The Texas Rangers have had internal discussions about signing free-agent first baseman/designated hitter Brandon Belt, who played for manager Bruce Bochy in San Francisco. On paper, Belt is a perfect fit for the Rangers, as he'd effectively replace Mitch Garver in their lineup. However, the question all offseason has been how much cash general manager Chris Young has available. Texas just signed reliever David Robertson and are the favorites to re-sign lefty Jordan Montgomery, but it remains to be seen if there would be any money left after that for a hitter like Belt. The 35-year-old lefty slugger was one of just six players in baseball to generate a barrel percentage of at least 15% and a chase rate below 23%, which led to a nice .369 on-base percentage and a great .890 OPS against right-handed pitching.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (knee) said he will be full-go in spring training. "I'm pretty bored as a competitor," Hoskins said. The 30-year-old tore his left ACL in spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies last year and missed the entire 2023 campaign. Had the Phillies advanced further in the postseason last fall, Hoskins may have been ready to rejoin their lineup, and he hasn't had any setbacks in the offseason with his knee. He's now on the wrong side of 30, but Hoskins has moved to another hitter-friendly park and will see regular at-bats between first base and designated hitter in Milwaukee. The injury risk is apparent for fantasy managers after Hoskins missed all of last year, but if he's healthy, he should be a solid power contributor at the first-base position. In his 667 career big-league games, Hoskins has cleared the fences 148 times.

The Detroit Tigers have designated pitcher Devin Sweet for assignment. The move was made to create a 40-man roster spot for infield prospect Colt Keith who signed a six-year contract extension with the club before making his MLB debut, likely to come on Opening Day this season. It wasn't a long stay on Detroit's 40-man roster for Sweet who the club claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Jan. 18. The right-hander struggled to an ugly 10.38 ERA across seven appearances in his big-league debut for the Mariners and A's in 2023 before being claimed off waivers by San Francisco. However, he did post a 2.25 ERA across 36 games in the minors between the three organizations in 2023 and should generate more interest on waivers if the Tigers do not retain him.

The Chicago Cubs have signed right-hander Sam McWilliams to a minor-league deal. It's a redemption story for the 27-year-old who was out of baseball complete for a year and a half. He played in the Mexican Winter League and Dominican Winter League recently and garnered interest from big-league teams as he tossed a 3.55 ERA across 27 outings with Monterrey in the Mexican Winter League. A former eighth-round pick of the Phillies in 2014, McWilliams has yet to make his MLB debut and owns a 4.41 ERA with 488 strikeouts and 224 walks across 154 career minor-league appearances between the Phillies, D-backs, Rays, Padres, Mets, and Reds organizations. The 6-foot-7 righty struggled mightily with his control before stepping away from the game, something to keep an eye on in spring training.

The New York Yankees have claimed reliever Matt Gage off waivers from the Houston Astros. Gage had been designated for assignment by Houston after Josh Haders' historic five-year contract became official. The left-handed Gage debuted with 1.38 ERA ball across 13 innings with the Blue Jays in 2022 before appearing in just five games for the Astros in 2023, working to a solid 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 innings of work. Add it up and Gage owns a 1.83 ERA across 16 MLB appearances, although his 3.74 SIERA in that time is nearly two runs higher than his surface ERA. For what it's worth, he posted a vastly inferior 4.58 ERA and 5.29 FIP across 34 appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land in 2023, as well.