With a month to go until pitchers and catchers report for camp, Major League Baseball’s offseason is starting to wind down. That makes this the opportune time for clubs around the league to apply the finishing touches to their rosters. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Tuesday’s most notable news, rumors, and moves in one handy spot for your viewing convenience.
Dodgers to host Sasaki
Japanese ace Roki Sasaki’s recruitment tour will include a second meeting with the Dodgers, with this one taking place in Los Angeles and allowing for the inclusion of other players, according to The Athletic.
Sasaki has already visited the other finalists, the Padres and Blue Jays, in their host cities. He’s ostensibly as familiar with Los Angeles as any other MLB market — that’s because he hosted his initial meetings there, at his agency’s headquarters. It’s worth noting that Sasaki did not permit teams to include their players in that initial pitch; the Dodgers, of course, employ several of his Team Japan teammates, in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. How much that matters is to be determined.
Sasaki will make his decision sometime after the new international amateur free-agent period opens on Jan. 15 and before his Jan. 23 window.
Cubs not interested in long-term deal for Bregman
Although they’ve had conversations with agent Scott Boras about Alex Bregman, the Cubs are not interested in a long-term deal for the All-Star third baseman, reports 670 The Score. A deal between the Cubs and Bregman would likely be a one-year contract with player options, similar to the deal Cody Bellinger took with Chicago last offseason.
Bregman, 31 in March, was said to be seeking a long-term deal in the $200 million range earlier this winter. The Astros pivoted to Isaac Paredes at third base and Christian Walker at first base rather than meet Bregman’s asking price. The Paredes trade opened up third base in Chicago, though the Cubs have top infield prospect Matt Shaw set to arrive soon.
Complicating Bregman’s free agency is Nolan Arenado’s continued presence on the trade market. Teams looking for third base help could wait out the market, and see which one of Bregman or the Cardinals lowers their asking price first.
Reds gain additional payroll flexibility
Earlier this week, the Reds agreed to a new one-year broadcast and streaming deal with FanDuel Sports Network. Top executive Nick Krall has since suggested that Cincinnati’s payroll will stand to receive at least a “little bit” of a bump in response, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“Just getting a little bit more money is definitely great,” Krall told the newspaper. “We can work a little bit more in both the free agency and the trade market.”
The Reds’ uncertainty with their local TV revenue had previously forced them to keep their payroll within about $10 million of last year’s figure, per the estimates at Cot’s Contracts. Now, the would-be contenders will at least have a little more breathing room.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the Reds are likely to rush out and sign any player to a lucrative long-term deal. As the Enquirer notes, the team is more likely to traffic in short-term arrangements given the lack of clarity about their long-term broadcasting rights.
Yankees add Smith
The Yankees have signed former Mets first baseman Dominic Smith to a minor-league deal, according to Jack Curry of YES Network.
Smith, 29, was once upon a time a first-round pick and a top prospect. He’s hit .246/.313/.403 for his career (97 OPS+) all the while seeing action with four clubs. Most recently, he split the 2024 campaign between the Red Sox and Reds.
The Yankees, of course, signed former NL MVP Award recipient Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal earlier this winter with the hopes that he rebounds from a career-worst season. As such, Smith will compete with Ben Rice for the designation of Plan B at the cold corner in the event of injury or underperformance.
