Free-agent left-hander Lucas Luetge announced on Saturday that he has signed an undisclosed deal to join the Boston Red Sox for the 2024 campaign. The 36-year-old southpaw had a rough 7.24 ERA (4.86 FIP) and 1.76 WHIP with seven walks and 14 strikeouts in just 13 2/3 relief innings for the Atlanta Braves last year. As a result, the Braves outrighted him to Triple-A Gwinnett after he went unclaimed following being designated for assignment. In 22 relief appearances for Gwinnett and Double-A Mississippi, Luetge had a 3.51 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with nine walks and 29 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings pitched. He'll represent relief depth as a lefty for Boston entering the 2024 season and he has a career 3.60 ERA (3.55 FIP), a 1.37 WHIP, five saves and 226 strikeouts in 232 1/3 innings over seven major-league seasons with the Braves, Mariners and Yankees.

Right-hander Corey Kluber officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on Friday. The 37-year-old starter was never really the same pitcher once he left the Cleveland Guardians, and injuries ended up derailing his career the last several seasons. He appeared in only 15 games (nine starts) for the Boston Red Sox in 2023 and had a rough 7.04 ERA (7.11 FIP), a 1.64 WHIP, one save, 21 walks and 42 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. In his prime, though, Kluber was one of the better pitchers in the game and he made three straight All-Star appearances from 2016-18. Kluber also won two American League Cy Young awards in his 13-year MLB career, ultimately finishing with a 3.44 ERA (3.23 FIP) and 1.13 WHIP with a 25.8 percent strikeout rate in 1,641 2/3 innings pitched with Cleveland, the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Red Sox.

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.

The Texas Rangers re-signed left-hander Danny Duffy to a minor-league deal with an invitation to major-league spring training on Monday. In addition to Duffy, the Rangers also signed catcher Jose Godoy and left-hander Chasen Shreve. The 35-year-old Duffy didn't appear in the big leagues with the World Series champions in 2023, instead going 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA and 1.63 WHIP with 29 walks and 42 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings over 28 relief appearances for Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock after 11 years as a starter for the Kansas City Royals. Injuries have kept him from appearing in the majors since 2021, so he hasn't been anywhere near the fantasy radar.

Free-agent right-hander Carlos Carrasco signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training on Saturday with the Cleveland Guardians, according to sources. The 36-year-old veteran pitched for the Guardians from 2009-20. He spent the last three seasons with the Mets, going 19-20 with a bloated 5.21 ERA (4.55 FIP) and 1.46 WHIP with 97 walks and 268 strikeouts in 295 2/3 innings over 61 starts. He was even worse in 2023, posting a 6.80 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 90 innings over 20 starts before fracturing his finger in September. The Guardians' starting rotation is already pretty set heading into the 2024 season, so Carrasco could open the year in a middle-relief role out of Cleveland's bullpen, making him unattractive in the majority of fantasy leagues.

At the moment, Kansas City Royals left-hander William Smith is the team's leading candidate to open the 2024 season as the closer after they signed him to a one-year, $5 million contract early in free agency. Smith, who turns 35 years old in July, has won three straight World Series titles with three different teams. He went 22-for-27 in save chances last year with an expected ERA of 3.35 well below his actual 4.40 ERA. If the Royals trade for a closer or land one in free agency, they could shift the veteran Smith to more of a setup role, thus strengthening the back end of their bullpen. Smith will have fantasy appeal as a closing option if the Royals don't upgrade, but save chances could be few and far between for the rebuilding Royals.

The Cincinnati Reds have signed utility player Hernan Perez to a minor-league deal. The 32-year-old hasn't appeared in the big leagues since the 2021 season with the Washington Nationals but has rather spent the last two seasons playing in Korea and Mexico. Originally signed out of Venezuela by the Tigers, Perez received significant playing time with the Brewers from 2016-2019, even hitting 13 home runs with 34 stolen bases alongside a healthy .272 batting average in a career year in 2016. However, his bat has remained below the league average throughout his MLB career, largely due to a tiny 4.1% BB%. Across 651 big-league games played, Perez has hit .250 with 45 HR and 69 SB across 1,846 trips to the plate.

Free-agent left-hander Martin Perez signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Perez joins the rebuilding Pirates after going 10-4 with a 4.45 ERA (4.99 FIP) and 1.40 WHIP with 49 walks and 93 strikeouts in 141 2/3 innings over 35 appearances (20 starts) during the regular season for the World Series-champion Texas Rangers. The 32-year-old was due for some serious regression a year after making the All-Star team for the first time in his career in 2022 when he went 12-8 with a career-best 2.89 ERA (3.26 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP in 32 starts in his first year in Texas. The southpaw will now head to Pittsburgh to be a veteran innings-eater for an inexperienced Pirates starting rotation. Posting similar numbers from last year might be a best-case scenario for Perez, who won't be much of a fantasy option.

Right-hander Tommy Hunter has officially announced his retirement from professional baseball. Hunter calls it a career after 16 seasons in the major leagues, with stops playing for the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. He spent the final three seasons of his career with the Mets after debuting all the way back in 2008 in Texas. The 37-year-old was released by the Mets in June of 2023 after allowing 20 runs (18 earned) with five walks and 20 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. During his long MLB career, Hunter pitched to a 4.07 ERA (4.32 FIP), 1.24 WHIP, 22 saves, 208 walks and 639 strikeouts in 508 appearances (76 starts) and 917 1/3 innings pitched.

The Kansas City Royals have agreed to a contract with relief pitcher William Smith. The two sides have agreed on a one-year, $5 million deal for the 2024 campaign. The veteran southpaw began his career with the Royals back in 2012. Last season, Smith began the year as the closer with the Texas Rangers. However, he fell out of the role and became more of a late-inning option. He finished the season with a 4.04 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 22 saves, and a 55/17 K/BB ratio across 57 1/3 innings. Smith should be in the mix for the saves with the Royals not having a solidified closer. Fantasy managers will have to wait until Spring Training to see what the Royals plan to do with Smith in the bullpen.

Free-agent infielder Jose Iglesias signed a minor-league deal with the New York Mets on Tuesday. The deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Iglesias will provide infield depth, mainly at shortstop, for the Mets heading into next spring. The 33-year-old Cuban didn't surface in the big leagues at all in 2023 but did impress in 28 games for Triple-A El Paso in the San Diego Padres system with a .317/.356/.537 slash line, .892 OPS, four home runs and 27 RBI in 135 plate appearances. Iglesias was an All-Star for the Detroit Tigers in 2015, when he hit .300 with only two homers, 23 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 120 games. He's always been a glove-first player and has only 47 home runs in 11 major-league seasons.

Starting pitcher Corey Kluber is not sure if he will look to pitch in 2024. Kluber's option wasn't picked up by the Red Sox this offseason. The 37-year-old had a 7.11 FIP, the worst of his career. If he plans on pitching next season, the two-time Cy Young Award winner may have to settle for a minor league pact. Kluber pitched to a 3.54 FIP in 2022 over 31 starts, so if he can get another chance in 2024, he could be a fantasy option in AL or NL-only leagues at best.

The Arizona Diamondbacks declined their $5 million mutual option for the 2024 season on right-hander Mark Melancon (shoulder) over the weekend. Instead, Arizona will give Melancon a $2 million buyout as he hits the open market this offseason. The move was entirely expected, as the 38-year-old right-handed veteran reliever missed all of 2023 due to a right-shoulder strain. Melancon is a four-time All-Star and has 262 career saves in 14 seasons in the big leagues, but he's nearing the end of his career and wasn't very effective in 2022 with a 4.66 ERA (4.20 FIP) and 1.50 WHIP with 18 saves, 21 walks and only 35 strikeouts in 56 innings over 62 appearances out of Arizona's bullpen. The soft-tosser isn't going to have a robust market as a late-inning reliever heading into his age-39 season in 2024.

The Cleveland Guardians have hired Stephen Vogt as the 45th manager in franchise history. The former big-league backstop replaces Terry Francona who managed the club for 11 seasons before stepping down due to a lengthy battle with health issues. Vogt, 39, played 794 MLB games as a catcher and hit .239 with 82 home runs in that time with the Rays, A's, Brewers, Giants, D-backs, and Braves. He last appeared with the A's as recently as the 2022 season. He will be tasked with turning around a Guardians club that struggled last season, finishing with a 76-86 record, good for third place in the AL Central and 11 games back of the first-place Minnesota Twins. The Guardians reached the ALDS in the 2022 season, bowing out to the Yankees in five games.

The Chicago Cubs exercised catcher Yan Gomes' $6 million option for the 2024 campaign over the weekend, according to a source. Gomes will return next year for a third season in the Windy City. The 36-year-old veteran backstop is much more valuable in real life for the Cubs than in fantasy. The Brazilian saw more playing time in 2023 with Willson Contreras going to St. Louis, and he finished the year hitting a respectable .267 (102-for-382) with 10 home runs, 20 doubles, two triples, 63 RBI and 44 runs scored in 116 games played in Chicago. If the Cubs don't upgrade at the position, Gomes will be in line to open the 2024 regular season as the team's primary backstop while being spelled by Miguel Amaya.

As expected, the Boston Red Sox declined their 2024 option on right-hander Corey Kluber (shoulder) on Friday, while third baseman/designated hitter Justin Turner declined his $13.4 million 2024 option. Both players are now free agents. Turner will receive a $6.7 million buyout. Turner is nearing 40 years of age (he's 38), but he didn't lack for production in his lone season in Beantown in 2023, hitting 23 home runs and driving in a career-high 96 runs. Fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting him to match that in 2024, but he will certainly have suitors. Kluber, 37, had a 7.04 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in 55 innings over 15 games (nine starts) in his first and only year in Boston before being shut down for good in mid-September with a shoulder injury. He should be ready for the start of 2024, but the two-time Cy Young winner doesn't appear to have much left and could be ticketed for a full-time relief role wherever he lands.

Long-time big-league catcher Stephen Vogt has emerged as a serious candidate for the Cleveland Guardians managerial vacancy, according to sources. The Guardians are looking for a new manager this offseason following the retirement of Terry Francona. The 38-year-old Vogt is currently an assistant coach for the Seattle Mariners and previously interviewed for the managerial vacancy with the San Francisco Giants, where Bob Melvin is the leading candidate. Vogt was an All-Star in 2015 and 2016 and appeared in 794 major-league games over 10 seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves.

The Atlanta Braves informed relief pitcher Jesse Chavez on Friday that he will not be on the NLDS roster versus the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite Chavez's strong 1.56 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 39:12 K:BB through 34 2/3 innings pitched, rookie right-hander Daysbel Hernandez (three runs over 3 2/3 IP), who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since late July, made the NLDS team instead. Chavez returned on Sep. 20 from a three-month absence with a microfracture in his left shin. The 40-year-old right-hander tossed 6 1/3 scoreless frames during the postseason of Atlanta's 2021 World Series run and will hope to crack a roster spot if the Braves move on to the NLCS.

San Diego Padres left-hander Rich Hill intends to pitch again next season. The well-traveled 43-year-old seems to feel he's got some more left in the tank ahead of free agency, despite registering the worst ERA (5.41) and WHIP (1.52) over his 146 1/3 innings pitched in a decade of play. Hill looked his age after joining San Diego for the stretch run, slinging to a ghastly 8.23 ERA and 1.72 WHIP in 27 1/3 IP. We'll have to wait and see where the southpaw's merry-go-round will land him next, after pitching for 13 MLB teams throughout the course of his journeyman career, but Hill shouldn't be fantasy relevant in 2024 drafts.

Texas Rangers left-hander Martin Perez came out of the bullpen in Sunday's 9-8 win over the division-rival Seattle Mariners. Perez entered the game after starter Nathan Eovaldi went five innings and worked 1 2/3 innings of his own, allowing two earned runs on one hit while walking two and striking out one to earn his second hold of the season. The 32-year-old southpaw has appeared in 34 games (20 starts) for Texas this year but hasn't started a game since July 29 against the San Diego Padres, when he gave up four earned runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 frames in a loss. There was a chance that Perez could start on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels, but it's unlikely now after he threw 40 pitches on Sunday.