Ian Desmond didnt settle on a new team until late February, his puzzling free-agent saga finally ending when he signed a one-year deal with Texas.Now Desmond looks like a bargain for the Rangers -- and a big reason theyre comfortably ahead in the AL West.Desmonds $8 million deal with the Rangers seemed almost humbling after hed rejected a qualifying offer from Washington worth nearly twice that amount. He also had to switch positions, moving from shortstop to the outfield. But Desmond has been outstanding after a slow start, and through Wednesdays games, he was batting .320 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI and 15 stolen bases.Its off-the-charts incredible. Just the leadership, athleticism, manager Jeff Banister said. I dont want to put any one single player ahead of any others. But you take him out of our lineup and off our team, it has a different look to it.Desmond wasnt the biggest name to change teams last offseason, and he certainly wasnt the most expensive signing, but moves like this can shift the course of a division race if they pan out. Desmond has turned a tough situation into a success story, and Texas has been rewarded for its confidence in him.You look at the slugging numbers, the OPS and what hes done out of the 2-hole for us in runs scored -- has been as good as anybody in our lineup, Banister said. To make the transition to the outfield, has been more than serviceable. He has been really good in center field.Here are a few other offseason acquisitions who have made significant contributions for their new teams:ZACK GREINKE, DIAMONDBACKSThe Diamondbacks signed Greinke to a six-year, $206.5 million contract, and the right-hander got off to an awful start, finishing April with a 5.50 ERA. He eventually settled in and started to look like the pitcher he was last year.He won seven straight starts from May 17 to June 18, and hes now 10-3 with a 3.62 ERA.Hes great, Arizona slugger Paul Goldschmidt said. Hes been pitching for 10-plus years so he knows what hes doing. He had a few rough starts but then he was really, really good for eight, nine, 10. It was a lot of fun to play behind him after being on the other side the last few years.Greinke is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique. The team has set no timetable for his return but hopes it is shortly after the All-Star break. Arizona is well under .500 despite Greinkes efforts.DANIEL MURPHY, NATIONALSAfter his big postseason helped the New York Mets win the National League pennant, Murphy signed a $37.5 million, three-year contract with division-rival Washington. The Nationals now lead the Mets by four games atop the NL East, in part because Murphy is hitting an NL-best .345. The 31-year-old second baseman also has 14 homers and 56 RBI.JOHNNY CUETO, GIANTSCueto had his ups and downs during a brief stint with Kansas City that ended in celebration when the Royals won the World Series. The Giants have little to complain about after signing the right-hander to a $130 million, six-year deal. Hes 13-1 with a 2.47 ERA after pitching his fourth complete game of the season Wednesday night. That victory gave San Francisco the best record in baseball.MARK TRUMBO, ORIOLESAfter going deep twice Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Trumbo leads the majors with 26 home runs. He came to Baltimore in a December trade with Seattle, and hes complemented his typical power with a higher-than-usual .285 batting average for the AL East-leading Orioles.FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ, TIGERSIt was easy to be skeptical when Detroit traded for K-Rod, considering the Tigers track record with closers lately. But Rodriguez has 23 saves in 25 chances in 2016 and has generally finished off games without much drama.---AP Sports Writer Bob Baum in Phoenix contributed to this report. DJuan Hines Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Rashard Davis Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . http://www.cheapchiefsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-rashad-fenton-jersey . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. Alex Okafor Jersey . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Daniel Sorensen Jersey . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. The injury hex hanging over the San Diego Chargers struck again Sunday, this time taking running back Melvin Gordon out of at least the game with a hip injury.All eyes now fall on Kenneth Farrow, who ran 16 times for 55 yards in Week 14, while adding six receptions for 23.WHO IS KENNETH FARROW?The rookie running back for the Chargers is adept at two very important things for a Chargers running back. According to a 2016 pre-draft analysis by Pro Football Focus, Farrow is borderline masterful at pass-catching and blocking. PFFs Wes Huber noted that Farrow has next-level blocking chops and managed to secure every catchable target thrown his way over his final two seasons in college (Farrow caught all six of his targets Sunday in a loss to the Panthers).With a 5-8 record, the Chargers arent officially eliminated from playoff contention, but its going to be a tough task to pick up more than one win the rest of the way, with games against Oakland and Kansas City among their last three. San Diego may find it wise to have Gordon sit out at least one game and see what they have in Farrow. For fantasy purposes, this makes Farrow a must-add, especially if hes going to be a threat in the running and passing game.THEN AGAIN, THERES ALSO RONNIE HILLMANInactive since the Chargers signed him just before Thanksgiving, Ronnie Hillman probably wont leapfrog Farrow on the depth chart, but he could see some carries if Gordon misses significant time. Fantasy analysts stress that owners should make sure their bench is full of handcuffs (the direct backup to running backs) during the playoffs. Hillman is likely the new handcuff to Farrow in San Diego, and should be a lower-level waiver wire target as we enter Week 15.ONE FINAL CHARGERS NOTEAntonio Gates is just two touchdowns away from tying the tight end-record of 111 career scores held by Tony Gonzalez. Gates hasnt had a touchdown in the last three weeks, so expect him to see plenty of red zone targets over this final 2016 stretch. Likely owned in most season-long formats, Gates is a smart play in daily fantasy football lineups going forward, at least as hes making a run at this record.NON-CHARGERS MISCEELLANY- Ryan Tannehills torn ACL thrusts Matt Moore into the starting job for the Dolphins.dddddddddddd This could be an interesting fantasy play in deep and daily formats, as Moore has a talented group of wideouts in Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, and deep threat Kenny Stills.- Terrelle Pryor picked a terrible week to have his worst game of the season, catching one pass for three yards on three targets Sunday against Cincinnati. While its easy to point out that this was also Robert Griffin IIIs first game since Week 1 and he is the culprit, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones tore into Pryor in his postgame comments, suggesting that there was extra motivation to keep Pryor out of the game. Griffins preseason connection with Pryor was what initially turned many fantasy drafters on to the converted quarterback, so expect Pryor to be back to normal against the Bills next week.- Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is back from suspension this week, and it would be wise for owners to check their waiver wires for him, as hes only owned in 66 percent of CBSSports.com leagues. Some upset former owners may have released Jeffery, believing hed be out for the rest of the season.- Justin Forsett -- who excelled in 2014 under Broncos coach Gary Kubiak in Baltimore (1,266 rushing yards and eight touchdowns) -- was given the first carry Sunday against the Titans and eventually outgained Devontae Booker, six carries to three and 17 yards to 1, despite fumbling on that first carry. Forsett had success in 2014 partially because he had already played in the Kubiak system with Houston in 2012. This looks increasingly like a situation where Forsett could be the lead back for the Broncos going forward. A tough matchup in Week 15 against the Patriots isnt the ideal situation to trot out Forsett as your starting running back, but for teams that may have lost Melvin Gordon, he should manage 12-15 touches and produce in a system he knows.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http