MLB Rumors: Reuniting Roki Sasaki and Reds Payroll Hope, Plus Yankees Add Former Mets Top Prospect

With one month until pitchers and catchers arrive at camp, the Major League Baseball offseason is starting to wind down. It is therefore an opportune time for clubs in the league to put the finishing touches on their squads. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Tuesday’s most notable news, rumors and moves in one convenient place for your viewing convenience.

Dodgers to welcome Sasaki

Japanese ace Roki Sasaki’s recruiting tour will include a second meeting with the Dodgers, 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 apparently knows Los Angeles as well as any other MLB market – that’s because he held his first meetings there, at his agency’s headquarters. It should be noted that Sasaki did not allow teams to include their players in this initial launch; the Dodgers, of course, employ several of his teammates from the Japanese team, namely Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. How much this matters remains to be seen.

Sasaki will make his decision sometime after the new international amateur free agent period opens on January 15 and before its January 23 window.

Cubs not interested in long-term deal for Bregman

Despite having conversations with agent Scott Boras about Alex Bregman, the Cubs are not interested in a long-term deal for the All-Star third baseman, 670 The Score reports. A deal between the Cubs and Bregman would likely be a one-year deal with player options, similar to the deal Cody Bellinger made with Chicago last offseason.

Bregman, 31 in March, was reportedly 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, although the Cubs have top infield prospect Matt Shaw expected to arrive soon.

What Complicates Bregman’s Free Agency Is Nolan Arenado’s Free Agency continued presence in the commercial market. Teams looking for third base help could wait out the market and see whether Bregman or the Cardinals lower their asking price first.

Reds benefit from 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 would see at least a “small” increase in response, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

“Just making a little more money is really awesome,” Krall told the newspaper. “We can work a little more on both free agency and the trade market.”

The Reds’ uncertainty over local television revenue had previously forced them to keep their payroll within about $10 million of last year’s figure, according to estimates from Cot’s Contracts. Now potential suitors will at least have a little more room to maneuver.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Reds are likely to rush out and sign any player for a lucrative long-term deal. As the Enquirer notes, the team is more likely to strike short-term deals given the lack of clarity on its long-term broadcast rights.

The Yankees have signed former Mets first baseman Dominic Smith to a minor league contract, according to Jack Curry of YES Network.

Smith, 29, was once a first-round pick and top prospect. He hit .246/.313/.403 for his career (97 OPS+) while playing with four clubs. Most recently, he split the 2024 campaign between the Red Sox and Reds.

The Yankees, of course, signed former National League MVP Award recipient Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year contract earlier this winter in hopes of him bouncing back from a career-worst season. As such, Smith will compete with Ben Rice for the designation of Plan B at cold corner in the event of injury or poor performance.