Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) is dealing with shoulder inflammation at the start of spring training. General manager Dana Brown said France is playing catch and "if he was shut down it would be more concerning." No pitcher ideally wants to already be injured as he reports to camp, but it's still early, and the 28-year-old could still be ready for the start of the 2024 regular season as long as he doesn't encounter any setbacks along the way. If healthy, France should have a spot in the team's Opening Day rotation, especially if veteran Justin Verlander (shoulder) isn't ready to go. He made his big-league debut in 2023 and was solid for the 'Stros, posting a 3.83 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 47 walks and 101 strikeouts in 136 1/3 frames over 24 outings (23 starts). However, he finished on a bad note and doesn't miss many bats.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that left-hander Josh Hader would be the team's closer in 2024, with right-hander Ryan Pressly serving in a late-inning setup role. "Hader will pitch the ninth inning if both guys are available," Espada said. It's no surprise that Hader will be Houston's closer after they signed him to a five-year, $95 million deal in free agency this winter, but it's now official. The 29-year-old hard-throwing left-hander is one of the most dominant late-inning relievers in the game and is now joining a strong Astros club that should give him plenty of save opportunities. Pressly will still likely pick up an occasional save or two, but his fantasy value is going to take a big hit with a permanent move to a setup role in front of Hader. With the San Diego Padres last year, Hader had a 1.28 ERA, 85 strikeouts and 33 saves in 56 1/3 innings.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) said he's a couple weeks behind scheduled and his timetable is to be determined right now. "When I first started playing catch I usually shut it down for a while and this time when I shut it down and picked a ball back up, my shoulder didn't feel so great so I kind of had to take a step back," Verlander said. It's not what you want to hear from a 40-year-old pitcher, although right now it's still not too big of a concern, especially considering that Verlander missed the first five weeks of the 2023 season before going 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 144 strikeouts during the regular season. We'll keep a close eye on the three-time Cy Young winner this spring. Even if he's ready to go by Opening Day, fantasy managers must come to grips with the fact that Verlander is an increased health risk at his age.

While the Boston Red Sox have been in trade talks for closer Kenley Jansen this off-season, they are also reportedly willing to listen to offers for setup men Chris Martin and John Schreiber. Martin had an excellent 2023 season but is due $9.5 million in 2024, so a potential trade would seemingly be for monetary reasons. Schreiber's salary is not as taxing and he will not be a free agent until after the 2026 season, so the impetus to trade him may be to potentially clear roster space. Both pitchers posted strong peripherals with notable holds numbers, so they could be fantasy-relevant in deeper saves-plus-holds leagues in 2024, regardless of what teams they play on.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still looking to bolster their starting rotation for 2024 and are reportedly considering free agents Noah Syndergaard and Domingo German, per Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey. Mackey reported that the team is doing more investigation into German's history to determine how comfortable they would be in signing him, given his numerous off-field incidents last season. As for Syndergaard, the Pirates expressed interest in him earlier this year. The 31-year-old pitched 88 2/3 innings in 18 starts for the Dodgers and Guardians in 2023, going 2-6 with a 6.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 14.3% strikeout rate. Thor used to be a viable fantasy asset, but he has a lot to prove before becoming fantasy-relevant again, and joining the Pirates would not help his value.