Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said this week that the team will "definitely" make a contract-extension offer to All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman before he reaches free agency following the 2024 season. It comes after the Astros locked up second baseman Jose Altuve with a five-year, $125 million extension on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Bregman is younger than Altuve and could decide he wants to test the free-agent market, especially if he has a strong campaign in 2024. He hit .262/.363/.441 with 25 home runs, 28 doubles, four triples, 98 RBI, three stolen bases and 103 runs scored in 161 games played in his eighth big-league season last year. The two-time All-Star resides in one of the best lineups in baseball and should still be considered a top-10 fantasy third baseman.

The Oakland Athletics don't have a clear No. 1 option for saves in 2024 and they could look to mix and match between several options. Along with young right-hander Mason Miller, righties Dany Jimenez and Trevor Gott could also be involved. "Dany [Jimnez] is the guy right now who has done it the most. Trevor [Gott] has experience pitching in the back of a game, and when he signed here, we talked about giving him that opportunity. Mason Miller's stuff sort of lends itself to thinking he can close. Those three guys right now are probably the most likely candidates," general manager David Forst said. Jimenez, 30, has the most experience of the trio and has 12 career saves in the last two seasons. He's probably the safest flier for saves on a bad team. Miller, meanwhile, has the best pure upside and stuff, but he' also the riskiest because of his injury history.

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said on the radio on Tuesday that shortstop prospect Jackson Holliday, the consensus top prospect in baseball this year, will see "a lot" of action at second base in spring training. "I see some additional playing time for a left-handed hitter at second base," Elias said. The GM also said the team wants to keep Holliday "warm" at shortstop as well. The 20-year-old will be at big-league spring training and has a legitimate shot to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, although the O's aren't going to push him. Jordan Westburg is projected to be the team's primary option at the keystone to begin the 2024 campaign, but Holliday will get plenty of action there in camp as he competes for a spot. Even in single-year fantasy leagues, Holliday should be stashed since he's fully expected to make his major-league debut sooner than later this season.

Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Andrew Painter (elbow) isn't expected to pitch at all in 2024 after having Tommy John surgery last July. "Painter's rehab is going fine...He's just tossing at this point, which is where he should be. I don't really look for Andrew to pitch this year. I'm looking towards 2025. I guess you can always be surprised, but I don't want to put that pressure on him," president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. The 20-year-old could go on a rehab assignment in the minor leagues later this year, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect the young hard-throwing hurler to pitch in the majors until 2025. Painter also missed all of the 2023 campaign, so the Phillies are going to take it slow with him and he'll surely be on a strict innings limit next year.

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the team really wants to bring back right-hander Zack Wheeler as he heads into the final year of his five-year contract. "Well, we would love to sign Zack today if we could. I think it's important we re-sign him. I think he's one of the best pitchers in baseball...I know Wheels loves it in Philadelphia." The 33-year-old has been an ace for the Phillies in his time with the team and had another strong year in 2023 with a 13-6 record, 3.61 ERA (3.15 FIP) and 1.08 WHIP with 39 walks and 212 strikeouts in 192 innings over 32 starts in 2023. There's little evidence to suggest that Wheeler won't be a fantasy ace again in 2024 after reaching the 200-strikeout threshold in two of the last three seasons in Philly.