Free-agent relief pitcher Ken Giles will throw a bullpen session for interested teams on Friday, Jan. 26 in Phoenix, Arizona, according to Jon Heyman. Due to injury, the 33-year-old has appeared in just nine games over the last three seasons, so he wants to prove to teams that he is finally healthy and ready to contribute. His last full season came back in 2019 with the Blue Jays, when he put up a dominant 1.87 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 83:17 K/BB over 53 innings of relief to go along with 23 saves. It will be interesting to see how much velocity "100 miles Giles" has lost over the years, but if he puts on a good performance next Friday, he should get a spring-training invite from a club.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello told reporters over the weekend that he plans to use his slider more during the 2024 season. He only threw his slider 17.7% of the time in 2023 but induced a whiff rate of 25.6% on the pitch, according to Baseball Savant. The 24-year-old appears to be looking for more punchouts in 2024, which is an intriguing proposition for his fantasy prospects. Bello had dominant stretches during 2023 but has never been a big strikeout pitcher. It's worth keeping an eye on his strikeout numbers during Spring Training to see if his slider emphasis is paying dividends. He finished the season with a 12-11 record, 4.24 ERA, 1.338 WHIP, and 132:45 K/BB Ratio over 157 innings (28 starts).

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (hip) started throwing from flat ground over the weekend as he continues to recover from offseason hip surgery. "Sixty feet. Nothing crazy. But it feels great," the 36-year-old told reporters. He added, "It feels way better than it did at the end of the year." It's an encouraging sign for Cobb, who underwent hip surgery back in October and was given a six-month timetable for his return to action. He has a shot, without any setbacks, to make it back to the Giants' rotation sometime in the first half. He finished the 2023 season with a solid 3.87 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 131:37 K/BB ratio over 151 1/3 innings (28 starts) before being shut down last September. His injury will likely push him into the late rounds/undrafted territory in upcoming fantasy drafts but he could make an impact in the second half for managers.

MLB teams have been checking on the availability of Baltimore Orioles 19-year-old catching prospect Samuel Basallo. However, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias doesn't seem eager to move Basallo and would probably have to be blown away by an offer. Adley Rutschman is blocking him at the major-league level, but Basallo doesn't turn 20 until August and is the No. 10 prospect in Baseball America's top 100 and MLB Pipeline's No. 2 catching prospect. He has played in only four games at the Double-A level. Basallo also plays first base and could serve as the designated hitter if needed. He will keep developing in the minors in 2024 and will likely join Triple-A Norfolk later in the summer. There's growing speculation that Basallo could give the O's four straight No. 1 overall prospects in Baseball America's rankings, following Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) is throwing from 80 feet on flat ground and said that he's feeling good. He also said that a return later this summer seems feasible. McCullers had surgery to fix a torn flexor tendon in his right arm in June and was forced to miss all of the 2023 season. The 30-year-old oft-injured pitcher is making progress this offseason, though, but at best, he's going to pitch half a season in 2024. When healthy, McCullers will be a starting-rotation staple for the Astros, but he's probably going to need to knock off some rust and Houston isn't going to rush him back. McCullers hasn't pitched at any level since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. He might be worth stashing in some fantasy leagues, but there's no telling which version of McCullers we're going to get when he returns in the second half of 2024.