The Houston Astros avoided salary arbitration on Thursday with left-hander Framber Valdez by settling on a $12.1 million salary for the 2024 season, according to a source. Valdez will almost be doubling his salary for this upcoming season. The 30-year-old southpaw has been as durable as they come in the last two seasons, posting a strong 3.13 ERA (3.28 FIP) and 1.14 WHIP with 394 strikeouts over 399 1/3 innings covering 62 starts for the Astros. He didn't get the results he wanted in the postseason and could have been wearing down late in the season. A high ground-ball rate and plenty of strikeout upside give Valdez a high floor for fantasy managers, although he's best drafted as a No. 2 for your fantasy rotation.

Right-hander Corbin Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers settled at $15,637,500 for the 2024 season to avoid salary arbitration on Thursday. Burnes and the Brewers went to an arbitration hearing last year, which caused Burnes to come away with a bad taste in his mouth. The 29-year-old will see a $5.5 million increase in his salary after having another solid season in 2023 with a 10-8 record, 3.39 ERA (3.81 FIP) and league-best 1.07 WHIP while walking a career-high 66 and striking out 200 in 193 2/3 innings over his 32 starts. The two sides aren't expected to work out a long-term contract extension, and Burnes' name has been on the trade market this offseason. No matter where Burnes is pitching in 2024, he'll be a high-end fantasy starter with elite strikeout upside, having reached 200 K's in each of his last three seasons.

First baseman Pete Alonso and the New York Mets avoided salary arbitration on Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $20.5 million deal for the 2024 season, according to a source familiar with the deal. Alonso is fully expected to hit free agency following the conclusion of the 2024 campaign, especially after he hired agent Scott Boras this offseason. The 29-year-old right-handed slugger is an elite power target for fantasy managers, having reached the 40-homer mark in the last two seasons. He's also been pretty durable and should rebound in the batting-average department this year after hitting a career-low .217 this past season. In addition to his 46 home runs in 2023, Alonso delivered great counting stats for his fantasy managers with 118 RBI and 92 runs scored.

Outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Yankees agreed to a one-year, $31.5 million deal on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration for the 2024 season. It's a new record deal for an arbitration-eligible player, beating two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani by $1 million from his one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. Soto and the Yankees haven't approached a contract extension, and the belief is that he and his agent, Scott Boras, will play things out until Soto hits the open market following the 2024 season. The 25-year-old Dominican will be worthy of taking in the first round of fantasy drafts this spring, especially now that he'll play half of his games at Yankee Stadium. Soto hit .275/.410/.519 with a .930 OPS, career-high 35 home runs, 109 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 568 at-bats with the San Diego Padres in 2023.

The New York Yankees have made an opening offer to top free-agent starter Blake Snell. But little to no evidence of significant progress on Snell or two other top rotation targets in Jordan Montgomery and Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease, the Yankees are starting to look more seriously at right-hander Marcus Stroman. The Yankees remain far apart on a Snell deal and are starting to believe that Montgomery prefers to return to the Texas Rangers or go somewhere else. New York seems to believe Snell, the 2023 National League Cy Young winner, wants to come to the Bronx and are guessing the main competition may come from the Giants and Angels. If the Yankees can land Snell, they'd have both of last year's Cy Young winners at the top of their starting rotation.