New York Mets left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea has officially signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the team. This deal was announced last week but now the team has made it official. Manaea was a free agent this offseason and coming off a 4.44 ERA (3.90 FIP), 1.241 WHIP, and 128:42 K/BB over 117 2/3 innings (37 appearances, 10 starts) with the San Francisco Giants. The deal also includes an opt-out after the 2024 season. This has been viewed as a solid move by the Mets as the veteran left-hander can work out of the bullpen and be used as a spot starter as well.

The Chicago Cubs acquired infielder Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte earlier this week from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for lefty Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope. The Athletic's Keith Law thinks Busch is a natural first baseman and will almost certainly play there for the Cubs. He also has experience at second and third base, although he's much more comfortable at the keystone. The 26-year-old gives the Cubs more left-handed thump in the lineup and hits southpaws well enough to project as an everyday player. Busch has been on Law's preseason top-100 prospect rankings for the last three offseasons and is an advanced hitter who has hit for power and hard contact for three straight years in Double-A and Triple-A (79 homers in the last three seasons). In a full-time big-league role, though, Busch is expected to be more of a doubles guy with more of a line-drive swing.

Free-agent first baseman Joey Votto said he's feeling better physically than he has in years after two months of rehab and strength training since the end of the 2023 season and believes that will be seen on the field, saying he's made "major improvements." Votto hasn't really gotten any bites in his first foray into free agency after spending 17 years with the Cincinnati Reds, though. The Reds have an abundance of infielders and multiple players who can split time at first base, so they have moved on from Votto. But the 40-year-old Canadian still thinks there's a place for him in the league, if only for his ability to hit right-handers -- he's hit .310/.418/.532 against them. Votto's last productive season was in 2021, when he surprisingly hit 36 homers. His days as an everyday player are likely over, and his best bet is to take a discount to return home to Toronto to play for the Blue Jays.

Free-agent left-hander Danny Young signed a minor-league deal with the New York Mets on Friday, according to a source. Young will be invited to big-league spring training and would earn $825,000 if he's in the majors in 2024. The 29-year-old southpaw gave up one run in 11 innings pitched with two walks and 12 strikeouts with the Atlanta Braves over the last two seasons but missed most of 2023 due to hip surgery. Overall in his time in the majors, Young has a 2.45 ERA (four earned runs allowed in 14 2/3 innings) and 1.50 WHIP with four walks and 17 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings for the Braves and Seattle Mariners over two seasons. Young will provide minor-league left-handed relief depth for the Mets to open the 2024 campaign.

The Chicago White Sox signed free-agent outfielder Rafael Ortega to a minor-league deal. Ortega spent most of his time in 2023 in the minors with the New York Mets and Texas Rangers but also played in 47 games with the Mets, going 25-for-114 (.219) with a home run, eight RBI and six stolen bases in 136 plate appearances. The 32-year-old could get some run with the rebuilding White Sox in 2024 given their lack of outfield depth, but Ortega can probably be ignored in the vast majority of fantasy leagues. In seven major-league seasons with the Rockies, Angels, Marlins, Braves, Cubs and Mets, he has a .247 career batting average with 22 home runs, 109 RBI, 47 stolen bases and 136 runs scored in 411 games played.