The Astros agreed to terms on a three-year, $60 million contract with Walker on Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The Astros have their first baseman, which means Isaac Paredes will play third base and Alex Bregman is likely to sign somewhere else. Walker, who turns 34 in March, is the premier defensive first baseman in the game, having won three straight Gold Gloves and boasting the defensive metrics to match. He's also averaged 31.7 home runs over the last three seasons and should provide a boost in the middle of the Astros' lineup, provided he doesn't experience the kind of steep aging curve Jose Abreu did.

The Pirates released Cabbage on Monday.

Per Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cabbage was given his release so that he could sign with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. The 27-year-old was a waiver claim by Pittsburgh in November after he slashed .209/.253/.337 with a 37.4 percent strikeout rate with the Astros during the 2024 season.

The Guardians traded Horwitz to the Pirates on Tuesday in exchange for Josh Hartle, Luis Ortiz and Michael Kennedy, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Just hours after being traded to Cleveland in the deal that sent Andres Gimenez to Toronto, Horwitz will now land in Pittsburgh instead while the Guardians add to their organizational depth. The 27-year-old has covered first and second base during his time in the big leagues and should have no problem starting regularly in a Pirates infield that lacks impact bats. Moving to Pittsburgh will also reunite him with hitting coach Matt Hague, under whom Horwitz posted a .790 OPS in 2024.

The Blue Jays traded Horwitz and Nick Mitchell to the Guardians on Tuesday in exchange for Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

In 97 games with the Blue Jays last year, Horwitz slashed .265/.357/.433 while mashing 12 homers and driving in 40 RBI. With second base now open in Cleveland following Gimenez's move to Toronto, Horwitz's clearest path to playing time is likely at the keystone, though he could also be used at first base and DH over the course of the season.

Freeman underwent surgery on his right ankle Thursday that involved the removal of loose bodies from the area.

Ankle issues plagued Freeman throughout the Dodgers' postseason run, but the 35-year-old first baseman was able to play through the injury, winning World Series MVP honors in the process. He is still expected to participate in baseball activities during spring training, and his status for Opening Day shouldn't be affected.

France is willing to consider playing catcher, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

France has never caught an inning either at the major- or minor-league level, but he did get some reps behind the plate at the Padres' alternate site in 2020 and has been viewed as an emergency catcher at a couple stops. Realistically, it's difficult to envision the 30-year-old France seeing substantial time at catcher at this point in his career, especially since he's evidently drawn free-agent interest from 10-plus clubs, per Feinsand.

The Angels non-tendered Wagaman on Friday.

The 27-year-old was dropped from the Angels' 40-man roster Tuesday in order to protect Jack Dashwood from the Rule 5 Draft, and Wagaman will become a free agent after Los Angeles declined to offer him a contract ahead of Friday's deadline. He put up an .855 OPS in 107 Triple-A plate appearances last season, and he'll likely fill in as organizational depth wherever he lands.

Kurtz slashed .353/.450/.608 with two home runs and a 16:9 K:BB in 60 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League.

He ended the regular season on the injured list at Double-A Midland due to a hamstring strain, but Kurtz was able to make up for lost time in the AFL and end his 2024 on a high note. Other than a general lack of athleticism and a bad body (listed at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds), Kurtz's only notable flaw is his injury history -- he missed time with random injuries at Wake Forest. However, after slashing .368/.520/.763 with four homers in 12 games split between Single-A and Double-A before dominating in the AFL, Kurtz's track record of hitting pro pitching is arguably tops in the 2024 draft class.

The Cubs designated Wisdom for assignment Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the newly-acquired Eli Morgan. Wisdom, 33, fell off to a lowly .171/.237/.392 batting line this season for the Cubs. Rather than pay him a raise in arbitration, the team is removing him from the roster now. Wisdom slugged 76 homers from 2021-23 and still hits the ball very hard when he makes contact, so he should be able to find work with a club that's willing to deal with his strikeout problems.

Brooks signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Wednesday.

Brooks struggled in his first 12 regular-season games as a big-leaguer, going just 3-for-25 with an RBI and six strikeouts with the Giants last year. However, he slashed .302/.410/.453 with 58 RBI over 407 plate appearance in the minors, which is good enough for the Padres to bring him in as organizational depth at first base.