Jordan Montgomery and Arizona have agreed to a 1-year, $25 million deal with a $25 million option for a second year. (Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Montgomery is finally off the board after a long offseason of uncertainty. He will likely need some time to get built up with his new team after missing all of spring training, but he shouldn't miss too much time. The Diamondbacks will feature a revamped rotation this season, adding Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez to go along with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt.
The Chicago White Sox have traded pitcher Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Cease has had his name in the rumor mill for much of the offseason with several teams connected to the right-hander. Ultimately, it's the pitching-needy Padres who have traded for the White Sox ace. Cease finished second in AL Cy Young voting in the 2022 season when he posted a 2.20 ERA but he regressed to a 4.58 ERA across 33 starts in the 2023 campaign.
Gerrit Cole is getting an MRI done on his pitching elbow. (Source: Bryan Hoch on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Ouch. This is not the news fantasy managers wanted to hear just weeks before Opening Day. Cole is coming off his first Cy Young award last year and back-to-back years of 200+ innings pitched. He's been the most consistent pitcher in fantasy over the past five seasons, and fantasy managers will be holding their breath waiting for the results.
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte has been issued an 80-game suspension for a performance-enhancing drug violation. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Marte will now first the first half of the season after he was expected to handle the primary duties at third base in 2024. The 22-year-old impressed with a .316 average with three homers and six stolen bases with the Reds in his 35-game debut last season.
Initial imaging showed Lucas Giolito likely has a partially torn UCL and flexor strain and could miss the 2024 season (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Giolito may need surgery to repair the right-elbow damage. It would be a big loss to the starting rotation for Boston after signing him to a two-year deal this offseason.
The San Francisco Giants and free-agent outfielder/DH Jorge Soler have agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract. (Source: Susan Slusser on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The 31-year-old indeed gets the three-year pact he had reportedly been in search of on the open market. The 3-year-old gas a big season with the Marlins in 2023, hitting 36 home runs alongside an .853 OPS across 580 trips to the plate. He will serve as the Giants' primary DH in the 2024 campaign.
The Houston Astros have signed second baseman Jose Altuve to a five-year contract extension worth $125 million. (Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The deal will kick in in the 2024 season. Altuve has parlayed a couple of big season into his new deal as he raked in 2022 before doing so again in 2023, albeit in just 90 games. He hit .311 with 17 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a .914 OPS across 410 trips to the plate in 2023. He is one of, if not the top second baseman in fantasy baseball ahead of the 2024 season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially brought back Clayton Kershaw for a 17th season. (Source: MLB on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: It had become increasingly likely the Dodgers would bring back their future Hall of Famer and they indeed have. Kershaw worked to a dynamite 2.46 ERA across 24 starts with the club in 2023, a figure almost identical to his career 2.48 ERA across 425 big-league outings. However, Kershaw has dealt with various injuries in recent seasons and will miss the first half of 2024 after undergoing shoulder surgery in early November.
Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on an 11-year, $288.7 million contract extension. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Witt gets a much deserved extension as one of the top young players in the MLB. He hit .276 last season with 30 home runs, 96 RBI and 49 stolen bases. He'll remain one of the top players in the sport, and a stud for fantasy baseball managers as well.
The Milwaukee Brewers have traded ace Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: In exchange, the Orioles will send infield prospect Joey Ortiz, left-hander DL Hall, and the 34th overall pick to the Brewers in the deal. The 29-year-old Burnes is a free agent at season's end and regressed, by his standards, to a 3.39 ERA in 2023 after posting an ERA of 2.94 or better in each of his previous three seasons. Needless to say, his addition could put a powerhouse Orioles team over the top the in 2024.
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager has undergone surgery to repair a sports hernia. (Source: Evan Grant on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: A firm timetable for his return is unclear but Seager is likely to miss most of spring training with his Opening Day status up in the air. Despite a pair of IL stints, Seager put forth an MVP-type season in 2023, hitting .327 with 33 home runs and 96 RBI in just 119 games played, his second of a 10-year megadeal signed with the Rangers prior to the 2022 campaign.
The Texas Rangers have signed relief pitcher David Robertson to a one-year contract in the $11-12 million range. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The specific amount has yet to be released but the reigning World Series champions add a big arm to their relief corps. Robertson worked to a 2.05 ERA across 40 appearances with the Mets last season but struggled upon a trade to the Miami Marlins at the deadline. The veteran owns a career 2.90 ERA with 175 saves across 793 appearances.
The Houston Astros and reliever Josh Hader have agreed to a historic five-year, $95 million contract. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Hader's deal falls short of the $102 sum handed to Mets closer Edwin Diaz last winter but it's the largest present-day value contract for a relief pitcher in MLB history as it contains zero referrals. The left-hander posted a surreal 1.28 ERA and 36.8% K% across 61 outings with the Padres in 2023, recording 33 saves in the process. He sports a 2.50 ERA and a monstrous 42.2% K% across 349 career appearances, notching 165 saves between the Brewers and Padres.
Free agent SP Marcus Stroman is in agreement on a contract with the New York Yankees. (Source: Jeff Passan)
Fantasy Impact: Stroman had a tale of two halves with the Cubs in 2023. He had an ERA of 2.96 in the first half with a BAA of .205. In the second, he dealt with injuries and carried an ERA of 8.63 with a BAA of .327. Stroman is projected to slot in as the No. 3 starter behind Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon. His current ADP is in the 280s and should be considered a fringe SP5 in traditional 5x5 leagues.
Shota Imanaga has reached a tentative deal with the Cubs. (Source: Bob Nightengale on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Imanaga's pact with the Cubs is still contingent on a physical he is scheduled to undergo in Chicago on Thursday. The 30-year-old southpaw has been excellent over an eight-year career in his native Japan, putting up a 2.96 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 26.0 K% in more than 1,100 innings.
Teoscar Hernandez joins the Dodgers on a one-year deal. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Hernandez had been linked to various other potential suitors in recent weeks, but it's ultimately the Dodgers that come away with yet another serious free-agent pickup. Hernandez brings even more pop to an already deep and powerful L.A. lineup, as he has averaged 28 homers alongside a .481 SLG across the last three seasons. It's a bit surprising to see Hernandez sign just a one-year deal, but the $23.5 million pay day is significant.
The Red Sox have traded SP Chris Sale to the Braves in exchange for INF Vaughn Grissom. (Source: Jeff Passan)
Fantasy Impact: Sale has battled an array of injuries over the past few years, which have limited him to 31 starts since 2020. In 20 starts last season, the 34-year-old racked up 125 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings, finishing with a 4.30 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. The ERA was inflated (xERA of 3.61), and he still offers strikeout upside. His biggest question mark is health, but he could be worth a flier in later rounds of drafts.
Free agent SP Frankie Montas has agreed to a one-year, $16 million deal with Cincinnati. (Source: Jon Heyman)
Fantasy Impact: Montas appeared in only one game in 2023 due to shoulder surgery. The 30-year-old has a career ERA of 3.90 and WHIP of 1.29, and now he moves to one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball. Montas is much more of a name than he is a fantasy asset and can be passed over on draft day.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a deal worth more than $300 million, according to multiple reports. (Source: Jack Curry on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Yamamoto was a star in Japan, and many believe he can step in right away and be the ace of an MLB rotation. With this reported deal and the heavily-deferred $700 million contract the Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles has now committed more than $1 billion to the pair of Japanese players. As for fantasy implications, Yamamoto has excellent command and a deep repertoire of pitches that make him an instant Rookie of the Year and NL Cy Young award candidate. The Dodgers are an ideal landing spot, especially after they landed Ohtani on his record-breaking deal. Early projections have Yamamoto winning a dozen games with close to 200 strikeouts and an ERA under 4.00.
The Tampa Bay Rays have traded outfielder Manuel Margot to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a blockbuster deal on Thursday evening. (Source: Jeff Passan)
Fantasy Impact: Margot is not the headliner in the deal as right-hander Tyler Glasnow is also headed to the Dodgers in exchange for right-hander Ryan Pepiot and outfield prospect Jonny Decluca. Margot is in the final season of a two-year $19 million contract that contains a mutual option for the 2025 season. He hit .264 with four homers and nine stolen bases in 99 appearances in 2023.
