

New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte (groin) played winter ball last month and is confident in his health and ability to play right field every day for the start of the 2024 season after missing most of the final two months of 2023 with a right-groin strain. The 35-year-old veteran underwent double-groin surgery the previous winter. "I know that I am good [physically]," Marte said Sunday. The Mets will probably consider Marte for designated hitter at-bats in 2024, but his preference is to play right field. Marte appeared in only 86 games last year and slashed .248/.301/.324 with five homers and 28 RBI. According to manager Carlos Mendoza, Marte is still viewed as a full-time right-fielder. Marte can be a solid power/speed player for fantasy managers when he's healthy, but his age and injury history make him a pretty risky fantasy selection.


Free-agent reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) agreed to a two-year, $10 million guaranteed deal on Monday with the Boston Red Sox, pending a physical. The deal includes additional performance bonuses and an option for the 2026 season. The 35-year-old veteran overcame non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last year but then ended up needing Tommy John surgery last August, which means that he won't be available for the back end of Boston's bullpen until sometime later this summer. The three-time All-Star has 116 career saves in 13 major-league seasons, but he only pitched five innings for the Chicago White Sox in 2023, and it's fair to wonder how much he has left in the tank at this stage of his career. Hendriks can be avoided in single-year fantasy leagues.


Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (lat), who arrived to camp last Wednesday with lat soreness and was shut down for several days, is throwing on Monday against a ploy wall at spring training. While Jansen is a bit behind the other pitchers in camp, as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks, he should still be ready for Opening Day. The 36-year-old veteran has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but his lat injury may cause interested teams to reconsider. As long as he's healthy on Opening Day, Jansen should be Boston's primary closer for 2024. He's the MLB's active leader in saves and had 29 saves in 2023, but his lengthy injury history and age make him a risky target for saves in fantasy drafts this spring.


Free-agent left-hander Blake Snell, the National League Cy Young winner in 2023 with the San Diego Padres, has an official offer on the table from the New York Yankees, according to a source. However, the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants remain possibilities for Snell as well. It's a pretty big surprise that Snell remains on the open market with pitchers and catchers having already reported to spring training last week. The 31-year-old southpaw has now won a Cy Young in the NL and AL in his career and had a league-best 2.25 ERA last season despite a league-worst 13.3 percent walk rate. His high walk rate could be one of the biggest reasons interested teams aren't willing to pay Snell's high asking price on a new contract. Fantasy managers should expect regression from Snell in 2024, especially if he lands with the Yankees in the tough AL East.


The Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) agreed to an undisclosed two-year deal on Monday. The Brewers non-tendered Woodruff this offseason after he had surgery to fix the anterior capsule in his right shoulder, but the 31-year-old veteran will now be back in Milwaukee. Because of his injury, he won't pitch at all in 2024 and therefore will be off the fantasy radar in all single-year leagues. It remains to be seen if Woodruff will return ace value for fantasy managers when he returns in 2025. The two-time All-Star had a career-best 2.28 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 15 walks and 74 strikeouts in 11 starts (67 innings) last year before getting hurt, and he owns a strong career ERA of 3.10 with a 1.04 WHIP and 788 K's in 680 1/3 major-league innings over seven seasons for the Brewers.
