The Philadelphia Phillies have claimed right-hander Max Castillo off of waivers from the Boston Red Sox. Outfielder Simon Muzziotti has been designated for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot. Acquired by the Blue Jays from the Royals in a 2022 trade that sent Whit Merrifield to Toronto, Castillo has worked to a career 5.43 ERA and 8.9% K-BB% across 21 outings (six starts) and 59 2/3 innings between the Blue Jays and Royals. He was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox this winter but was designated for assignment by the club on Feb. 2. Muzziotti, 25, has just nine MLB plate appearances under his belt from 2022 and hit .296 with seven homers, 26 stolen bases, and a .762 OPS across 124 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2023, failing to reach the big leagues a season ago.

Free-agent third baseman Gio Urshela has received contract offers from both the Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins. It was reported on Tuesday that Urshela was receiving interest from the Yankees, Mets, and Marlins but the Angels, Urshela's 2023 team, seemingly has significant interest in retaining him. The 32-year-old suffered a fractured pelvis last season and was limited to just 62 games. He hit a healthy .299 in that time but his power cratered as he slugged just two homers alongside a .288 xwOBA across 228 trips to the plate. However, Sanchez hit .285 with 13 home runs and 27 doubles with the 2022 Twins, production that led to a 119 wRC+ that grades out 19% superior to the league average. He is being viewed a significant bounce-back option for several clubs. He doesn't generate the type of power fantasy owners should be seeking at third base.

Free-agent right-hander Aaron Sanchez is scheduled to throw a bullpen session for interested teams on Friday in Florida. A 2016 MLB All-Star, Sanchez hasn't appeared in the big leagues since the 2022 season when he worked to a 6.60 ERA across 15 outings (10 starts) between the Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins. The 31-year-old won the ERA title in his All-Star 2016 season in which he worked to a 3.00 ERA across 30 starts while going a pristine 15-2 with the Blue Jays that season. He finished seventh in AL Cy Young voting that year, as well. He seemed to be back on track with a 3.06 ERA in a seven-start, nine-outing sample with the 2021 Giants before struggling in 2022. He tossed a 5.30 ERA across 18 appearances (16 starts) with Triple-A St. Paul in the Twins organization in 2023.

The Miami Marlins have claimed right-hander Declan Cronin off waivers from the Houston Astros. The 26-year-old has been designated for assignment twice this winter, once by the White Sox to make room for righty Erick Fedde and once again by Houston to clear a spot for closer Josh Hader. Cronin made his big-league debut in the 2023 season with the White Sox, allowing 11 earned runs on three home runs and seven walks against eight strikeouts in 11 innings of work. He fared much better at Triple-A where he posted a 3.83 ERA across 47 outings. Cronin's bread and butter is his ability to keep the ball on the ground as he posted a 55.9% ground-ball rate with the big leagues last season alongside a 54.5% clip at the Triple-A level.

The Los Angeles Angels have acquired relief pitcher Guillermo Zuniga from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for cash considerations. Right-handed pitcher Austin Warren has been designated for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Zuniga. The Cardinals had designated Zuniga for assignment on Saturday. It was a rough 2023 season for the 25-year-old as he posted a 7.63 ERA in 29 relief outings with Triple-A Memphis while also getting into two games with the Cardinals, allowing one earned run with four strikeouts and zero walks across a pair of innings worked. The Angels have added serious depth to their bullpen this season in Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Luis Garcia, and Adam Cimber as Zuniga will have his hands full cracking the Opening Day roster.