The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to pursue free agent outfielder Aaron Judge, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network and the NY Post. After declining to tender a contract to outfielder Cody Bellinger, the team now has a need in the outfield, and, perhaps more importantly, approximately $100 million dollars in payroll commitments coming off the books. The New York Yankees are also known to be in pursuit of Judge, who should have no shortage of destination options coming off a record-breaking 62-home run MVP-winning season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have declined to tender a contract to three of their players, most notably outfielder Cody Bellinger. They will also not be bringing back outfielder Luke Williams or infielder Edwin Rios. Bellinger will now be a free agent for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old struggled mightily of late, slashing .210/.265/.389 in 2022 after performing even worse in 2021, a shocking output for a player who won the MVP award in 2019. He will look to catch on elsewhere in the coming months, and the Dodgers now have a vacancy in the outfield.

The San Francisco Giants have shown interest in free agent relief pitcher Kenley Jansen, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Manager Gabe Kapler and President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi were with the Los Angeles Dodgers while Jansen was holding down the closer role for that franchise. In 2022 with the Atlanta Braves, Jansen was once again excellent with 41 saves and a 3.38 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Despite being 34 years old, he is expected to garner a multi-year contract.

The New York Yankees have reached an agreement with shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa that will bring him back to the Bronx for the 2023 season. The contract will be for one year and $6 million dollars. Kiner-Falefa endured a tumultuous year with the Yankees after coming over from the Texas Rangers last offseason, slashing .261/.314/.327 with four home runs and 22 steals in 531 plate appearances. Most of Kiner-Falefa's contributions come from speed and defense, and there's no guarantee that he will see nearly as much playing time this upcoming season as last.

The San Francisco Giants have reached a one-year deal with Mike Yastrzemski that will pay the outfielder $6.1 million dollars in the 2023 season. The 32-year-old Yastrzemski avoids arbitration with this pact and remains eligible for free agency following the 2025 season. He will look to be more productive in the upcoming campaign after a career-worst offensive output in 2022 that saw him slash .214/.305/.392 with 17 home runs in 558 plate appearances across 148 games.

Kyle Farmer is the newest member of the Minnesota Twins after being acquired in a trade from the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds will receive minor league right-handed pitcher Casey Legumina in exchange for Farmer. The 32-year-old Farmer enjoyed arguably his best year at the plate in 2022, recording a .701 OPS with 14 home runs in 583 plate appearances, though that only resulted in a 91 wRC+. Farmer figures to be a depth piece and fill some of the playing time vacated by the earlier trade of Gio Urshela to the Los Angeles Angels, but fantasy managers should not look to invest in the righty swinger.

The New York Mets have struck a deal with the Miami Marlins for two right-handed pitchers, Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham, just days after each was designated for assignment. The Marlins receive minor league pitcher Franklin Sanchez in return. Hernandez is the more prominent name of the two, as he made 90 appearances including 48 starts over five seasons in Miami, recording a 5.04 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 277 strikeouts in 287 1/3 innings. Both will serve as depth for the Mets, who have seen most of their pitching staff enter free agency.

The Los Angeles Angels have acquired third baseman Gio Urshela from the Minnesota Twins, according to an announcement made by the team. Minnesota will receive minor league right-handed pitcher Alejandro Hidalgo in return. Urshela enjoyed a strong 2022 season at the plate, slashing .285/.338/.429 with a 119 wRC+ in 551 plate appearances across 144 games. While his natural position of third base is blocked in Los Angeles by Anthony Rendon, he is expected to garner playing time around the infield, and has a chance to be the starting shortstop for manager Phil Nevin, who coached Urshela when both were with the New York Yankees.

As expected, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was named the 2022 American League Most Valuable Player on Thursday. Judge picked a nice season to set an AL record with 62 home runs before becoming a free agent this offseason. While also breaking Roger Maris' single-season AL home run record, Judge also finished just five batting average points shy of the Triple Crown. The right-handed slugger beat out Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani. Judge hit 16 more homers than anybody else in baseball and also led the league in RBI (131), OPS (1.111), OPS+ (211), total bases (391) and runs scored (133). His 15.9 percent walk rate was in the top one percent in baseball, and his 23.9 percent chase rate ranked in the 89th percentile. Wherever Judge is playing in 2023, he'll be the best power target in fantasy baseball.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was named the 2022 National League Most Valuable Player, his first career MVP award. He's also the first Cardinal to win the award since Albert Pujols did so in 2009. Goldy had the best season of his career at 34 years old and led the NL in slugging percentage (.578) while leading all of baseball in OPS (.981) and weighted runs created plus (177). He managed to beat out teammate Nolan Arenado and San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado for the hardware. Goldschmidt's final slash line sat at .317/.404/.578, and he added 35 home runs, 115 RBI, 106 runs scored and seven stolen bases in his 561 at-bats. Despite being 35 heading into the 2023 season, Goldschmidt will remain an elite fantasy first baseman.

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Kyle Lewis from the Seattle Mariners on Thursday in exchange for outfielder/catcher Cooper Hummel, according to sources familiar with the situation. Lewis was named the American League Rookie of the Year during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when he hit .262/.364/.437 with an .801 OPS, 11 home runs, 28 RBI, 37 runs scored and five stolen bases in 58 games. But he's underwhelmed in two seasons since and has been bothered by injuries. In just 18 games for Seattle in 2022, he hit .143/.226/.304 with three homers, five RBI, six runs scored and 19 strikeouts in 56 at-bats. A change of scenery could be what Lewis needs to get back into fantasy relevance.

The Oakland Athletics claimed outfielder Brent Rooker off waivers from the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. The move comes after the Royals designated Rooker for assignment earlier this week. The 28-year-old played in two games with the San Diego Padres in 2022 before landing in Kansas City. In just 14 games with the Royals, he hit .160/.276/.200 with no home runs, two RBI and a run scored in 29 plate appearances. Rooker has a weak slash line of .200/.289/.379 with 10 home runs, 23 RBI and 30 runs scored in 270 plate appearances over 81 games in his three major-league seasons to this point. He'll be battling for a roster spot in spring training with the A's next year.

Although the Chicago White Sox "need another starter," according to pitching coach Ethan Katz, he doesn't believe "starting is in the cards" for left-hander Garrett Crochet (elbow) next season. However, Crochet could serve as a multi-inning reliever. It's not a huge surprise after the 23-year-old southpaw had Tommy John surgery in April of this year. On top of it, he has only thrown 60 1/3 innings in 59 relief appearances in his first two major-league seasons. The good news is that Crochet has been throwing from 120 feet, although it remains to be seen if he'll be ready by Opening Day in 2023. Fantasy managers in single-year leagues will want to avoid Crochet next year.

The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent right-hander Chris Stratton on Thursday. The deal is reportedly for $2.8 million. Stratton began the 2022 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates but was eventually acquired by the Cardinals in a trade. In his 20 relief appearances with St. Louis, he had a nice 2.78 ERA (2.80 FIP), a 1.50 WHIP, 23 strikeouts and 12 walks in 22 2/3 innings. In total, the 32-year-old posted a 4.26 ERA (3.32 FIP), a 1.53 WHIP, two saves and a 60:25 K:BB in 63 1/3 innings pitched over 60 appearances (one start). Stratton will only become attractive in fantasy if he makes any spot starts for the Red Birds.

Chicago White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz said that right-hander Michael Kopech's (knee) rehab from knee surgery is a bit more gradual than expected, but the team still expects him to be ready for spring training. Kopech will finish at five innings and 85 pitches before his first outing of the 2023 regular season. The 26-year-old also dealt with a right shoulder injury to close out last season, but his knee injury is the one we'll be monitoring closely as spring training approaches. Expect the White Sox to keep a short leash on him early in 2023 as he recovers from the knee procedure. In his first full big-league season in 2022, Kopech went 5-9 with a 3.54 ERA (4.49 FIP), a 1.19 WHIP, 105 strikeouts and 57 walks in 119 1/3 frames over 25 starts.

The San Francisco Giants and left-handed reliever Scott Alexander avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.15 million deal. In his first year in San Francisco in 2022, Alexander only pitched 17 1/3 innings over 17 appearances (four starts) at the major-league level, allowing two earned runs on 12 hits while walking one and striking out 10. The 33-year-old southpaw made enough of an impression on the Giants for them to bring him back for the 2023 season. In eight big-league seasons, Alexander has posted a 3.00 ERA (3.74 FIP), a 1.29 WHIP and a 170:86 K:BB in 222 1/3 innings over 228 outings (five starts) for the Royals, Dodgers and Giants. He won't be in play for fantasy managers next spring.

The Cincinnati Reds avoided salary arbitration with right-handed reliever Buck Farmer by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million deal. In his first year with the Reds in 2022, Farmer finished with a 3.83 ERA (3.03 FIP), a 1.29 WHIP, five holds, his first two career saves and 54 strikeouts in 47 innings over 44 relief appearances. He was much better after being called up for the second time in early July, closing out the year with a 2.83 ERA in 35 innings pitched. The 31-year-old will return for his second season in Cincinnati in 2023, but he isn't at all on the fantasy radar.

The Boston Red Sox avoided salary arbitration with outfielder Rob Refsnyder by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2 million deal. Refsnyder ended his 2022 season on the injured list due to back spasms, but he should be healthy in plenty of time for spring training next year. The 31-year-old veteran will return to Beantown next year after hitting a strong .307/.384/.497 with an .881 OPS, six home runs, 21 RBI, 25 runs scored and one stolen base in just 153 at-bats as a bench player for the BoSox. Refsnyder will the 2023 campaign battling for occasional starts in Boston's outfield yet again, depending on what additions the club makes in the offseason.

The Houston Astros signed left-hander Austin Davis to a minor-league deal on Wednesday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Davis was designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins in September and elected free agency, and now he'll join the Astros before the 2023 season. The 29-year-old southpaw spent most of the 2022 campaign with the Boston Red Sox, posting a 5.47 ERA (3.94 FIP), a 1.56 WHIP, 61 strikeouts and 29 walks in 54 1/3 innings over 50 appearances (three starts). Davis will serve as left-handed relief depth for the World Series championship heading into the 2023 regular season.

The Colorado Rockies avoided salary arbitration with right-hander Dinelson Lamet on Wednesday by agreeing to an undisclosed one-year deal. Lamet began the 2022 season with the San Diego Padres before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Rockies then claimed him off waivers from the Brewers in August. The 30-year-old pitched to a 4.05 ERA (3.46 FIP), a 1.20 WHIP, 29 strikeouts and 10 walks in 20 relief innings for Colorado to close out the year. The Padres traded him after he allowed 14 runs (13 earned) on 16 hits while walking nine and striking out 16 in 12 1/3 relief innings to begin the season. Lamet began his MLB career as a starter, but injuries have relegated him to relief duties in recent seasons.