Free-agent catcher Curt Casali agreed to a minor-league deal with the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, according to sources. Casali's deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training. The 35-year-old veteran backstop will join Miami after hitting a meager .175/.290/.200 with no home runs, six RBI and eight runs scored in 40 games played for the Cincinnati Reds in 2023 as their backup. He could have more opportunity with the Fish this year, although he'll enter camp behind both Nick Fortes and Christian Bethancourt. Casali is well off the fantasy radar as a career .220/.314/.380 hitter with 47 long balls and 154 RBI in 502 games across 10 big-league seasons with the Reds, Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (elbow) is swinging with 100 percent effort and is playing catch at the start of spring training. Machado's progress is being monitored closely this spring after he had surgery to fix an extensor tendon in his right elbow late last year. It remains to be seen if he'll actually be ready for Opening Day, but if he is, it seems likely that the Padres will ease him in as their designated hitter. As of right now, the 31-year-old All-Star is trending towards being ready for the two-game Korea Series to kick off the season against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Machado will be more risky in fantasy drafts in 2024 coming off his injury, but RotoBaller still has him ranked as the No. 6 third baseman after the six-time All-Star reached the 30-homer mark for the second straight year and the seventh time in his career in 2023.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Jason Adam lost his salary arbitration case against the team on Tuesday. As a result, he'll earn $2.7 million in 2024 instead of the $3.25 million that he filed for. This was Adam's second year of arbitration eligibility. The 32-year-old reliever has been very reliable out of the bullpen for the Rays the last two seasons, going a combined 6-5 with a 2.22 ERA (3.38 FIP), a 0.87 WHIP, 20 saves, 37 walks and 144 strikeouts in 117 2/3 relief innings. Pete Fairbanks will open the year as Tampa's primary closer, but Adam should remain fantasy relevant in leagues that count holds as a high-leverage, late-inning reliever. Adam picked up 11 holds and 12 saves in his sixth major-league season in 2023.

The Oakland Athletics signed free-agent outfielder Stephen Piscotty to a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Piscotty played in Oakland from 2018-22 after spending the first three years of his major-league career with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 33-year-old veteran didn't appear at all in the majors in 2023. He's been in decline since 2018, and even though the A's are one of the worst teams in baseball, it might be a long shot for Piscotty to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training. In 51 games at Triple-A Charlotte in the White Sox's organization last year, Piscotty hit just .232/.330/.390 with six home runs, 32 RBI and 27 runs scored in 206 plate appearances. If he returns to the big leagues in 2024, it will be as a bench bat for the A's.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (hip) had surgery on Oct. 27 to fix a labral tear and relieve discomfort from an impingement in his right hip that he had been dealing with for more than a year. He spent eight weeks on crutches after the surgery but has since resumed baseball activities, working in the infield and taking swings off a tee. Walls has also been throwing and lifting weights and recently started training his running mechanics to test the range of motion in his hip. The 27-year-old is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, but he could be ready two or three weeks into the regular season. Walls' status is of more importance since the Rays are unlikely to have Wander Franco in 2024, and perhaps ever again. The switch-hitting Walls isn't much to look at offensively besides some speed, and prospect Junior Caminero could take over sooner than later at shortstop.