New York Mets DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Cleveland Guardians signed free-agent right-hander Tyler Zuber to a minor-league deal on Wednesday that includes a non-roster invite to major-league spring training. Zuber made 54 appearances out of the Kansas City Royals' bullpen in 2020 and 2021 and spent last year in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization following shoulder surgery in 2022. The 28-year-old reliever will give the Guardians some extra right-handed relief depth to open up the 2024 season but can be ignored everywhere in fantasy. In 20 2/3 innings at Triple-A Reno in 2023, he had a 5.23 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 10 walks. In his two seasons with the Royals, Zuber posted a 5.29 ERA, 55 strikeouts and 37 walks in 49 1/3 relief innings. Expect him to open the year with Triple-A Columbus.

The Minnesota Twins are looking to add a right-handed bat with the money they freed up by trading second baseman Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners earlier this week, and veteran free-agent designated hitter J.D. Martinez could be the right fit. Martinez's production slipped a bit rom his peak and last year's jump in strikeout rate was worrisome, but the 35-year-old is a six-time All-Star and still hit 30-plus homers and drove in over 100 runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023. His 134 OPS+ would have led Twins hitters with at least 100 games and he should be available for something similar to the one-year, $10 million deal he signed last offseason. Martinez still has power, but he's an injury risk for fantasy managers with no positional flexibility. In addition to Martinez, the Twins could also consider Jorge Soler, Michael A. Taylor, Adam Duvall, Tommy Pham and others.

It seems as though the New York Mets and other teams are waiting for the price tag to drop on free-agent designated hitter J.D. Martinez and outfielder/DH Jorge Soler this offseason. Soler can play some outfield, but he's not the greatest of defenders, so interested teams are most likely looking at both Soler and Martinez as full-time DH options for a discounted price. MLB teams don't really want to pay for DH-only types anymore, but both Martinez and Soler proved last year that they can be impact bats. Martinez, 36, bounced back with the Dodgers to hit .271 with 33 home runs and 103 RBI in 432 at-bats, while Soler made his first All-Star team with the Marlins by hitting .250 with 36 long balls and 75 RBI in 137 games played.

The New York Mets are close to an agreement with free-agent left-handed reliever Jake Diekman on Thursday, according to league sources. Diekman is an affordable lefty veteran who has had some success in the majors. The 37-year-old southpaw was great after joining the Tampa Bay Rays in May, posting a 2.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 50 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. Prior to joining Tampa, he had a terrible 7.94 ERA in 13 appearances with the Chicago White Sox. In his 12-year career, Diekman has a 111 ERA+ and 3.82 ERA. Brooks Raley is currently the Mets' top lefty option in the bullpen. Diekman would give New York another experienced left-hander to pair with Raley, but he won't have much fantasy appeal in 2024.

The New York Yankees have claimed reliever Matt Gage off waivers from the Houston Astros. Gage had been designated for assignment by Houston after Josh Haders' historic five-year contract became official. The left-handed Gage debuted with 1.38 ERA ball across 13 innings with the Blue Jays in 2022 before appearing in just five games for the Astros in 2023, working to a solid 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 innings of work. Add it up and Gage owns a 1.83 ERA across 16 MLB appearances, although his 3.74 SIERA in that time is nearly two runs higher than his surface ERA. For what it's worth, he posted a vastly inferior 4.58 ERA and 5.29 FIP across 34 appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land in 2023, as well.