Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France met with the media on Wednesday and explained how he added 3.5 mph of bat speed to his swing. He mentioned it was 'crazy' to see how bad his swing was, so he decided to clean up his mechanics, apparently successfully. The 29-year-old indeed took a step back at the plate in 2023 when he hit .250 with just 12 home runs and a .703 OPS across a career-high 665 plate appearances. That production was worth a 104 wRC+ that grades out just 4% above the league average. However, he posted a minimum wRC+ of 125 from 2020-2022, but mostly due to high batting averages and low strikeout rates. His .147 career isolated power leaves much to be desired at the first base position, putting a significant damper on France's fantasy value.

Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco will start the team's Cactus League Opener on Feb. 24 versus the Washington Nationals, according to manager Joe Espada. Espada didn't reveal much about the rest of his plans for the spring opener but did mention Dylan Coleman will be one of the scheduled relievers to appear in the contest. Blanco made seven starts and 10 relief outings for the Astros in 2023 and worked to a 4.50 ERA across 52 innings of work. He also tossed a 3.68 across 13 starts and two relief outings at Triple-A Sugar Land. The 30-year-old was recently mentioned as a potential rotation candidate to begin the 2024 season with fellow right-handers Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia out until the second half of the campaign while future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander is behind in camp due to a shoulder issue.

The Seattle Mariners are impressed with how pitching prospect Emerson Hancock has looked early in camp, specifically manager Scott Servais. The sixth overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft, the right-hander's development has been slowed by injuries to this point but he did manage to make his big-league debut in the 2023 season, working to a 4.50 ERA across three starts and 12 innings of work. He spent the bulk of his season at Double-A Arkansas where he tossed a 4.32 ERA alongside a solid 16.8% K-BB% in 20 starts and just under 100 innings of work. However, a shoulder injury ended his season early as the injury red flags continued. He is projected to make 11 starts and 26 appearances in the big leagues by ATC in 2024 but with a 4.62 ERA and 18.6% K%. The 24-year-old's lack of strikeout stuff could limit his fantasy value moving forward.

New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga is experiencing a bit of arm fatigue and did not work out with the team on Wednesday. Skipper Carlos Mendoza said the club should have more information on their valued starter in the coming days. The 31-year-old made his North American debut in the 2023 season and did not disappoint with a 2.98 ERA and a 29.1% K% across 29 starts, going 12-7 in the process. He projects to lead a re-vamped Mets rotation in 2024 as ATC is projecting some regression for Senga in 2023 with a 3.70 ERA in 28 starts but a 12-9 record and 27.5% K% would serve fantasy managers well. While the arm fatigue sounds minor at this point, managers will want to keep an eye out for an update in the coming days.

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said he's talked to All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez about hitting second and third in the lineup this year. Ramirez has traditionally hit third but moved into the No. 2 spot last year to try and help the team's struggling offense. Either way, Ramirez is going to hit near the top of Cleveland's batting order, and it's probably not going to affect his overall production. The 31-year-old switch-hitter is one of the best all-around hitters in baseball despite not having much protection around him in Cleveland. He's been an All-Star each of the last three years and five times overall, and he slashed a strong .282/.356/.475 again in 2023 with 24 homers, 80 RBI and 28 steals in 156 games. J-Ram should come off the board in the second round of fantasy drafts.