Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale told reporters on Saturday that this is his first offseason since 2019 that he hasn't had limitations. The veteran southpaw has dealt with a ton of injuries over the last four seasons, including Tommy John surgery in 2020 and a nagging shoulder issue in 2023. As a result, he's pitched just 151 total innings since 2019. It's very encouraging to hear he hasn't had any type of injury or setback so far this offseason. He looked sharp in spurts of the 2023 season with Boston, including a strong finish to the season in which he allowed two or fewer runs in six of his last nine starts. That was enough for the Braves to give Sale a two-year, $38 million extension after trading for him in late December. Sale, who runs 35 on March 30, will always carry injury risk but he can still be effective when healthy.

The San Francisco Giants have signed veteran Pablo Sandoval to a minor league contract, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Sandoval's deal includes an invitation to major league spring training. The 37-year-old has been out of Major League Baseball since 2021, and he was most recently a member of Dubai's Abu Dhabi Falcons after being selected in the Baseball United Draft last October. It's hard to envision Sandoval making the Opening Day roster, but at the very least, he provides depth, competition, and an invaluable veteran presence. Last measured at 5-foot-10 and 268 pounds, the former All-Star third baseman now figures to spend most of his time at first base or designated hitter.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that relievers Blake Treinen (shoulder), Daniel Hudson (knee) and J.P. Feyereisen (shoulder) are all tracking to be on the active roster to kick off the season in a two-game series against the division-rival San Diego Padres in Korea. Roberts said Hudson is still working through some execution stuff after missing close to two seasons due to injuries. The 36-year-old Hudson made just three appearances in 2023 and will give them veteran depth in the bullpen, but he's not on the fantasy radar. Neither is Treinen, 35, who made five appearances in 2022 and three rehab outings in 2023 after having shoulder surgery. He's going to need to prove himself before he's given a high-leverage role in the 'pen again.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (lat) is in good spirits in camp after reporting to spring training with lat soreness, but he won't be back to throwing for a week or so. The Red Sox aren't going to take any chances with Jansen, especially since he's been the subject of trade rumors this offseason. The 36-year-old's injury isn't very serious, but it doesn't look great for an aging reliever as he prepares for the 2024 regular season. If Jansen is traded or isn't ready for Opening Day because of his injury, Chris Martin would be the most likely candidate to see a boost in value as Boston's primary closing option at the back of the bullpen. Jansen had 29 saves in 2023 to become MLB's active leader in saves, but he also dealt with back, knee and hamstring injuries and is a pretty big injury risk at the closing position for fantasy managers.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) "walked in today feeling good about how the arm feels" after throwing off a mound on Thursday in spring training. Verlander wasn't going full speed on Thursday, but it's a positive sign regardless as he looks to bounce back after having a setback with his right shoulder this offseason. The 40-year-old is a bit behind the other pitchers and probably isn't going to be ready for the start of Grapefruit League action, but as long as he doesn't have any further setbacks, he could still be ready for Opening Day. The 40-year-old three-time Cy Young winner is an extreme injury risk at this point in his career and is no longer a fantasy ace. He'll even be somewhat risky as a No. 3 starter for fantasy rotations since it would be more of a surprise if he didn't miss time due to injury in 2024.

Updating a previous report, free-agent veteran third baseman Eduardo Escobar has agreed to an undisclosed deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night, pending a physical. Escobar will give the Blue Jays even more infield depth at the hot corner for the 2024 season after hitting a combined .226/.269/.344 with six home runs, 31 RBI and 32 runs scored in 99 games with the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels a year ago. The 35-year-old Venezuelan switch-hitter has 13 years of major-league experience but didn't look like he had much left to offer in 2023. In Toronto, he'll be competing for playing time at third base with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal. More often than not, Escobar will most likely come off the bench in his new digs.

Free-agent infielder Eduardo Escobar is moving toward a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night, according to sources familiar with the situation. Escobar became a free agent after the 2023 season when the Los Angeles Angels declined his $9 million team option for 2024. The 35-year-old veteran hit just .226/.269/.344 with six home runs, 31 RBI and 32 runs scored in 99 total games with the Angels and New York Mets. In Toronto, he'll now join Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in a competition for playing time at the hot corner this year. Kiner-Falefa seems like the favorite to see the most reps at third, with Escobar serving as a veteran bench bat. The move to a hitter-friendly park in Toronto in a strong lineup is a good one for Escobar, but consistent playing time will likely be hard to come by.

Doctors performed an arthroscopy/cleanup on Colorado Rockies right-hander Daniel Bard's left knee on Wednesday and did not need to do a meniscus repair as originally believed. The general recovery time frame is one month, which is a little less than the five to seven weeks the team originally believed he'd have to miss. It's good news for the 38-year-old reliever, but he still seems likely to open the 2024 season on the injured list. Bard could be in the mix for saves in Colorado when he's healthy, and at the very least he'll be a candidate for consideration in deep holds leagues, but the Rockies probably won't give their relievers many save chances. He had 54 saves in 2021 and 2022 but is an extremely risky reliever because of his past history with anxiety and the yips.

Boston Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow said that closer Kenley Jansen (lat) reported to camp with some "general lat soreness" and will not be throwing for now. However, Jansen did take part in other drills on Monday and had been throwing bullpen sessions at home. This isn't good news for the 36-year-old reliever, especially since the Red Sox have been shopping him in trades, but it appears to be a minor injury that may not end up affecting his availability for the start of the 2024 season. If everything calms down in his lat, Jansen hopes to resume throwing in around a week. If Jansen isn't ready for the start of the regular season or if he's trade during spring training, Chris Martin and Josh Winckowski would become the two primary candidates for closing duties in Boston in 2024.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) said he's a couple weeks behind scheduled and his timetable is to be determined right now. "When I first started playing catch I usually shut it down for a while and this time when I shut it down and picked a ball back up, my shoulder didn't feel so great so I kind of had to take a step back," Verlander said. It's not what you want to hear from a 40-year-old pitcher, although right now it's still not too big of a concern, especially considering that Verlander missed the first five weeks of the 2023 season before going 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 144 strikeouts during the regular season. We'll keep a close eye on the three-time Cy Young winner this spring. Even if he's ready to go by Opening Day, fantasy managers must come to grips with the fact that Verlander is an increased health risk at his age.

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard (knee) is expected to open the 2024 season on the injured list due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. Bard opened last year on the injured list and also ended the 2023 campaign on the injured list due to a right flexor strain. The 38-year-old veteran wasn't really going to be much of a fantasy option to begin with due to the fact that Justin Lawrence is the team's projected closer. In 50 appearances out of Colorado's bullpen last year, Bard had a 4.56 ERA (6.13 FIP) and 1.70 WHIP with one save, 49 walks and 47 strikeouts. He had 54 saves in 2021 and 2022 after returning from a case of the yips, but some of his anxiety issues returned last spring. Fantasy managers should stay away from Bard in all leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw's new deal includes $10 million guaranteed with a chance to make more, according to league sources. It's a one-year deal with a player option for 2025 and includes a base salary of $5 million each year with a chance for the 36-year-old southpaw to boost his salary based on the number of starts he makes this year. His salary can max out at around $12 million in 2024. The three-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer had the capsule and gleno-humeral ligaments in his left shoulder repaired in November and will not pitch at all in the first half of the season. Kershaw is in the second week of a throwing program and is targeting a "July-ish, August-ish" timetable to return later this year.

Free-agent relief pitcher Jesse Chavez and infielder Danny Mendick were among 11 to sign minor-league deals with invites to major-league spring training with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Chavez missed three months in 2023 due to a microfracture in his left shin, but when he was healthy, he was great despite being 40 years old. He posted a strong 1.56 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and one save for the Atlanta Braves in 34 2/3 innings pitched. Given how weak the White Sox's bullpen is entering spring training, it would be a surprise if the veteran reliever wasn't pitching for the big-league club in 2024, but he won't be on the fantasy radar. Mendick, 30, spent the first four years of his career in Chicago. The utility man played in 33 games with the New York Mets last year and went 12-for-65 (.185) with a homer and four RBI.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) took his physical on Thursday and said he's in the second week of his throwing program after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder in November. He couldn't give a timetable for his return in 2024 beyond "summer" for when he hopes he can pitch. "July-ish, August-ish. Somewhere in there. I don't know," Kershaw said. The 35-year-old future Hall of Famer will miss the entire first half but should rejoin LA's starting rotation at some point in the second half. There's also an option for the 2025 season in his new deal, so Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow could all be in the team's rotation for the 2025 campaign. Kershaw was still a reliable arm for the Blue when he was healthy in 2023, but Father Time has taken a toll on him in recent years in the injury department.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies are currently being viewed as potential trade fits for current Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. The Red Sox are fielding offers for Jansen as he finishes off the two-year, $32 million deal he signed with the club last winter. The right-hander worked to a 3.63 ERA across 51 appearances in his first season with the Red Sox, the second-highest ERA of his 14-year MLB career and well above his 2.52 career mark. He spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Dodgers before signing with Atlanta for the 2022 season and Boston in 2023. He saw dips in both strikeout and walk rates last season and also saw his ground-ball rate plummet to a career-worst 22.6%. He could viably see save opportunities with either club but could also take on a lesser role entering his age-36 season.

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw's new deal to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2024 season also includes an option for 2025, according to a person briefed on the negotiations. Kershaw is rehabbing from a major shoulder injury that required surgery in November and won't return until later this summer, but the option gives him a chance to spend an additional full season with the Dodgers while sharing the starting rotation with Shohei Ohtani. The 36-year-old southpaw will be put on the 60-day injured list when his deal becomes official after a physical, but the future Hall of Famer began a throwing program this week. He still has several months before he'll appear in games, but he can now return to LA in 202. Kershaw needs only 56 strikeouts to join the 3,000-strikeout club.

Free-agent left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) has agreed to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for yet another season with the team, pending a physical, according to Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman. The 35-year-old continues to be a vital part of the team's rotation despite his age, as he posted a 2.46 ERA in 2023 with 1.06 walks and hits per inning pitched in 131 2/3 innings. The Dodgers' massive offseason wouldn't be complete without bringing back one of their legends. Kershaw had surgery on his left shoulder in November and won't be ready to pitch until at least the second half of 2024, but when he's ready, he's expected to join a starting rotation that now includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

Free-agent right-hander Zack Greinke wants to return for a 21st season in 2024, according to two sources briefed on his thinking. However, the Kansas City Royals' signings of right-handers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha almost certainly will preclude him from returning to the Royals. Greinke was 2-15 with a rough 5.06 ERA last year, but he's only 21 strikeouts shy of becoming only the 20th pitcher in major-league history to record 3,000 strikeouts. His Hall of Fame case likely won't be affected by whether he retires now or some point in the future. In addition to winning the 2009 American League Cy Young award, the 40-year-old has made six All-Star teams and earned six Gold Gloves. Greinke and Justin Verlander are the only active pitchers who have worked more than 3,000 innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said the door is still open for the team to bring back free-agent left-hander Clayton Kershaw, even after some of the club's starting-rotation additions this winter. The 35-year-old future Hall of Famer is basically either going to re-sign with LA, go to the Texas Rangers or retire. He had surgery in November to fix the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder and is hoping to return at some point this summer. Kershaw's age and recent injury history make it tough to predict how he'll fare if he continues his career and plays in the second half of 2024, but he pitched well when he was healthy in 2023, going 13-5 over 24 starts (131 2/3 innings) while posting a 2.46 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 40 walks and 137 strikeouts. Kershaw's fantasy stock is obviously way down because of his injury and the uncertainty of where he'll play.

Free-agent first baseman Carlos Santana has agreed to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins worth roughly $5.25 million, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The veteran split 2023 with the Pirates and Brewers, slashing .240/.318/.429 while slugging 23 homers. He maintained respectable levels of discipline at the plate with his 10.5 walk rate and 16.8 strikeout rate. Even if Santana's declining defensive value limits him to designated hitter for most of 2024, he remains a strong contributor at the plate and should see significant playing time in Minnesota.