of MLB's long season and amount available data, baseball requires more skill and less luck than fantasy football, its more popular cousin. Yet even expert gamers must realize that most outcomes are out of their control.

The careers of two huge names in baseball, the Texas Rangers' Prince Fielder and New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, came to their respective conclusions this week.

Qualifying the careers of both will certainly be a popular topic in baseball circles over the coming weeks.

But with much still to be determined in the 2016 season, other storylines continued to percolate. What teams and players made headlines this week?

NEW YORK — With most guys, the retirement announcement comes before the ceremony.

No, not with most guys. With everyone.

Everyone but Alex Rodriguez.

After 22 years and 2,784 MLB games, Alex Rodriguez laced up his cleats for the final time with the New York Yankees on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, going 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 6-3 win.

We have reached what can be considered roughly the three-quarter mark of the 2016 MLB season, and that means it's time for an updated look at the top 100 players in the game.

While previous editions of this list have taken into account things such as a player's track record and future expectations, we're far enough along that this time around the only thing that matters is performance here in 2016.

As usual, the days leading up to MLB's Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline didn't disappoint. Teams completed more than 20 trades, some more significant than others.

Narrowing down that list to only the biggest deals wasn't easy. For example, you could make a case that the Boston Red Sox's additions of closer Brad Ziegler and starter Drew Pomeranz—especially significant moves if your rooting interest lies in Beantown or you're a fan of the Baltimore Orioles or Toronto Blue Jays—deserve to be included here.

There's not a lot of joy to be derived from the New York Yankees' present.

Their 58-56 record is far from an Atlanta Braves-level disaster, but it marks the fourth year in a row they've been mired in mediocrity. And for the first time in a long time, they've accepted they need to make things worse to get better. When New York moved Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran at the August 1 trade deadline, its first rebuild in over two decades was on.

While your eyes were glued to the Rio Olympics, another week of baseball action splashed past like Michael Phelps after an umpteenth gold medal.

Lucky for you, we were paying attention at Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Week headquarters. And here's the result: 10 players—including a starting pitcher and designated hitter—who busted box scores over the past seven days.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday exited Thursday night's game against the Chicago Cubs after being hit on his right hand by a pitch in the 10th inning. He was placed on the disabled list after the game, and it's unclear when he'll return to the field. 

Continue for updates.