Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Poll: Where Will Roki Sasaki Sign?
The 2025 international amateur signing period begins tomorrow. While that milestone is a bit of a footnote for many fans in the offseason calendar, this year is different thanks to the presence of 23-year-old phenom Roki Sasaki. Sasaki was posted for major league clubs by Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines just after the Winter Meetings last month. As an NPB player coming to the majors before the age of 25, he’s considered an amateur despite his dominance over the course of four seasons in Japan.
The fact that Sasaki is coming to the majors through the system in place for international amateurs created a wide-open race for his services on paper. International amateurs can only sign minor league deals that are accompanied by signing bonuses from each team’s hard-capped international bonus pools. As such, clubs without substantial payrolls couldn’t be outbid by their large-market counterparts. More than 20 teams reportedly checked in with Sasaki when he was posted last month. He met with a number of teams in Los Angeles (where his agents at Wasserman are headquartered) before the holidays, including the Giants, Yankees, Mets, Rangers, and Cubs. Now, with just over a week left in Sasaki’s posting window, a trio of finalists has emerged: the Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays.
That the Dodgers are a finalist for Sasaki’s services should surprise no one. After all, Sasaki is a player who wanted to compete at the highest level badly enough to come over to the major leagues early and in doing so chose to forfeit the opportunity to land a nine-figure deal. Given that competitiveness, joining the reigning World Series champions who haven’t missed the postseason since 2011 figures to hold obvious appeal. Aside from that, the Dodgers are perhaps the largest international brand in the sport, employing former NPB and KBO stars like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and, now, Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim. That global brand (and the potential for international endorsements that comes with it) could hold plenty of appeal for Sasaki given the fact that he’ll be signing a minor league contract.
All of that has made the Dodgers such an obvious fit for Sasaki’s services to many around the game that his agent, Joel Wolfe, felt compelled earlier this winter to deny rumors of a “handshake” deal with the Dodgers before Sasaki’s posting period had even begun. Despite this air of inevitability surrounding the Dodgers and Sasaki in the eyes of some fans and media members, however, there are two other finalists that each can offer a legitimate case for Sasaki’s services in their own right.
The Padres have received nearly as much attention as a likely co-favorite. Multiple reports have suggested that Sasaki has a strong relationship with veteran right-hander Yu Darvish, who has four seasons left on his deal in San Diego and would as such be available to serve as a mentor to Sasaki and guide him through his transition to the big leagues. San Diego, much like Los Angeles, also could benefit from being on the west coast with the associated mild climate and travel-related benefits that often appeal to NPB players. The Padres can also offer more money to Sasaki than the Dodgers; their bonus pool is $6,261,600 this year as compared to L.A.’s pool of just $5,146,200, though either club could trade for more bonus pool money in order to put together a more tempting offer for Sasaki.
Compared to the Dodgers and Padres, the Blue Jays appear to be a dark horse candidate. A connection between Sasaki and the club was first made just yesterday, when reporting surfaced that Sasaki had met with the club in Toronto. The Blue Jays have long sought to court top talents in free agency, including a pursuit of Ohtani last winter where they were generally acknowledged to have finished as the runner-up for the MVP’s services. Though the Blue Jays aren’t as well set-up for success as the Dodgers and Padres, having finished fifth in a crowded AL East just last year, Toronto could offer Sasaki the opportunity to be the face of the franchise in a way that more star-studded teams in L.A. and San Diego cannot — particularly if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ultimately signs elsewhere in free agency next winter. What’s more, the Blue Jays have the same $6,261,600 bonus pool the Padres have and therefore could outbid the Dodgers financially.
With just over a week left until the January 23 deadline by which Sasaki has to make a decision, where do MLBTR readers believe he’ll land? Will he hitch his wagon to the reigning World Series champs in Los Angeles? Will he join his longtime friend and mentor Darvish in San Diego? Or will he surprise the baseball world and opt to make a name for himself in Toronto? Have your say in the poll below:
Twins Promote Three Executives To Assistant GM
The Twins announced a trio of front office promotions this morning. Minnesota bumped each of Alex Hassan, Sean Johnson and Josh Kalk to assistant general manager. They join Daniel Adler as AGMs in the Twins’ front office.
Minnesota’s front office is led by president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, who is heading into his ninth season at the helm. The Twins promoted AGM Jeremy Zoll to general manager at the start of this offseason. Zoll replaced Thad Levine, who stepped down after spending eight years as Falvey’s top lieutenant.
Hassan, 36, had a very brief major league playing career. He appeared in three games for the 2014 Red Sox. He retired in 2017 after playing parts of six seasons at the Triple-A level. The Duke product joined Minnesota’s player development department the following year. Hassan spent some time as the organization’s director of player development and has worked as the club’s vice president of hitting development and acquisitions for the past two years.
Johnson has spent nearly a quarter of a century with the organization. He has worked his way up the scouting ranks since the team first hired him in 2002. Johnson has been the team’s vice president of amateur scouting since the start of 2022. He has been in charge of the Twins’ amateur drafts over that stretch. Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star-Tribune notes that Johnson will continue in that role.
Kalk is entering his eighth season with the organization. He’d previously spent nine years as a member of the Rays’ analytics staff. Kalk has held the title of vice president of baseball operations strategy and innovation for three years. The team noted in their press release that he has worked to integrate data from their analytics department into both player development and MLB advance scouting (essentially building game plans for upcoming opponents).
Krall: New TV Agreement Allows Reds To “Work A Little Bit More” In Free Agent, Trade Markets
The Reds reached a surprise agreement with Main Street Sports/FanDuel Sports Network (the rebranded entities formerly known as Diamond Sports Group and Bally Sports) yesterday — a one-year cable and streaming rights deal that’ll take care of the team’s broadcasts for the upcoming 2025 season. With Diamond Sports Group in bankruptcy proceedings, the Reds had turned their broadcast rights over to the league (as have several other clubs) in a less-lucrative arrangement. It’s still not clear how much extra revenue Cincinnati will pick up in the wake of this new agreement, but president of baseball operations Nick Krall told the Reds beat yesterday that there will be a positive impact on the team’s payroll, which had been close to maxed out.
“Just getting a little bit more money is great,” Krall stated (link via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer). “We can work a little bit more in both the free agency and the trade market.”
Reds fans will surely welcome the news of additional resources at the front office’s disposal. Krall didn’t make any definitive statements about what’s to come on the horizon, but it’s a change in tone from last week, when after the Gavin Lux trade he noted that the Reds did “not [have] a ton” of flexibility with regard to the payroll.
At the moment, RosterResource projects the Reds for a $106MM payroll — about a $6MM increase over where they finished the 2024 season. That’s generally been considered the top end of ownership’s range; Krall implied following the Lux acquisition that the inclusion of the team’s competitive balance draft pick in the swap was a creative means of fitting Lux’s modest $3.325MM salary onto the books, as it reduced the Reds’ draft budget. That doesn’t speak to a team with future acquisitions still in the pipeline.
Only time will tell the extent of the impact on Cincinnati’s spending ability. COO Doug Healy somewhat vaguely said the deal “enhances our economics slightly.” Krall’s subsequent comments more clearly suggest that the Reds could squeeze another move out of the unexpected uptick in revenue.
It’d be a major surprise if the Reds suddenly felt emboldened to spend on Anthony Santander or Pete Alonso, even as both reportedly warm to the possibility of shorter-term deals in free agency. They’ve recently been linked to reliever Carlos Estevez and were reported to have had interest in Gleyber Torres before he signed with the Tigers, as well. Wittenmyer writes that despite prior interest in Estevez, the two parties hadn’t talked in “weeks” prior to the new television agreement, as the right-hander was simply out of their price range.
Even if it’s not Estevez specifically, that interest suggests a desire to strengthen the relief corps. With regard to how the market has played out this winter, that’s arguably the “best” need to still have on any team’s to-do list. The relief market has moved slowly compared to other corners of free agency. It’s begun to pick up steam recently, but Estevez is just one of several quality bullpen arms still looking for a new home next year. David Robertson, Kenley Jansen and Kirby Yates are among the highest-profile names available, but the open market also includes names like Kyle Finnegan, Paul Sewald, Phil Maton, A.J. Minter and Tommy Kahnle, among others.
Phillies Sign Joel Kuhnel To Minor League Deal
The Phillies announced a list of 23 non-roster invitees to major league Spring Training. Reliever Joel Kuhnel is among that group. According to the MLB.com transaction log, the right-hander signed a minor league contract with Philadelphia on December 21. The Phils also brought back infielder Rodolfo Castro shortly after he elected free agency in November and added former Minnesota and Detroit minor leaguer Austin Schulfer.
Kuhnel, 30 next month, was outrighted off the Rays’ 40-man roster at the beginning of the offseason. He made five big league appearances with Tampa Bay after being claimed off waivers in July. Kuhnel tossed eight innings of one-run ball in his limited MLB work. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) over 14 2/3 frames for their Triple-A team in Durham.
A former Reds draftee, Kuhnel has bounced around the league over the past two years. The Phils are his sixth organization since 2022. Kuhnel has pitched in the majors for Cincinnati, Houston and Tampa Bay. He has had Triple-A stints with the Brewers and Blue Jays. He carries a 5.93 earned run average across parts of five big league seasons. He has kept the ball on the ground at a lofty 52% clip but has a well below-average 18.7% strikeout rate. It was a similar story at the Triple-A level last season. Kuhnel’s 17.7% strikeout percentage was unimpressive, but he induced grounders at a huge 57.6% rate.
Castro landed in Philly at the 2023 deadline in a trade with Pittsburgh. The switch-hitting utilityman hit .100 in 14 games down the stretch. He spent the ’24 season in the minors, much of it on the injured list. Castro only appeared in 19 Triple-A games and suffered a season-ending thumb injury in August. The Phillies made the fairly easy call to outright him off the 40-man at season’s end, though they circled back to keep the 25-year-old in the organization.
Schulfer, 29, has yet to reach the majors. The 6’2″ righty reliever has spent parts of three seasons in Triple-A. He owns a 4.62 ERA across 142 1/3 frames at the top minor league level. Schulfer divided last season between the Twins’ and Tigers’ systems. He combined for a 4.94 ERA while striking out a quarter of opponents over 54 2/3 innings, nearly all of which came in Triple-A.
The Opener: Sasaki, Mariners, MLBTR Chat
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Sasaki decision draws nearer:
Roki Sasaki’s market is now down to three suitors. The Dodgers and Padres, long regarded as the heavy favorites to sign the 23-year-old Japanese star, are among the final two teams standing — as most would’ve anticipated. That the Blue Jays stand as the third and final entrant in the bidding, however, registers as an unexpected outcome. Toronto ostensibly has a legitimate chance at this point; Sasaki visited the city and saw the Jays’ home facilities over the weekend. The right-hander’s camp began informing teams yesterday that they’d been eliminated from the running, with the Giants, Rangers, Yankees, Mets and Cubs all learning they would not be Sasaki’s eventual destination.
Landing Sasaki would be something of a coup for a Jays front office that has finished runner-up in so many notable free agent and trade pursuits overt the past two offseasons. He’d give the Jays rotation depth they badly need at the moment, and do so with front-of-the-rotation upside and a minimal salary, of course. That’d leave more funds both for bringing in another prominent bat to pair with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — whose extension status looms over the team as he approaches his final year before free agency.
2. What’s next for the Mariners?
Seattle’s desire to add infield help this winter has long been established, and yesterday they finally took a step toward that goal by signing veteran Donovan Solano to a one-year deal. Solano, 37, has been one of the league’s most consistent part-time bats since 2019. Though he’s never totaled more than 450 plate appearances in a season, the veteran has posted a robust .294/.353/.413 (112 wRC+) over the past six seasons. That includes a wRC+ of 118 in 309 trips to the plate with the Padres this past season.
As the roster is currently constructed, Solano would be in line for frequent at-bats against right-handers at third base while spelling Luke Raley at first base against southpaws. However, the Mariners have been seeking multiple infielders this winter — ideally a pair of corner infielders to help round out the offense. Adding Solano at an affordable rate could allow the M’s to spend a bit more heavily at the hot corner, be it via free agency or the trade market. A major splash for Alex Bregman almost certainly isn’t happening, but the Mariners reportedly had around $15-16MM to spend prior to adding Solano at $3.5MM.
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
With arbitration figures exchanged and Spring Training less than a month away, we’re nearing the point where the baseball offseason starts to give way to preseason excitement even as major free agents remain unsigned and team needs remain unfulfilled. Whether you have questions about what’s left for your team to do this winter or a trade proposal in the back of your mind, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be here to answer your questions during a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.
Dodgers, Padres, Blue Jays Reportedly Finalists For Roki Sasaki
The Roki Sasaki frenzy is nearing its completion. Several teams have reportedly been told that they won’t be signing the right-hander and now Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays are the three finalists. The Cubs are no longer in the running, according to Mike Rodriguez, with Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic adding that the Cubs have been informed of their status.
It seems that today was the day that Sasaki and his reps started informing teams that had been eliminated from the running. Earlier today, various reports indicated that the Giants, Yankees, Mets, Rangers and Diamondbacks would not be signing Sasaki. The Mariners were vaguely connected to Sasaki at times and hadn’t been expressly eliminated, but it seems they didn’t make it to the podium as one of the top three.
Sasaki’s decision has been one of the biggest wild cards hanging over the offseason. Since he’s coming over to the big leagues before his 25th birthday, he’s considered an amateur under MLB rules and is therefore subject to the international bonus pool system. As such, no club could be initially ruled out just based on economics, as is usually the case with other free agents.
Each team gets an annual pool of money that they are allowed to spend on international amateurs. This year’s pools are in the $5-8MM range, with the smaller-market clubs mostly having the slightly larger ones. Teams can trade for more pool space but they can’t increase their initial allotment by more than 60%. A posting fee will also be owed to the Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki’s former club in Japan, though that will only add 20% of the bonus. As such, each team has roughly the same ability to pay Sasaki a few million bucks.
Sasaki is likely therefore to decide based on factors beyond money. After all, if money was his top priority, he probably would have waited until he turned 25. That’s what Yoshinobu Yamamoto did, which led to a $325MM deal from the Dodgers.
No one can say for sure what Sasaki is prioritizing, though the Dodgers and Padres have been seen as logical suitors for a while now. Both clubs are on the West Coast, which is closer to Japan, perhaps a favorable factor when considering the flights for Sasaki and his family members. The Dodgers also have a strong reputation as a whole, having made the postseason in each year going back to 2013, with a fresh World Series victory in 2024. The Padres don’t have quite the same track record of success but have been good in recent years.
Both clubs also have Japanese players on the roster, with the Dodgers having Yamamoto and Ohtani, while the Padres have Yu Darvish. Some reports have suggested Sasaki and Darvish have an especially close relationship.
The Jays have been floated as a landing spot for Sasaki far less than the Dodgers or Padres, which is sensible. They are not on the West Coast. They had a strong run of contention from 2020 to 2023 but are coming off a down season. They had Yusei Kikuchi until last year’s trade deadline but don’t currently have a Japanese player on the roster.
In April of 2023, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote that “Some Japanese players are uncomfortable being major-league teammates with other Japanese players because of the importance of seniority in Japan’s hierarchical culture, major-league executives and agents say.” That piece was examining the possibility of Ohtani singing with the Mets when they already had Kodai Senga on the roster. Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe has downplayed the importance of a club having Japanese players on its roster, either positively or negatively. “That was never a topic of discussion,” Wolfe said last month, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
It’s possible that Sasaki will be attracted to playing in another country for other reasons. Wolfe has suggested that the Japanese media was often unkind to Sasaki, which could perhaps make it preferable for him to be in a smaller market. Toronto isn’t exactly a small market but it would be further away from the American media spotlight. The Blue Jays are also owned by Rogers Communications, the media company that broadcasts the club’s games on television and radio. Perhaps that would allow the Jays to promise Sasaki a more guarded environment in terms of media access. Toronto is also a city with a reputation for its diversity and relatively low crime rates.
Those are all speculative arguments, but the same could be said about the arguments for Sasaki preferring Los Angeles or San Diego. Sasaki and Wolfe have given very few clues about what will be used to make the final decision, leaving the baseball world to mostly guess.
Whatever he decides will likely have ripple effects into the rest of the offseason. The Padres have a tight budget and needs all over their roster. Trading Dylan Cease is reportedly one potential solution to their situation, which would perhaps become more likely if they sign Sasaki. The Dodgers already have lots of rotation options and might consider a trade of their own if they add Sasaki. That’s perhaps less likely with the Jays, who have been trying to add a starting pitcher all winter without success thus far.
There will also be domino effects elsewhere. Whichever team signs Sasaki will likely have to walk away from verbal commitments to teenagers in Latin America, as they will need to redirect bonus money to Sasaki. That will lead to those players then looking for other clubs. Some of this has seemingly already started to happen, as the Pirates are reportedly going to sign Darell Morel, a Dominican shortstop that had previously been committed to the Dodgers.
It won’t take long for all of these knock-on effects to really ramp up. Sasaki’s posting window closes on January 23, meaning resolution will be coming in less than a week. He can’t officially sign until January 15, when the new international signing period begins, though it’s possible an agreement could be reported before then.
Reds, FanDuel Sports Network Reach New Broadcast Deal
The Reds announced this morning that they’ve reached agreement with Main Street Sports to handle their in-market local broadcasts for 2025 (link via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). Main Street Sports is the new name for the broadcast company formerly known as Diamond Sports Group. The corporation rebranded after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November.
Cincinnati games will continue on the FanDuel Sports Network, which had previously operated as Bally Sports Ohio. Despite the name changes, it’s essentially the same setup as in previous seasons. The main change for consumers is that fans can now stream games on the FanDuel Sports Network app in addition to viewing them on television.
This represents a change of plans for the Reds. Major League Baseball had announced in November that it would step in to handle Reds broadcasts in the Cincinnati area. That came after the broadcast corporation — then operating as Diamond — abandoned its previous contract with the team.
At the time, it didn’t seem the Reds were keen on negotiating a new deal that came with a revenue cut. They’ve reversed course. “Representatives of the former Diamond Sports and myself and Phil [Castellini, the team’s president] stayed in touch periodically since we made the decision to go to [MLB],” the team’s chief operating officer Doug Healy said in a statement. “Recently, as in the last few weeks, they approached us about re-engaging and discussing our 2025 broadcast rights.”
The Reds are the second team to revert to the FanDuel Sports Networks after previously planning to turn broadcasts to MLB. The Brewers did the same a couple weeks ago. In both cases, the team only agreed to a one-year deal. MLB has expressed skepticism about the broadcast corporation’s long-term viability despite its emergence from bankruptcy.
Unsurprisingly, the Reds did not reveal how much they’ll be paid on this contract. It’s almost certainly less than what they’d received under their previous TV deal, which reportedly paid around $60MM annually. However, Healy indicated that the new contract could have a slight impact on the organization’s player payroll.
“The deal with FanDuel does enhance our economics slightly. … It’s our goal to continue to give (GM Nick Krall) and his staff every available resource that the franchise has in 2025. Then it’s up to Nick how best to spend that,” the COO said. As recently as last week, Krall told reporters (including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that the front office had “a little bit (of payroll flexibility), not a ton.” That came after the Reds acquired Gavin Lux, who’ll make $3.325MM for his penultimate arbitration season. That pushed Cincinnati’s projected payroll to roughly $106MM, per RosterResource. That’s narrowly above the $100MM range at which they ended the ’24 season.
While Krall did not mention the TV situation at the time, he was presumably aware that negotiations were ongoing. It’s possible that Krall was already accounting for the “enhanced” economics that Healy referenced when saying that the team had limited flexibility. Still, Healy’s comments provide some hope for Cincinnati fans about the team potentially making a late-offseason addition. A splash for Jack Flaherty or Anthony Santander remains tough to envision, but the Reds were recently linked to free agent reliever Carlos Estévez. Perhaps that kind of acquisition is more realistic now than it would’ve been had the team stuck with its initial plans to give the broadcasts to MLB.
Main Street Sports is back up to nine teams for which it’ll carry in-market broadcasts: the Angels, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Royals and Tigers. The Guardians and Twins are still set to allow MLB to handle distribution. They’re following in the footsteps of the Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies — each of whom was broadcast by MLB this past season. Main Street Sports has also dropped its deal with the Rangers. The Texas organization is not expected to return to Main Street Sports or to sign on with MLB. Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote last month that the Rangers were exploring ways to negotiate individual deals with various cable providers rather than contracting with an RSN.
Bubba Thompson To Join South Alabama Football Team
Former MLB outfielder Bubba Thompson is enrolling at the University of South Alabama, reports Creg Stephenson of AL.com. He is joining the Jaguars football team as a walk-on, Stephenson writes.
Thompson has not officially announced his retirement from baseball, though he posted a social media video of himself throwing a football inside the South Alabama facility with the caption “we back y’all!” Thompson, a Mobile native, was a quarterback in high school. (Stephenson notes that he was teammates with future South Alabama receiver Jalen Tolbert, who has spent the last three years with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.) He passed on a baseball commitment to the University of Alabama to sign with the Rangers as a first-round pick in 2017. The toolsy outfielder received a signing bonus just north of $2MM.
The righty-hitting Thompson drew praise from scouts for his athleticism and bat speed. The longstanding question was whether he’d make enough contact to be more than a fourth or fifth outfielder. Thompson never really managed to do so. He fanned in 32% of his 259 MLB plate appearances over the past three years. He bounced around the league via waivers last winter. The Reds succeeded in outrighting him off the 40-man roster in May. Thompson hit .232/.264/.289 with a 28.5% strikeout rate over 57 Double-A games. He qualified for minor league free agency at season’s end.
If Thompson fully moves on from baseball, he’ll finish with a .232/.273/.295 slash line in 109 games between Texas and Cincinnati. He was an asset on the bases, stealing 27 bags in 32 attempts.
Yankees, Dominic Smith Agree To Minor League Deal
The Yankees are in agreement with first baseman Dominic Smith on a minor league contract, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network. Presumably the Roc Nation Sports client will get a non-roster invite to MLB camp.
Smith will vie for a big league roster spot for a ninth consecutive season. He has spent more than half that time in New York as a member of the Mets. Smith was a top prospect who posted huge offensive numbers in a limited sample between 2019-20. His bat has markedly tailed off since that point. Smith struggled between 2021-22, leading the Mets to move on. He had a middling .254/.326/.366 showing over a career-high 586 plate appearances with the Nationals the following year.
The 29-year-old divided last season between the Red Sox and Reds. He got a decent amount of run as Boston’s starting first baseman while Triston Casas was injured. Smith hit .237/.317/.390 through 278 plate appearances with the Sox. Boston released him in mid-August when Casas made his return from the injured list. Smith inked a big league contract with Cincinnati shortly thereafter. He only got into nine games, hitting .192 without a home run over 29 trips before the Reds cut him loose. He finished the season with a cumulative .233/.313/.378 slash.
New York signed Paul Goldschmidt to take over as the primary first baseman. They’ve got Giancarlo Stanton penciled in at designated hitter. That gives Smith an uphill battle to cracking the MLB roster out of camp, though Stanton has a lengthy injury history. Ben Rice is on the 40-man roster as a lefty-hitting first baseman, so Smith would probably need to outperform him during Spring Training to have a shot at an Opening Day job.
