Right-hander Jacob Webb won his salary arbitration hearing against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday and will earn $1 million in 2024. The 30-year-old will get a $260,000 raise from a season ago after posting a 3.69 ERA (4.48 FIP) with a 1.29 WHIP, one save, 30 walks and 57 strikeouts in 53 2/3 relief innings for the Los Angeles Angels and Orioles last season. The Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Halos last August, and he will once again serve in a middle-relief role for Baltimore in 2024. In Webb's four major-league seasons, he has a solid 2.97 ERA (4.19 FIP), four saves, a 1.29 WHIP and a 23.0 percent strikeout rate in 130 1/3 innings over 132 appearances out of the bullpen. Webb won't be on the fantasy radar at all.

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw's new deal to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2024 season also includes an option for 2025, according to a person briefed on the negotiations. Kershaw is rehabbing from a major shoulder injury that required surgery in November and won't return until later this summer, but the option gives him a chance to spend an additional full season with the Dodgers while sharing the starting rotation with Shohei Ohtani. The 36-year-old southpaw will be put on the 60-day injured list when his deal becomes official after a physical, but the future Hall of Famer began a throwing program this week. He still has several months before he'll appear in games, but he can now return to LA in 202. Kershaw needs only 56 strikeouts to join the 3,000-strikeout club.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has signed a five-year contract extension that guarantees him $125 million. The extension kicks in for the 2024 season. The Astros have been rumored to be interested in locking up their star players, namely Altuve and Alex Bregman, who is scheduled to hit the open market following the 2024 season. Altuve earned another big payday after putting together back-to-back elite seasons, albeit in an injury-shortened 90-game in 2023. He hit .311 with 17 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a .914 OPS across those 90 contests and 410 trips to the plate a season ago. Aside from a down 2020 season, Altuve's bat has been at least 24% superior to the league average, as per wRC+, each season since 2014. He projects as one of the top second basemen in fantasy baseball with an excellent power/speed combination ahead of the 2024 season.

The Seattle Mariners claimed right-handed reliever Collin Snider off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, bringing Seattle's 40-man roster to capacity. Snider will give the Mariners some relief depth heading into spring training. The 28-year-old former 12th-round pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2017 out of Vanderbilt appeared in 20 games (one start) for KC last year and allowed 12 runs (11 earned) on 24 hits (three homers) while walking 13, recording his first career save and striking out 11 in 20 1/3 innings pitched. The ground-ball pitcher posted a bloated 6.55 ERA (4.45 FIP) and 1.60 WHIP while walking 15 and striking out 22 in 42 relief outings in his rookie campaign in 2022.

New York Yankees right-hander Will Warren was one of 26 non-roster players for the Yankees to receive an invite to major-league spring training. In 27 appearances (25 starts) for Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year, Warren went 10-4 with a 3.35 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 59 walks and a career-high 149 strikeouts in 129 innings pitched. The 24-year-old former eighth-round pick in 2021 from Southeastern Louisiana is one of the team's top pitching prospects and figures to make his major-league debut at some point in 2024. In addition to Warren, the Yankees invited fellow top prospects Chase Hampton and Spencer Jones to spring training. Warren is worth stashing in dynasty/keeper leagues, but fantasy managers in single-year formats may want to hold off on him until he cements himself in New York's starting rotation.