Free-agent right-hander Colten Brewer announced on his Instagram account that he has signed an undisclosed deal with the Chicago Cubs. Brewer made three relief appearances for the New York Yankees this past season and also spent time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball. The 31-year-old will give the Cubbies some relief depth to open the 2024 regular season but he will be well off the fantasy radar. In five years at the major-league level with the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres, Brewer has a 4.98 ERA (8.42 FIP) and 1.77 WHIP with 61 walks and 92 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings over 84 appearances (four starts).

To make room on the 40-man roster for recent free-agent signing Frankie Montas, the Cincinnati Reds designated catcher Austin Wynns for assignment on Tuesday. Wynns signed a one-year, $950,000 with the Reds in December as catching depth. If the 33-year-old backstop clears waivers, he'll likely return to the Giants and try to earn a roster spot in spring training. Wynns spent the 2023 season with the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies and hit .208/.268/.277 with one home run and 10 RBI in 145 plate appearances in 51 games. Forty five of his games played came with the Rockies. In five big-league seasons, Wynns has a career .226 batting average with only 13 home runs, 61 RBI and 63 runs scored in 653 plate appearances.

The Boston Red Sox claimed right-hander Max Castillo off waivers from the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Castillo, who debuted in the big leagues in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays and Royals, made seven relief appearances for the Royals in 2023 and allowed 10 earned runs on 20 hits (two homers) while walking nine and striking out 10 in 20 1/3 innings pitched. The 24-year-old will most likely begin the 2024 campaign at Triple-A Worcester and will give Boston some starting and relief depth in the minor leagues. In 21 total appearances (six starts) in his two major-league seasons, Castillo has a 5.43 ERA (5.22 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP with 24 walks and 47 strikeouts in 59 2/3 total innings pitched.

The Los Angeles Angels signed free-agent right-hander Zach Plesac to an undisclosed deal over the weekend. Plesac made his big-league debut with the Cleveland Guardians in 2019 and had a career-best 2.28 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in eight starts in the shortened 2020 season. He wasn't as good in 2021 and 2022 before stumbling to a 7.59 ERA (4.47 FIP) and 1.97 WHIP with five walks and 14 strikeouts in five starts this past season. The 28-year-old wasn't much better in the minors, persuading the Guardians to move on from him. The Angels can use all the pitching help they can get, but it's unlikely that Plesac will be much more than a long-relief arm or spot starter if he makes the major-league roster out of spring training.

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said last weekend that right-hander Bryce Elder will battle Reynaldo Lopez, A.J. Smith-Shawver and others for the fifth spot in the starting rotation in spring training. Lopez could be stretched out in camp to prepare for the possibility of being used as a starter at some point. Chris Sale's presence creates the opportunity for Lopez to be used as a reliever, a role in which he's thrived. Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton are the other members of Atlanta's current rotation heading into the 2024 campaign. The 24-year-old Elder will still be the favorite for the fifth rotation spot out of spring training, but if his second-half struggles from 2023 remain early on, he could be out of a starting job quickly. Overall in 31 starts last season, Elder went 12-4 with a 3.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 128 strikeouts in 174 2/3 innings.