Free-agent catcher Carson Kelly and the Chicago Cubs are making progress toward a deal, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. The Cubs currently have Miguel Amaya as their primary catcher while being backed up by former Angels backstop Matt Thais. If Chicago were to add Kelly, he'd be Amaya's primary backup in 2025. The 30-year-old was a former second-rounder by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 and has nine years of MLB experience with four different teams. He's bounced around a lot the last two years and spent 2024 with the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers, slashing a combined .238/.313/.374 with nine home runs and 37 RBI in 91 games. Most of his production came back in Arizona, particularly in 2019, when he hit .245 with a career-high 18 homers. Kelly has decent pop and is a decent defender but won't have much fantasy appeal in a backup role to Amaya.

Free-agent veteran right-hander Alex Cobb agreed with the Detroit Tigers on an undisclosed one-year deal on Monday, according to sources. The contract is pending a physical. The Tigers had been looking for a cheap one-year deal for a starting pitcher this offseason, and they'll land on the 37-year-old Cobb, who has familiarity with president of baseball operations Scott Harris from their time together with the San Francisco Giants. Cobb began 2024 with San Fran but then joined the Cleveland Guardians in the second half, but he appeared in just 16 1/3 regular-season innings due to multiple injuries. He was good when healthy, though, with a 2.76 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in his three starts. Cobb has the track record to be a solid midrange starter for Detroit, but he's injury-prone late in his career and doesn't strike out many batters, limiting his fantasy upside.

The Houston Astros are receiving trade inquiries on outfielder Kyle Tucker this offseason, according to multiple people familiar with the talks. It could cause a bidding war for one of the best overall players in the game. Sources think that general manager Dana Brown is open to trading one of Tucker or left-hander Framber Valdez, both of whom are set to make more than $15 million during their final year of arbitration eligibility. Houston is already shopping reliever Ryan Pressly as they look for ways to clear payroll. No trade discussions are currently serious for Tucker. A trade of Tucker or Valdez would bring the kind of prospect talent that would help the Astros replenish their floundering farm system. Although Tucker missed considerable time in 2024 with a shin injury, he'll still be a highly coveted fantasy bat next year. The three-time All-Star has 20.9 wins above replacement since becoming a regular in 2020, which is fourth-best among MLB outfielders.

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said on Monday at the winter meetings that right-hander Jordan Hicks will remain in the starting rotation in 2025. In his first full season as a starter in the big leagues in his first year with the Giants in 2024, the hard-throwing Hicks did very well but broke down in the second half and was then shifted to the bullpen to monitor his workload. He finished 4-7 with a 4.10 ERA (4.37 FIP), a 1.45 WHIP, one save, a career-high 96 strikeouts and 47 walks in a career-high 109 2/3 innings over 29 outings (20 starts). The 28-year-old should be better positioned to handle the elevated workload next year, but he'll fantasy managers shouldn't forget about his shoulder injuries from this past season. In his first 12 starts in 2024, Hicks had a 2.70 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 52:19 K:BB before falling apart in his final eight starts.

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said on Monday that he views infielder Tyler Fitzgerald as the team's starting second baseman going into the 2025 season and has already discussed it with the young infielder. Fitzgerald filled in nicely for the Giants at the 6 in his second year in the big leagues in 2024 and surprised everyone with a .280/.334/.497 slash line, .831 OPS, 15 home runs, 34 RBI, 17 stolen bases and 53 runs scored in 96 games after playing in only 10 games in his rookie season in 2023. With Giants bringing in Willy Adames to play shortstop, Fitzgerald will move to the keystone, where he has earned regular playing time after his strong showing. He has experience playing there (87 games in the minors) and will also have shortstop eligibility for fantasy managers. Fitzgerald has always had a high strikeout rate, so you shouldn't expect another high average, but his 20-20 potential will be intriguing as a middle-infield target later in drafts.