Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is healthy heading into the 2024 season, according to manager Derek Shelton. "He's healthy. He's moving around. That's a really encouraging sign for everybody who's a Pirates fan," Shelton told reporters. The 25-year-old shortstop fractured his left ankle back in April of the '23 season and missed the entire year as a result. It's been a long road to recovery but he's now looking primed for the 2024 campaign. Cruz has as much upside as anyone at the SS position but injuries have plagued him so far early in his career. He has a .237/.302/.449 batting line to go along with 19 home runs, 61 RBI, and 13 stolen bases in 410 plate appearances over three seasons. He's an intriguing fantasy player due to his blend of power and speed but the hype could get out of control if he remains healthy and has a solid spring training.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed free-agent catcher Austin Nola to a minor-league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training on Friday. The 34-year-old backstop became a free agent when the San Diego Padres non-tendered him in November. Nola became the Friars' starting catcher in 2022 by hitting .251 (87-for-347) with four home runs and 40 RBI in 110 games, but he fell flat this past season and was sent to the minors after hitting a putrid .146 (19-for-130) with a homer and 31 strikeouts in 52 games played at the big-league level. He's going to need to show better results offensively in 2024 and will likely open the season at Triple-A Nashville, where he'll serve as minor-league catching depth behind William Contreras and Eric Haase at the major-league level.

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent infielder Luis Guillorme to a one-year, $1.1 million eal on Friday and also avoided salary arbitration with right-hander Huascar Ynoa by inking him to a one-year, $825,000 deal. Guillorme, 29, is a left-handed hitter who played second base, third base and shortstop in 2023 and slashed .261/.344/.333 in 823 plate appearances over the last six seasons in Queens. The Venezuelan utility infielder is mostly useful for his defensive abilities, as he has only five home runs and 48 RBI in 334 career games played, and playing time isn't going to be easy to come by in Atlanta. Ynoa missed all of last season after having Tommy John surgery in September of 2022. The 25-year-old should be ready to go at some point in 2024, but he holds a bloated 5.22 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 122 1/3 innings over 31 appearances (24 starts) in his four years with the Braves.

The Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners are showing interest in free-agent first baseman Carlos Santana. Santana played with the Pirates and Brewers this past season, hitting a combined .240/.318/.429 with 23 home runs, 33 doubles, a triple, 86 RBI, six stolen bases and 78 runs scored in 146 total games. The 37-year-old veteran Dominican switch-hitter played for Seattle in 2022. Santana was no slouch offensively last year for the Pirates and Brew Crew, but fantasy managers should be ecstatic if he's able to duplicate those numbers in 2024. Santana has been durable and will continue to draw his fair share of walks, but there's limited offensive upside as he nears the end of his career. His best bet for regular playing time will be with the rebuilding Pirates.

The Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox appear to be the front-runners to sign free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, a two-time Silver Slugger winner. Some are speculating that Hernandez will wait for Cody Bellinger to sign before inking his own deal, but the Angels, Dodgers and Red Sox aren't in on Bellinger, which could open the door for them to make an aggressive move on him. The 31-year-old was an All-Star in 2021 but disappointed in 2023 with the M's, hitting 26 home runs with a .740 OPS and a career-high 211 strikeouts in 160 games in spacious T-Mobile Park. He was ranked near the bottom of the league in chase percentage (13th percentile), walk rate (13th percentile), strikeout rate (ninth percentile) and whiff percentage (third percentile), so Hernandez will be hoping a change of scenery does him well.