The days leading up to the revocable waiver trade deadline are nowhere near as busy or filled with rumors as the July non-waiver deadline, but this week there was plenty of activity to keep interest high.

From the San Diego Padres continuing to make weird decisions to the two front-runners in their division adding veteran pieces, trade talk had substance this week.

Mike Trout. Clayton Kershaw. Bryce Harper. Superstars always get more attention for their exploits and rightfully so.

But with the 25-man roster that MLB teams deploy, there can't be success without standout seasons from unheralded players. Over the next few slides, we'll identify the 10 most underrated players of the 2015 season. 

However things turn out, 2015 will go down as a magical season for the Houston Astros. On Friday night, Mike Fiers added a pretty neat trick of his own.

The Milwaukee Brewers announced they have traded relief pitcher Neal Cotts to the Minnesota Twins.

In return, Milwaukee will be acquiring cash or a player to be named later.  

There is still a lot of baseball to be played between now and the offseason, but it's never too early to look ahead at what promises to be an exciting winter around the league.

This year's free-agent class will be headlined by a trio of legitimate aces in David Price, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann. On the offensive side of things, Justin Upton, Chris Davis, Jason Heyward and Yoenis Cespedes highlight the top position players on the market.

With that in mind, what follows is an early free-agency preview for all 30 teams.

It's August 21, and just about three-fourths of the season is in the books. Some teams are rounding out their playoff rosters, gearing up for the chance at an extended run through late October. Others are bringing up prospects who, in some cases, have spent years in the minors. 

So what does all that mean? 

There is a ton of big-time pitching available in Friday's daily fantasy baseball contests, which leaves you with plenty of options. However, don't think you need to draft the highest-priced players to have the best team.

Here is a look at some of the best and worst picks for August 21.

Players to Draft

Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle Mariners ($9,900)

Don't start packing it in for the weekend already, because Friday is another chance to dominate in daily fantasy baseball. And with a full schedule to choose from, expect a lot of room for variance when it comes to Friday's guaranteed prize pools, or GPPs, for extra spending money this weekend.

Fantasy baseball players receive exposure to several new contributors once MLB's rosters expand to 40 on Sept. 1.

While odd to change the league's roster limitations as teams push for the playoffs, the rule benefits fantasy gamers vying for a championship. Talented youngsters stuck in the minors now get a taste for the big leagues.

Dynasty owners out of the hunt should use September to scout and stockpile future stars. Search the league's waiver wire for available prospects to stash for 2016 and beyond. This way, the stretch run will mean more in upcoming years.

Future Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter is one of the greatest New York Yankees of all time and a seemingly bulletproof figure in the Bronx, but that didn't stop Yankees general manager Brian Cashman from being brutally honest with the Captain in 2010.