The Chicago White Sox signed free-agent outfielder Kevin Pillar to a minor-league deal on Friday, according to a source. Pillar will make $3 million if he's on the major-league roster. The 35-year-old veteran hit .228/.248/.416 with nine home runs in 208 plate appearances for the Atlanta Braves in 2023. He's no longer the plus-plus defensive center fielder he once was, but he still rated well defensive in the corner outfield spots last year. The rebuilding White Sox may offer more playing time for Pillar, but at best, he'll likely be in some sort of platoon in right field with Oscar Colas. Pillar can be ignored in mixed fantasy leagues in 2024. He has only reached the 20-steal and 20-homer marks once in his 11-year big-league career.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Aaron Hicks said it's been communicated to him that he will be an everyday player in his first year with the club. Hicks said he expects to play all three outfield spots and designated hitter occasionally. Ideally, he'd see most of his playing time at DH due to the fact that Hicks has had a hard time staying on the field in his career due to injuries. The 34-year-old veteran played all three outfield spots in 2023 with the Yankees and Orioles and is primarily a center fielder, but that will be Mike Trout's job if he's healthy. Hicks will most likely bounce around positions in Anaheim as more of a platoon player against left-handed pitchers, whom he hit .349/.446/.524 against last year. Hicks has only one season with over 20 home runs and has played in 100-plus games just three times in his 11-year big-league career.

The Seattle Mariners acquired second baseman Jorge Polanco from the Minnesota Twins on Monday, according to sources. It's unclear what the Twins are receiving in return. The Twins exercised Polanco's $10.5 million club option for the 2024 season, even after he played in just 80 regular-season games due to ankle, knee and hamstring injuries. The 30-year-old hit well when he was on the field, though, slashing .255/.335/.454 with a .789 OPS, 14 home runs, 18 doubles, 48 RBI, four stolen bases and 38 runs scored in 343 plate appearances. The move opens up regular playing time at the keystone in Minnesota for Edouard Julien. Polanco squared the ball up often and had strong exit velocities, but he's moving to another pitcher-friendly park in the American League. He should play regularly in Seattle but will be a significant health risk for fantasy managers.

The Los Angeles Angels have signed outfielder Aaron Hicks to a one-year deal. Since Hicks is still being paid by the Yankees through the 2025 season, the Angels will only pay Hicks the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big-league roster. The veteran was released by the Yankees after 28 games and a .188 average last season but rebounded in 65 games with the Orioles, hitting .275 with seven home runs and an .806 OPS across 236 plate appearances, also missing some time due to injuries. The 34-year-old is a career .233 hitter with 108 HR, 73 stolen bases, and a solid 12.7% BB% across 963 games with the Twins, Yankees, and Orioles. He will compete for reps in an Angels outfield that includes Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Micky Moniak, and Jo Adell, among others.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) is scheduled to throw from 120 feet on Saturday as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery that he had last May. Ray is slowly progressing from his surgery and is hoping to start throwing off a mound early in spring training and eventually make his season and team debut around the All-Star break in a "best-case scenario." The Giants acquired Ray from the Seattle Mariners in a trade early in January to give the Giants more rotation depth in the second half of 2024. The 32-year-old former American League Cy Young winner in 2021 only made one start with Seattle last year before going on the shelf and having surgery. When healthy, Ray misses a lot of bats, but the long layoff could be bad news for a pitcher that showed very shaky command of his pitches before 2021.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada would not name a closer when reporters asked him over the weekend at the team's FanFest. This is notable as the Astros just signed closer Josh Hader to a record-breaking contract. Ryan Pressly, who locked down 31 saves for Houston last season, was the clear incumbent before the Hader signing. Conventional wisdom says that Hader will eventually be given the job given his pedigree and contract situation. The 29-year-old southpaw finished the 2023 season with a 1.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 85:30 K/BB ratio to go along with 33 saves over 56 1/3 innings with the Padres. Pressly could shift into a setup role once Hader established himself so he should still hold fantasy value in NSVH leagues.

Houston Astros relief pitcher Kendall Graveman (shoulder) underwent right-shoulder surgery last week and will be forced to miss all of the 2024 season, according to the team. It's unclear what specific surgery Graveman had on his shoulder, but he said he had progressed to throwing off flat ground this offseason when the discomfort in his shoulder returned. For an already-depleted Astros bullpen, this is a big loss heading into spring training. The 33-year-old will enter free agency after the 2024 season. He started 2022 with the Chicago White Sox before being traded to the Astros. Overall, Graveman went 5-6 with 3.12 ERA (4.88 FIP), 1.31 WHIP, eight saves, 36 walks and 66 strikeouts in 66 1/3 relief innings. Graveman's injury will put more pressure on late-inning setup men Bryan Abreu and Rafael Montero.

The Arizona Diamondbacks avoided salary arbitration on Thursday with first baseman Christian Walker by agreeing to a one-year, $10.9 million deal, according to sources. Walker had another strong season for the D-backs while helping them reach the World Series in 2023. The 32-year-old finished the regular season with a .258/.333/.497 slash line with a career-high .830 OPS, 33 home runs, 36 doubles, two triples, a career-high 103 RBI, a career-high 11 stolen bases and 86 runs scored in 157 games played. As long as his plate discipline remains strong, Walker should be able to churn out another strong season in the desert as he approaches free agency next winter.

The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants connected for a blockbuster trade on Friday as Seattle will send former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to the Giants in exchange for former Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani. Ray, the 2021 AL Cy Young winner with the Toronto Blue Jays, went on to sign a five-year, $115 million deal with the Mariners in free agency prior to the 2022 season. While he regressed some, Ray still posted a 3.71 ERA and excellent 19.4% K-BB% across 32 starts that season. However, he was limited to just a single start in 2023 due to an elbow injury. Subsequent Tommy John surgery will sideline him until after the All-Star break. A big-time strikeout pitcher, the 32-year-old has reined in the free passes that plagued him earlier in his career as he looks to bounce back with the Giants in the 2024 campaign.

The Cincinnati Reds re-signed relief pitcher Buck Farmer to a one-year deal worth $2.25 million on Thursday and designated outfielder Bubba Thompson for assignment in a corresponding move. The 32-year-old right-hander has been a middle reliever for the Reds each of the past two seasons and has posted a combined 4.06 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.21 WHIP with five saves, 54 walks and 124 strikeouts over 115 appearances out of the bullpen covering 122 innings. At best, Farmer will be a setup man in front of late-inning arms Alexis Diaz, Emilio Pagan and Lucas Sims, which gives him very minimal fantasy appeal, even in the deepest of leagues. In his 10 years in the big leagues, Farmer has a career 4.98 ERA (4.76 FIP), 1.43 WHIP and 21.4 percent strikeout rate in 356 outings (21 starts) with the Reds and Detroit Tigers.

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 first baseman Jesus Aguilar signed an undisclosed one-year deal with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball on Wednesday. After 10 years in the big leagues, the 33-year-old veteran Venezuelan right-handed slugger will take his talents to Japan. He was released by the Oakland Athletics in June after hitting a weak .221/.281/.385 with five home runs, two doubles, nine RBI and eight runs scored in 36 games played. Aguilar later played with Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta Braves organization but never made it to the big-league level. The height of his slugging powers came in 2018 when he made the All-Star team for the only time in his career by batting .274 (135-for-492) with a career-high 35 home runs and 108 RBI for the Milwaukee Brewers.

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.

Free-agent veteran catcher Roberto Perez signed a minor-league deal with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The 34-year-old Puerto Rican played just five games with the San Francisco Giants in 2023 before suffering a season-ending torn right rotator cuff. It remains to be seen if he's even ready to play in spring training, but the Red Sox are taking a chance on him anyway as catching depth for next year. Perez has played 10 seasons in the majors with the Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Giants and has hit .207/.298/.358 with 55 home runs and 193 RBI in 516 games played. He will be providing minor-league depth for Boston behind Reese McGuire and Connor Wong, who are on the current active roster.

The Atlanta Braves have agreed to trade catcher Max Stassi to the Chicago White Sox. Stassi is on the move again after being acquired by Atlanta earlier in the week. In exchange, the Braves will receive a player to be named later. It sounds like the Braves are going to cover a majority of the $7 million salary for Stassi next season. The 32-year-old is a solid defensive catcher, but doesn't bring much to the plate with the bat. He could end up seeing decent playing time after the departure of Yasmani Grandal this offseason. Despite that, Stassi isn't expected to be a fantasy relevant player.

Infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi are on the move from the Los Angeles Angels to the Atlanta Braves. Fletcher is a 29-year-old utility man who provided a 0.1 WAR in 89 games last season. Stassi is 32 years old and hit .180 in 2022. He did not play in 2023 due to a family medical issue. If Stassi is to return in 2024, it probably won't be with Atlanta, as they are stacked at catcher. Neither player moves the needle much in fantasy leagues.

The Minnesota Twins have received increased trade interest in infielder Jorge Polanco over the last week. The Twins exercised their $10.5 million option on Polanco for the 2024 season, but teams have come calling on the 30-year-old veteran this offseason. Durability issues have been Polanco's Achilles heal, as he missed a considerable chunk of time in 2023 due to ankle, knee and hamstring issues. But he was solid at the plate when he was on the field, slashing .255/.335/.454 with a .789 OPS, 14 home runs, 18 doubles, 48 RBI, four stolen bases and 38 runs scored in 343 trips to the plate over 80 total games. The switch-hitting Dominican might have a better fantasy outlook outside of Minnesota, but durability concerns aren't going to go away. If the Twins do trade Polanco, Edouard Julien would become the team's regular at the keystone in 2024.

The Tampa Bay Rays re-signed right-hander Erasmo Ramirez to a minor-league deal earlier this week. Ramirez will return to Tampa after he was outrighted off the 40-man roster following the conclusion of the 2023 season. The 33-year-old veteran swing man from Nicaragua appeared in 38 games (two starts) for the Rays and Washington Nationals last season, going 3-3 with a bloated 6.41 ERA (5.05 FIP) and 1.57 WHIP with 13 walks and 43 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings pitched. The 12-year veteran hurler will give the Rays some extra pitching depth entering spring training and the regular season next year, but he won't be anywhere near the fantasy radar.

Free-agent right-hander Michael Tonkin agreed to a one-year, $1 million major-league deal with the New York Mets on Tuesday, according to a source. Tonkin was nothing spectacular in 2023, but it was his return to the majors for the first time in six seasons. The 34-year-old veteran pitched for the Atlanta Braves and had a 4.28 ERA (4.43 FIP) and 1.09 WHIP with 23 walks and 75 strikeouts in 80 innings pitched over 45 relief appearances. Tonkin isn't going to be on the fantasy radar whatsoever and will most likely start the 2024 season providing long relief for the Mets' bullpen. In six major-league seasons (five with the Minnesota Twins), Tonkin has a 4.37 ERA (4.52 FIP) and 1.31 WHIP in 226 1/3 relief innings.

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.