Free-agent left-handed-hitting outfielder Bradley Zimmer reached a minor-league deal with the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, according to a source. The Rockies have been looking for a left-handed hitter who can play all three outfield spots and can spell Brenton Doyle in center field. Zimmer didn't play at all in the big leagues last year, instead spending time at the Triple-A level with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, hitting a combined .210/.326/.346 with eight home runs, 32 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 82 minor-league contests. The 31-year-old former first-rounder has spent six years in the big leagues with three different teams and has hit just .213 (183-for-859) with 21 homers, 91 RBI and 42 stolen bases in 372 career games. At best, he'll be a reserve outfielder for Colorado in 2024.

Right-handed reliever Phil Bickford won his salary arbitration case against the New York Mets on Tuesday and will now earn $900,000 for the 2024 season. The Mets had offered $815,000. Bickford began the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers before joining the Mets in the middle of the season. In total, the 28-year-old reliever had a 4.95 ERA (4.46 FIP) with one save, a 1.45 WHIP, 39 walks and a career-high 76 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings pitched over 61 appearances out of the bullpen. He'll be off the fantasy radar altogether and has posted a 4.43 ERA (4.24 FIP), two saves, a 1.24 WHIP and a 26.6 percent strikeout rate in 179 outings out of the bullpen (180 2/3 innings) over his four major-league seasons.

Right-hander Jacob Webb won his salary arbitration hearing against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday and will earn $1 million in 2024. The 30-year-old will get a $260,000 raise from a season ago after posting a 3.69 ERA (4.48 FIP) with a 1.29 WHIP, one save, 30 walks and 57 strikeouts in 53 2/3 relief innings for the Los Angeles Angels and Orioles last season. The Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Halos last August, and he will once again serve in a middle-relief role for Baltimore in 2024. In Webb's four major-league seasons, he has a solid 2.97 ERA (4.19 FIP), four saves, a 1.29 WHIP and a 23.0 percent strikeout rate in 130 1/3 innings over 132 appearances out of the bullpen. Webb won't be on the fantasy radar at all.

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw's new deal to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2024 season also includes an option for 2025, according to a person briefed on the negotiations. Kershaw is rehabbing from a major shoulder injury that required surgery in November and won't return until later this summer, but the option gives him a chance to spend an additional full season with the Dodgers while sharing the starting rotation with Shohei Ohtani. The 36-year-old southpaw will be put on the 60-day injured list when his deal becomes official after a physical, but the future Hall of Famer began a throwing program this week. He still has several months before he'll appear in games, but he can now return to LA in 202. Kershaw needs only 56 strikeouts to join the 3,000-strikeout club.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has signed a five-year contract extension that guarantees him $125 million. The extension kicks in for the 2024 season. The Astros have been rumored to be interested in locking up their star players, namely Altuve and Alex Bregman, who is scheduled to hit the open market following the 2024 season. Altuve earned another big payday after putting together back-to-back elite seasons, albeit in an injury-shortened 90-game in 2023. He hit .311 with 17 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a .914 OPS across those 90 contests and 410 trips to the plate a season ago. Aside from a down 2020 season, Altuve's bat has been at least 24% superior to the league average, as per wRC+, each season since 2014. He projects as one of the top second basemen in fantasy baseball with an excellent power/speed combination ahead of the 2024 season.