The calendar says January, but if you are a player like Roki Sasaki, you can almost smell the fresh-cut grass of the Spring Training ballparks. Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in less than 30 days, which means the MLB off-season is about to start heating up!
Rumors are swirling about Sasaki as he narrows his list of suitors and updates on top Free Agents like Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman. The New York Yankees are still looking to add to their roster, which could very well mean moving on from one of their veteran pitchers. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who continue to sign big free agents as they gear up to defend their title, are also in on Sasaki. We take a look into those topics and more in the inaugural edition of our weekly offseason report.
2025 MLB News & Rumors: Sasaki & Free Agent Frenzy Heating Up
Sasaki Sweepstakes Down to Three
Early Monday afternoon, word started to spread that Roki Sasaki was getting closer to deciding which team to sign with. The 23-year-old has been rumored to have narrowed his choices down to the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays after informing eight other teams he would not be signing with them.
Toronto’s inclusion in the top three is a bit of a shock, with many believing the Yankees or New York Mets would be in the mix if Sasaki were willing to head to the East Coast.
The Padres look to be the most likely destination based on the upfront money they can offer to compete with the Dodgers. While it would be a must-watch to see a staff with Ohtani and Sasaki on it, imagine the drama of a key division matchup with them facing off.
Top Players Still Available
Last year, a few top players did not sign with a team until late in Spring Training or at the beginning of the season. It was clear that they held out to try to get more money, but this ultimately backfired and put them behind in terms of getting up to speed with their new teams. Now that the calendar has flipped to 2025, many top names are still searching for a new team, and they should sign sooner rather than later.
Alex Bregman has seemingly been linked to many teams thus far. However, those teams are hesitant to give the 30-year-old a long-term deal, which may result in the reigning Gold Glove Award winner settling for a deal that lasts around three or four years.
The most recent update on Bregman has been that the Chicago Cubs have had discussions with Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, on a potential deal but are unwilling to go more than three years, according to Bruce Levine, who covers the Cubs. Chicago parted ways with Cody Bellinger, who had a similar deal in a trade with the Yankees, who have also been linked to Bregman.
The Bronx Bombers have pieced together a nice offseason after losing out on Juan Soto by adding Bellinger, Max Fried, Devin Williams, and Paul Goldschmidt, but still have a vacancy over at third base. Ideally, they would move Jazz Chisholm over to second and bring in Bregman after early rumors about them trying to trade for Nolan Arenado fizzled out. Arenado, and Bregman for that matter, have been linked to Boston recently, with the Red Sox looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign.
Boston already has a third baseman; however, Rafael Devers and Alex Cora recently reported that he has no plans on changing that, which would leave Arenado out of the picture (unless he is willing to DH) but not Bregman. Cora went on to say that he has always seen Bregman as a second baseman, which would make that Boston infield one of the league’s best. Bregman batted .260 with 26 homer runs and 75 RBI and was also awarded a Gold Glove, while Arenado hit .272 with 16 homers and 71 RBI.
Pete Alonso, another Boras client, has been relatively quiet this offseason after rumors that he would love to play for the Yankees. It would make sense for Alonso to reunite with the Mets and provide what Aaron Judge provided in hitting behind Soto, but the two sides have been far apart in negotiations.
With Alonso’s market starting to fade away, a reunion with the Mets seems the most likely to happen as we approach Spring Training. The question will be who blinks first regarding years and money, the Mets or Pete. It was reported earlier in the month that Alonso turned down a three-year, $90 million offer from the Mets, who could pivot and use that money elsewhere if they remain far apart.
Dominos Will Fall Fast
The MLB offseason can be a frustrating one for fans due to the holiday season. There will be some signings throughout November and early December, but as the holiday season comes and goes, players and teams will go radio silent.
Now that we are well into the new year, the Hot Stove will start heating up again, and it can be expected that within the next couple of weeks, names will start flying off the board as they look to gear up for Spring Training. Which teams will they go to? Stay tuned to find out!
