The Athletics signed Leclerc to a one-year, $10 million contract Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Although he finished with a 4.32 ERA, Leclerc also posted a 30.9 percent strikeout rate in 2024, his highest mark since 2019. The 31-year-old has never had a single-season walk rate in the single digits, so the A's are likely just hoping he can miss enough bats to overcome the inevitable lapses of control. Leclerc will be a setup man ahead of star closer Mason Miller.

The Mariners signed Fujinami to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Fujinami dealt with a shoulder injury this past season and posted a 6.68 ERA and 38:33 K:BB over 32.1 innings for Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets organization. The 30-year-old struck out 83 in 79 frames between the Athletics and Orioles in 2023 but also walked 45 and held a 7.18 ERA.

Wantz (elbow) signed a minor-league deal with the Rays on Jan. 2.

Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, it's a two-year contract, as Wantz is recovering from right elbow surgery and the earliest could be ready to pitch for the Rays is late in the 2025 season. Wantz has a career 3.88 ERA and 126:48 K:BB over 118.1 frames covering parts of four major-league seasons.

Kitchen cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma.

Kitchen never made an appearance for the M's after being claimed off waivers in September, though he did make four appearances for the Marlins, surrendering 11 earned runs in just seven frames. He'll now serve as organizational depth in the Rainiers' bullpen.

The Yankees acquired Arias from the Cubs on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.

Arias was designated for assignment earlier this week and is now on the move to a new organization. The 23-year-old held a 4.77 ERA and walked 48 over 60.1 innings between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa in 2024, but he also struck out 72 and offers good stuff from a sidearm delivery. The Yankees will be tasked with getting him to throw more strikes, and if they're able to, he might be a sneaky addition.

The Red Sox designated Shugart for assignment Wednesday, Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Blake Sabol, who was acquired from San Francisco via trade. Shugart, 28, made his major-league debut in 2024, allowing four runs over 8.2 frames out of Boston's bullpen. He should stand a good chance of passing through waivers unclaimed.

Hoffman on Wednesday confirmed that Baltimore and Atlanta backed away from pursuing him over concerns about his physical, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Speaking to reporters following his signing with the Blue Jays, Hoffman said he was surprised his physicals raised red flags about his right shoulder, adding that he feels healthy and the shoulder is a "non-issue." Based on the size of his contract, Hoffman should head into spring training as the favorite to be Toronto's closer after posting a 2.28 ERA and 158:35 K:BB over 118.2 regular-season innings across the last two seasons. If healthy, the righty has elite potential as a fantasy closer.

The Mariners designated Kitchen for assignment Monday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Donovan Solano, who was signed Monday. Kitchen was a September waiver claim of the Mariners and didn't make an appearance for them. He allowed 12 runs (11 earned) over seven innings with the Marlins in 2024.

Atlanta had a contract in place with Hoffman that fell apart after he failed a physical, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Robert Murray of FanSided.com also reported previously that the Orioles had a three-year, $40 million deal in place with Hoffman that was nixed due to concerns over his right shoulder. It's not clear whether it was the shoulder which caused Hoffman's potential contract with Atlanta to fall apart, but it's a safe assumption. The righty has had two shoulder-related injured list stints during his career but has not experienced any known shoulder problems since 2021. Hoffman ultimately reached a three-year, $33 million deal with the Blue Jays which could get up to $39 million through incentives. He's slated to serve as Toronto's closer, but with Hoffman having a health red flag, fantasy managers might want to consider Yimi Garcia and/or Chad Green as a handcuff.

Whitlock (elbow) said Saturday that he will move back to the bullpen in 2025, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Whitlock moved to the Red Sox's rotation last season, but he made just four starts before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery in May. He had already been expected to return shortly after the start of the 2025 campaign, but now that he'll no longer need to build up to a starter's workload, the 28-year-old righty could make his season debut earlier than anticipated.