Free-agent veteran right-hander Lance Lynn said that he has lost 20 pounds already since the end of last season, dropping from 280 to 260 pounds. Lynn battled knee issues in 2024 and was limited to 117 1/3 innings, his lowest total over a full season since missing all of 2016 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 37-year-old became a free agent when the St. Louis Cardinals declined his $12 million club option for 2025. He's nearing the end of his career, but Lynn ranks sixth in the majors with 2,006 1/3 innings pitched since debuting in 2011. The last time Lynn reached 30 starts and 200 innings was back in 2019, so fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting a sudden breakout for the veteran hurler. Knee issues dating back to 2021 and a lack of strikeout stuff will make Lynn an easy pitcher to avoid in shallow mixed fantasy leagues, regardless of where he's pitching.

The Boston Red Sox and relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman have agreed to a one-year, $10.75 million deal. Boston was looking to add a left-handed bullpen arm and Chapman would fulfill that need. The 36-year-old was a reliever for the Pirates last season, taking over as closer down the stretch, and tallied a 3.79 ERA (3.04 FIP), 1.35 WHIP, 22.3% K-BB%, 22 holds, and 14 saves over 61 2/3 IP. Right now it's uncertain who will be the closer as Kenley Jansen is a free agent and Liam Hendriks was shut down late last season due to elbow soreness after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Chapman could be a solid source of strikeouts for fantasy managers regardless of role, but would be even more relevant were he to be named closer, so keep an eye on this situation come spring.

Free-agent veteran catcher Martin Maldonado has made it clear that he wants to play one more year of professional baseball. Maldonado has never been much of an offensive force in his 14-year major-league career, but he's excellent defensively and knows how to get the most out of a team's pitching staff. However, with age, even his defensive skills have cratered in recent seasons. He spent the entire 2024 campaign with the Chicago White Sox and slashed a pathetic .119/.174/.230 with four home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs scored in only 48 games played before being released in July. The 38-year-old Puerto Rican backstop will most likely have to settle for a minor-league deal this offseason if he wants to keep playing in 2025. If Maldonado signs somewhere, he'll merely be competing for a backup role for playing time.

According to Francys Romero, six clubs have "real interest" in free agent relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman. Last summer, the hard-throwing southpaw spent the entire campaign in the Steel City and held a solid 3.79 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP with a 98:39 BB:K ratio through 61 2/3 innings of work. He also tallied 14 saves. He posted stellar metrics under the hood with a 2.98 xERA and .165 xBA, which placed him in the top 90th and 99th percentile, respectively. He also showcased elite swing-and-miss upside with a 32.3% whiff rate and 37.1% K rate. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to where the 36-year-old signs in the offseason, as he could be a favorite to earn save opportunities given his ability to generate whiffs at an elite rate.

The NC Dinos announced on Thursday that they signed designated hitter Matt Davidson to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. The deal is for a $1.2 million salary plus $300,000 in incentives, and the Dinos will have the option to extend him in 2026 for $1.7 million ($1.3 million salary and $400,000 in incentives). Davidson, the former 35th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009, will stick around in Korea after playing well there in 2024. In 131 games for the Dinos, the 33-year-old hit an impressive .306/.370/.633 with a 1.003 OPS, 46 home runs, 119 RBI and 90 runs scored in 567 plate appearances. He made his major-league debut in 2013 with Arizona and has a .220/.290/.430 slash line with 54 homers and 157 RBI in six MLB seasons. Davidson hasn't appeared in the bigs since 2022, when he played in only 13 games with the Diamondbacks and Athletics.

Shortstop Brandon Crawford officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on Wednesday on his Instagram account. It ends a successful 14-year major-league career that saw Crawford win two World Series with the San Francisco Giants while also being named to three All-Star teams. The 37-year-old spent the first 13 years of his career with the Giants before ending it in 2024 with the St. Louis Cardinals after he hit .169 in 28 games. Crawford was originally a fourth-round pick by the Gigantes in 2008 out of UCLA. Perhaps his best season came in 2021, when he had a career-highs in batting average (.298), home runs (24), RBI (90) and stolen bases (11). He won his first World Series ring in 2012 in his second year in the league. In addition to being steady with the bat, Crawford won four Gold Gloves in his career and finishes with a .249/.318/.395 career slash line and .713 OPS in 1,682 games.

The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization announced on Monday that they officially signed former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig to a $1 million deal. The club also added Ruben Cardenas for $450,000 ($150,000 in incentives) and pitcher Kenny Rosenberg ($700,000 with $100,000 in incentives). The 33-year-old Puig will leave his winter league team in Venezuela as a result. He has not played in the big leagues since 2019, when he hit .267 with 24 home runs and 84 RBI in 149 games with the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians. The Cuban star hit .279 with 108 homers and 331 RBI in six seasons with the Dodgers, finishing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2013. Puig played in 126 games with Kiwoom in 2022 and hit .277 with 21 homers and 73 RBI. Multiple sexual-assault allegations and illegal sports-betting allegations effectively ended his tenure in MLB.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is willing to play first base or less third base to create roster flexibility for a potential new team as the Cardinals contemplate trading him this offseason, according to league sources briefed on the situation. A few teams have expressed interest in Arenado, and talks are likely to intensify with the annual winter meetings approaching in early December. There is growing sense in the industry that the 33-year-old eight-time All-Star will be moved. Arenado has not demanded a trade but was open to the idea when approached by president of baseball operations John Mozeliak as the team shifts its focus to developing their young players in 2025. Arenado will turn 34 in April and has shown signs of offensive decline the last two seasons. However, his defense remains superior. Per sources, Arenado will only waive his full no-trade clause to play for a contender.

On Thursday, the Boston Red Sox signed relief pitcher Justin Wilson to a one-year deal. The 37-year-old has a career ERA of 3.61, but he missed most of 2022 and all of 2023 after Tommy John surgery and a lat strain derailed him. The results when he returned to pitching in 2024 were not as good, recording a 5.59 ERA along with a 1.46 WHIP and 15.9% HR/FB% in 46 2/3 IP. Other stats like xFIP (3.99) and SIERA (3.41) suggest he pitched better than what his ERA indicates, and in 2025 the lefty will call Fenway Park home, not the Reds' Great American Ball Park which is known to be one of the most hitter-friendly parks in all of baseball. Nevertheless, without a closer role, the veteran is not on the fantasy radar unless you perhaps play in an AL-only league that rewards holds, of which he has 142 in his career.

Free-agent left-handed reliever Justin Wilson agreed to an undisclosed deal one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the deal. Wilson missed all of 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and returned this past season to make 60 relief appearances for the Cincinnati Reds, posting a career-worst 5.59 ERA (4.73 FIP), two saves, a 1.46 WHIP, 51 strikeouts and 13 walks in 46 2/3 innings pitched. The 37-year-old veteran southpaw will be hoping for better results in 2025 with Boston as another left-handed option out of the bullpen for the BoSox alongside Brennan Bernardino. In Wilson's last full season with the Reds and New York Yankees, he held a 5.29 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 34 relief innings. He will not be on the fantasy radar at all next spring.

Free-agent catcher Travis d'Arnaud and the Los Angeles Angels agreed on a two-year, $12 million deal on Tuesday, according to sources. d'Arnaud hit the free-agent market after the World Series after the Atlanta Braves declined his $8 million team option for the 2025 season. Despite splitting playing time behind the plate the last two years in Atlanta with Sean Murphy, the 35-year-old veteran was serviceable on offense, slashing .232/.295/.418 with a .714 OPS, 26 home runs, 87 RBI and 71 runs scored in 173 games played and 633 plate appearances. d'Arnaud will be returning home to LA and should be expected to serve as the team's backup catcher behind Logan O'Hoppe. He could still be attractive in two-catcher leagues, but the move to Anaheim from Atlanta no doubt is a downgrade fantasy-wise in a much less potent offense.

Free agent pitcher Charlie Morton has stated that he intends to keep his career going in 2025, it's just not known where yet. The 41-year-old pitched the last four seasons for the Braves, and while he was by no means dominant, he was serviceable and reliable. The veteran made at least 30 starts and pitched at least 163 innings each season for Atlanta during his four-year tenure. In 2024, while his ERA was down a bit, to 4.19 compared to a career ERA of 4.01, both his xFIP (3.99) and SIERA (4.06) were slightly better, so there's reason to believe he's still a capable hurler. The righty still averaged a strikeout per inning and even decreased his BB% by 2.3% over 2023. It is anticipated that he'll sign a short-term (one year) deal with a team that is in a position to win now.

After another disappointing and injury-riddled 2024 campaign for Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, he will need to prove himself in order to earn playing time next season. "He's gonna have to come in and show us he can still play and earn the right to play every day," general manager Perry Minasian said when asked what type of conversations the team has had with Rendon. Given the Halos' lack of other options at the position, it's likely that Rendon will see plenty of playing time if he's healthy. However, it's far from a guarantee that the 34-year-old veteran will be able to stay on the field. He played in only 57 games in 2024 and hit .218 (45-for-206) with no homers, 14 RBI and six steals in 238 plate appearances while going on the injured list three separate times. Unbelievably, Rendon still has two years left on his $245 million, seven-year deal.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado could be on the trade block, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Arenado is currently under a $74 million dollar contract for the next three seasons. However, after missing the postseason in each of the past two seasons, the Cardinals could be interested in moving off his contract. This past summer, the third baseman saw his power production drop to his second-lowest marks through a full 162-game season. He hit just 16 round-trippers, his lowest since his rookie campaign in 2013. In addition, he held a .272/.325/.394 slash line and swiped two bases. Under the hood, he posted a poor 31.6% hard-hit rate, which was evident in his drop in power. Fantasy managers should still view Arenado as a reliable third baseman for batting-average production but not for power in 2025.

According to an industry source, the Atlanta Braves are interested in free-agent right-hander Nathan Eovaldi after he declined his $20 million 2025 option to stay with the Texas Rangers. Eovaldi is now looking for a multi-year contract on the open market that will likely exceed an average annual value of at least $20 million. In 29 starts for Texas in 2024, he had a 3.80 ERA in 170 2/3 innings, and his 23.9 percent strikeout rate was his highest mark since 2021. Eovaldi's postseason ledger -- 9-1 with a 2.85 ERA in 12 starts -- stands out with the Braves potentially looking to replace lefty Max Fried, who is also a free agent. Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach are all locked into rotation spots in 2025, with Spencer Strider returning from right-elbow surgery. In addition to Fried, the Braves are likely to lose veteran ... [More]

As expected, the St. Louis Cardinals did not extend a $21.05 million qualifying offer to free-agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. If Goldschmidt signs with another team on the open market this offseason, the Cardinals won't receive draft-pick compensation. The Cardinals reportedly don't have a ton of interest in re-signing him on a lesser deal after a disappointing 2024 campaign. The 37-year-old slugger had a second straight down year after winning National League MVP in 2022. The seven-time All-Star slashed .245/.302/.414 with a career-worst .716 OPS, 22 home runs, 65 RBI, 11 steals and 70 runs scored in 654 plate appearances and 154 games. While Goldy looks to be past his prime, there's still some power in his bat, and he could rebound with a change of scenery.

Los Angles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (toe) declined his $5 million option for the 2025 season on Monday to officially become a free agent. However, Kershaw said he will be pitching for the World Series-champion Dodgers again next year no matter what. Especially after getting his second ring, the future Hall of Fame southpaw will return to LA in 2025 for what is likely to be his last year in the big leagues before hanging up his cleats. The three-time Cy Young winner and former MVP hasn't been healthy much in recent years but has still been serviceable for fantasy managers in the limited amount of time he's been on the mound. The 36-year-old made only seven starts for the Dodgers in 2024 and went 2-2 with a career-worst 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and nine walks in 30 innings. Bone spurs in his left big toe prevented him from pitching at all in the run to the World Series title.

The Atlanta Braves exercised designated hitter Marcell Ozuna's $16 million club option for the 2025 season on Monday. It was a no-brainer decision for the Braves after Ozuna was once again one of the best all-around hitters in the game in 2024. The 33-year-old veteran Dominican slugger helped carry Atlanta's offense this year with Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) suffering a season-ending torn ACL. Ozuna made the All-Star team for the third time in his career and finished his fifth year with the Braves with an impressive .302/.378/.546 slash line, .925 OPS, 39 home runs, 104 RBI, one steal and career-high 96 runs scored in a league-high 162 games played. He's recorded a whopping 79 home runs and 204 RBI the last two seasons, but his loss of outfield eligibility makes him a bit more volatile for fantasy managers heading into 2025.

The Atlanta Braves declined their $8 million club option on catcher Travis d'Arnaud for the 2025 season, according to sources. d'Arnaud will now hit the open market. In addition, the Braves also declined the option on right-handed reliever Luke Jackson. The Braves were expected to pick up d'Arnaud's option after they were eliminated in the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres, but Atlanta evidently decided to go in another direction with catching prospect Drake Baldwin being a realistic option to make his big-league debut in 2025. The Braves also have Sean Murphy at the position. d'Arnaud, 35, hit .238/.302/.436 with an above-average .739 OPS, 15 homers and 48 RBI in 99 games in 2024, but his fantasy value was capped while sharing playing time with Murphy. He could have more fantasy upside next year, depending on whether he can land a starting role elsewhere.

The New York Yankees and right-hander Gerrit Cole agreed on Monday to add a fifth year and $36 million after Cole opted out of his four-year, $144 million contract over the weekend. With the Yankees essentially voiding Cole's opt-out decision, the 34-year-old will now be owed $180 million through the 2029 season. The former first overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of UCLA won the American League Cy Young award in 2023 but had the start of his 2024 campaign delayed by right-elbow issues. Cole finished with an 8-5 record, 3.41 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 99:29 K:BB in 95 innings over his 17 regular-season starts. Although he looked good in the playoffs, Cole has had a concerning trend of his strikeout rate falling for the third straight year to 25.4% in 2024. Still, as long as he's healthy heading into the start of next season, he should be a No. 1 fantasy starter.