The New York Mets agreed to an undisclosed deal with free-agent left-handed reliever Jake Diekman on Friday, pending a physical. It was reported that the two sides were close to a deal on Thursday. The Mets also added Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami to their bullpen on Friday. The 37-year-old Diekman will give the Mets another experienced left-handed reliever alongside Brooks Raley in 2024. Diekman wasn't very good with the Chicago White Sox early on last year before being released and landing with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he excelled to the tune of a 2.18 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 25 walks in 45 1/3 relief innings. Diekman has the ability to generate plenty of swings and misses with an 11.4 career K/9 in 12 big-league seasons, but he also has control issues (5.3 career BB/9), which can get him in trouble at times. Diekman has a career 3.82 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 15 career saves.

Free-agent right-hander Shintaro Fujinami signed a one-year, $3.35 million deal with the New York Mets on Friday that includes $850,000 in incentives. The Japanese hurler was a bust in his first year in the big leagues in 2023 after signing with the Oakland Athletics and was quickly banished to the bullpen after posting a 14.26 ERA in seven starts. The 29-year-old was eventually traded to the Baltimore Orioles and fared better in relief there, going 2-0 with a 4.85 ERA (4.13 FIP), 1.21 WHIP, two saves, 15 walks and 32 strikeouts in 29 2/3 frames. Fujinami consistently sits in the upper-90s with his fastball, but he struck out only 83 hitters in 79 total innings in his first taste of the majors last year and walked an alarming 5.1 batters per nine innings. The Mets will look to fix his control issues, and if they can, he could be a decent bullpen piece with strikeout upside.

Colorado Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner (head, elbow), who took a line drive to the head on May 13 last year that fractured his skull, is healthy now and is ready to compete for a roster spot in spring training with both German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela recovering from Tommy John surgery. Barring injuries or roster additions, Feltner will be competing with fellow righties Peter Lambert and Noah Davis, plus non-roster lefty Ty Blach. After returning from his head injury late in 2023, Feltner ended the year on the injured list with elbow inflammation and finished 2-4 with a 5.82 ERA (4.18 FIP) and 1.68 WHIP with 28 walks and 38 strikeouts in 10 starts. The 27-year-old showed increased four-seam fastball velocity when he returned late last year after relying more on his two-seam sinking fastball earlier in the year. If Feltner can stay healthy and become more of a power pitcher, he could have a shot to stick in Colorado's rotation.

Free-agent shortstop Brandon Crawford continues to weigh his options while deciding if he wants to continue playing in 2024. He confirmed that "a number of teams have checked in and have expressed interest. (I'm) still evaluating my options before deciding what's next," Crawford said. He makes his offseason home in Arizona, but the Diamondbacks probably aren't an option for him after they set their infield with the trade for third baseman Eugenio Suarez this winter. There's reason to believe the Oakland Athletics would benefit from some veteran leadership in their young infield, but it remains to be seen if Crawford wants to end his career with the worst team in baseball. It's a long shot that the San Francisco Giants will reunite with Crawford, even though they still haven't added a versatile infielder who can play a plus shortstop to complement the young Marco Luciano.

The San Francisco Giants appear content to start the 2024 season with a semi-stable outfield of Luis Matos in left field, Jung-Hoo Lee in center field and a Mike Yastrzemski/Austin Slater combination in right field. If Blake Sabol makes the Opening Day roster, he could serve as a left-handed complement to Matos against certain right-handed starters. That alignment would leave Michael Conforto as the primary designated hitter against righties, with Wilmer Flores seeing most of his playing time against lefties. The 22-year-old Matos hit .250/.319/.342 with two homers and 14 RBI in his first 76 big-league games in 2023 after tearing up the upper level of the minors. The Giants will be hoping Matos can grow into some more power as he matures, but his elite contact rates in the minors carried over to his small sample size for San Fran last year, and it looks like he'll see plenty of playing time to start the 2024 campaign.