Oakland Athletics general manager David Forst said that left-hander Alex Wood and right-hander Ross Stripling are viewed as starters with spring training right around the corner. In addition to Wood and Stripling, Paul Blackburn and JP Sears are at the top of the team's rotation for 2024. The A's signed Wood to a one-year, $8.5 million deal last weekend. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw pitched in a hybrid role with the Giants in 2023 and had a 4.33 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 74 K's and 42 walks in 97 2/3 frames. Oakland's pitcher-friendly ballpark should help, but Wood has very limited fantasy appeal with diminished velocity and stuff. He'll only be useful in deep AL-only leagues. Stripling was acquired in a trade with the Giants on Friday. He disappointed in San Fran with a 5.36 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 70 K's and 16 innings as a swingman. Like Wood, Stripling has very little fantasy upside.

Oakland Athletics general manager David Forst said that left-hander Ken Waldichuk (elbow) likely will not be ready for the start of the 2024 season after having surgery to fix his left UCL and flexor tendon in October. There isn't a timeline for the 26-year-old to be back in Oakland's rotation. In his second major-league season with the A's, Waldichuk went 4-9 with a 5.36 ERA (5.30 FIP) and 1.56 WHIP while walking 71 and striking out 132 in 141 innings over 35 appearances (22 starts). He started out terribly in 2023 before turning things around later in the year, although he still had problems with the long ball and finished with a concerning 4.5 BB/9. With health concerns to boot, Waldichuk can be ignored in most single-year fantasy formats this spring. The A's home park is a good one for pitchers, but that's about where the good news ends for Waldichuk's profile.

The New York Mets have traded catcher Tyler Heineman to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations. Right-hander Max Castillo was designated for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for the backstop. The 32-year-old split the 2023 season between the Pirates and Blue Jays organizations and was productive in Toronto where he hit .276 with an .812 OPS in a small 37-plate-appearance sample size. At the same time, he hit just .214 with one home run and five stolen bases across 36 games at Triple-A Buffalo within the Jays organization. All told, he is a career .218 hitter with one homer and five steals across 283 MLB plate appearances with the Marlins, Giants, Pirates, and Blue Jays.

Los Angeles Angels left-hander Jose Suarez has lost his salary arbitration case with the team and will earn the $925,000 the club filed in arbitration. The 26-year-old has enjoyed a pair of fruitful campaigns with the Halos in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, posting a sub-4.00 ERA in both of those campaigns while scuffling to an 8.29 ERA across 11 outings (seven starts) with the club in the 2023 season. He has bounced between the club's rotation and bullpen in parts of five major-league seasons, posting a 5.38 ERA across 77 appearances (58 starts) in that time. He will likely serve as a long reliever in 2024 but will give the Angels starting pitching depth as well.

The San Francisco Giants have traded pitcher Ross Stripling to the Oakland A's in exchange for infielder/outfielder Jonah Cox. The veteran right-hander authored a 5.36 ERA across 22 outings (11 starts) with the Giants in the 2023 season but also tossed a 3.01 ERA across 32 appearances (24 starts) with the Blue Jays as recently as the 2022 campaign. Stripling's biggest asset is his control as he has walked just 5.5% of the batters he has faced in his big-league career despite punching out only 21.9% of the batters he has faced. All told, the 34-year-old owns a 3.96 ERA across 226 MLB outings (115 starts) in stints with the Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Giants.