Roki Sasaki nears a decision and there are consequences. The international amateur market opens today. What’s up with Alex Bregman? And other news from around baseball.
Good morning. I think we’re all familiar with Roki Sasaki narrowing his decision to three teams on Monday by now. But the fallout from that continues.
- This came out before Sasaki’s Monday announcements, but it’s been updated since then. An ESPN roundtable discussion that assesses the Sasaki market and projects what kind of a major league pitcher he’ll be.
- MLB dot com gives the pros and cons of each team still in the running for Sasaki.
- Stephen J. Nesbitt has the story of Sasaki’s life (so far) and how it was forever changed by the tragedy of the tsunami that swept his hometown when he was in third grade. (The Athletic sub. req.) Sasaki’s father and paternal grandparents were all killed in the tsunami.
- Sonja Chen looks at how the Dodgers would handle a six-man rotation if Sasaki decided to sign with them.
- R.J. Anderson believes Sasaki’s decision will be a critical turning point for the Blue Jays, one way or the other.
- Will Sammon, Dennis Lin and Andy McCullough write that the upcoming Sasaki decision has wreaked havoc on the international free agent market, (The Athletic sub. req.) which officially starts today.
- Jake Mintz has another look at how much damage Sasaki’s decision could have on top Latin American amateurs looking to sign this year.
- Jesse Borek gets you up to speed on what you need to know about international signing day. Meaning today.
- Eric Longenhagen has a ranking of the top international free agents expected to sign.
- The Mariners have signed infielder Donovan Solano to a one-year, $3.5 million contract.
- Jake Mintz grades all the off-seasons for NL East teams.
- Will Leitch ranks all six 2024 division winners by how likely they are to repeat this year.
- Russell Dorsey believes that despite losing Juan Soto in the offseason, this year’s Yankees are better than last year’s edition.
- R.J. Anderson examines why free agent Alex Bregman hasn’t signed yet and where he might go.
- Bradford Doolittle examines where all 30 teams would rank if there were no player movement in baseball. (ESPN+ sub. req.) That is, if every player played for the team that signed them first.
- Esteban Rivera notes that Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz is one of the few big ballplayers who loves the high pitch.
- Sam Dykstra has the top ten catching prospects for 2025.
- Chandler Rome outlines how Astros left-hander Tyler Ivey regained his love of the game as he attempts a comeback after two years out of the game. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- We now know that former Orioles and Cubs pitcher Brian Matusz likely died of a drug overdose. Sad news to be sure.
- Ben Clemens uses the example of Corbin Carroll to note that some players are better at making productive outs than others.
- The Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies will play two games as the Binghamton Bathtub Donkeys this upcoming season. Find out the story behind that promotion. More here.
- Yikes.
Per a source, Jeff Hoffman had a potential deal that was nixed when he failed a physical with the Braves’ medical staff. Hoffman also reportedly failed a physical with the Orioles before signing with the Blue Jays
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) January 13, 2025
I know we talked about Hoffman signing with the Cubs at times this winter. I’m glad he didn’t now. But maybe the Blue Jays know better.
- The staff at The Athletic reveal their Hall of Fame ballots. (The Athletic sub. req.) I send in a Hall of Fame ballot every year. For some reason, they never count mine.
- Matt Monagan looks at the time that San Diego almost had a floating, multipurpose stadium.
- Finally, Giants pitcher Tyler Rogers possesses the slowest fastball currently in the majors. He has higher ambitions for his newborn son whom he and his wife Jennifer named Nolan Ryan Rogers.