AL East

The New York Yankees have reportedly been informed that star Japanese pitcher Rōki Sasaki will not be signing with them this offseason, per Jack Curry of YES.

San Francisco Giants general manager Zack Minasian previously told reporters that the San Francisco Giants have also been told that Sasaki will not be signing with them, despite the two sides holding an in-person meeting this winter.

The New York Mets—who were considered "unlikely" to sign Sasaki by early Monday, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic—are out as well:

Mets are indeed out on Sasaki https://t.co/wR96RdQsBm

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 13, 2025

And finally, the Texas Rangers aren't making the cut:

Roki Sasaki has informed Rangers he will be signing elsewhere, per person familiar with process.

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) January 13, 2025

According to Sammon, Dennis Lin and Andy McCullough of The Athletic, the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Rangers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays all held in-person meetings with Sasaki. The Dodgers and Padres are considered the favorites to land him, per that report.

The finalists for Japanese star right-hander Roki Sasaki are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, sources tell ESPN. Sasaki will decide on his team by the closing of his posting window Jan. 23.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2025

Sasaki is arguably the most intriguing remaining free agent available, even if teams are limited to their international bonus pool money when making offers.

"This is very likely the week when we will learn where Roki Sasaki will pitch in Major League Baseball." - @jonmorosi pic.twitter.com/pPShFqYrEt

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 13, 2025

The 23-year-old has the potential to be a top starting pitcher at the MLB level, going 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings (18 games) during the 2024 Nippon Professional Baseball season in Japan. He also went 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 7.2 innings during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

As for the Yankees and Mets, the two teams have been at the center of the baseball world this offseason. The Mets made the biggest splash in the sport, signing Juan Soto away from their crosstown rivals on a massive 15-year, $765 million deal. But they also signed Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and Griffin Canning to the pitching staff and re-signed Sean Manaea.

The Yankees have pivoted well after the Soto loss, meanwhile, trading for Cody Bellinger, Devin Williams and Fernando Cruz while signing Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt. Signing Sasaki would have further muted the sting of losing Soto.

"He's obviously a tremendous talent," general manager Brian Cashman told reporters in December regarding the talented Japanese starter. "It'd be nice to have Yankee Stadium be his home, but the decision will be up to him. All we can do is share everything and anything that we can about ourselves and what we provide."

Ultimately, their sales pitch to Sasaki didn't convince him to make the move to the Big Apple, with either the Dodgers or Padres now firmly in the driver's seat to land the young ace.

The Toronto Blue Jays met with Japanese pitcher Rōki Sasaki last week, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough.

Rosenthal and McCullough listed off the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs as the other teams confirmed to be in the hunt for the international free agent.

Blue Jays fans have been down this road before, so they're unlikely to get too ahead of themselves. The Athletic report described the franchise as "a silver medalist for one free agent after another the past two offseasons," with Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto the most notable targets who signed elsewhere.

Toronto is also in a state of flux organizationally.

The Blue Jays finished last in the American League East at 74-88 and haven't upgraded their roster too much.

Second baseman Andrés Giménez is their biggest addition so far. While an elite defender, the 26-year-old is a career .261 hitter with a .393 slugging percentage. He's unlikely to raise Toronto's ceiling too much.

Meanwhile, the Jays' best player is only a year out from free agency. They avoided arbitration with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his $28.5 million salary for 2025 gives some idea of how much he could earn on his next contract.

Should the four-time All-Star leave Toronto, the team's short-term outlook is pretty bleak, and Sasaki is well aware of this fact.

The Blue Jays can't even give the right-hander the most bonus money, negating what was theoretically an advantage when they pursued Ohtani and Soto and could've paid them whatever they wanted.

Toronto is limited to $6.3 million in bonus money for international free agents, which is more than the Dodgers have ($5.1 million) but on par with San Diego, Chicago and Texas and less than the flexibility the Mariners possess ($7.6 million).

Sasaki and his representatives wouldn't have gotten this far with the Blue Jays if he wasn't open to signing with them. But it's hard to see what would make them stand out from the pack.

The New York Yankees are looking for a salary dump ahead of acquiring more infielder depth.

Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that the Yankees are hoping to "clear money to acquire an infielder" but that the new player will not ba "a particularly high-priced one."

This news comes amidst rumors about the availability of pitcher Marcus Stroman on the trade market. He is under contract through 2025 with a vesting option for 2026.

Mark Sanchez of the New York Post reported that one infielder the Yankees have "checked-in on" is former Seattle Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco. He is a free agent and previously played on a five-year, $25.7 million contract.

The Yankees went 94-68 and won the AL Pennant. However, they lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers and have had a tumultuous offseason. It started when star outfielder Juan Soto signed with the cross-town rival New York Mets on a historic 15-year, $765 million contract.

Since then, the Yankees have signed left-handed starter Max Fried, first baseman and former NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt and also traded for star closer Devin Williams and outfielder Cody Bellinger in seperate deals. The team also re-signed ace Gerrit Cole and has a strong rotation that makes Stroman expendable.

Stroman went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 154.2 innings in 2024. He did not pitch in the postseason but could filter in as a middle-of-rotation starter for another team.

Moving Stroman for an infielder of similar caliber could be intriguing but also dumping his salary to pursue a player like Polanco would help the Yankees prepare to make another run in 2025.

The Boston Red Sox city connect uniforms are getting a makeover for the 2025 season.

Per WEEI's Rob Bradford, the new-look jerseys will be green instead of the alternate blue design they have used since 2023.

When MLB and Nike introduced City Connect uniforms in 2021, the Red Sox were among the first round of teams included.

The design of the uniforms is meant to reflect certain cultural aspects of the team's home city. The Red Sox's look was one of the most radical departures from the tradition, with a yellow and blue design that pays tribute to the Boston Marathon and Boylston Street.

The Red Sox will wear these special "Nike City Connect" uniforms on Patriots' Day weekend. pic.twitter.com/x5Xlhg1pNu

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) April 6, 2021

The yellow and blue design will remain in place, but the blue alternates that have been used for the past two seasons will be taken out of rotation.

Adam Grossman, Red Sox chief marketing officer, explained to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com in September the reason for change.

"MLB allows Clubs who have a current City Connect jersey the ability to redesign it after several seasons," Grossman said. "Given the popularity of our yellow uniforms with our players and fans, we have elected to keep it as a core uniform offering for the foreseeable future. We will unveil a City Connect 2.0 uniform in 2025 and will no longer wear our blue alternate jerseys."

MLB and Nike agreed to a "four plus one" rule prior to the start of the 2023 season that limits teams to four traditional uniforms plus one City Connect. The yellow and blue look will be added to the Red Sox traditional rotation in 2025, along with the home white, alternate home red and road gray.

There are currently 28 teams that have City Connect uniforms in MLB. The only holdouts are the New York Yankees because Hal Steinbrenner doesn't want to lose the pinstripe look, and the A's because they aren't currently affiliated with a city.

Two New York Yankees fans who grabbed Mookie Betts' wrist while he made a catch at the wall during Game 4 of the World Series have been banned "indefinitely" from MLB stadiums, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post.

MLB wrote in a letter to the fans obtained by the Post that the incident "posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior."

"Based on your conduct, Major League Baseball is banning you indefinitely from all MLB stadiums, offices, and other facilities," MLB said.

The league warned the fans they could be arrested for trespassing if found on MLB property, according to Martin.

The fans, identified as Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen, interfered with Betts as he jumped to make a catch in the bottom of the first inning on Oct. 29 at Yankee Stadium. One fan held Betts' wrist while the other attempted to pry the ball out of his glove.

"Well, A for effort."

Fan interference was called on this play where a Yankee fan tried to take the ball out of Mookie Betts' glove after an out. pic.twitter.com/iZ6taImncd

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024

Hansen and Capobianco were ejected from Game 4 and banned from Game 5. The Yankees and MLB "jointly" banned the pair from Yankee Stadium before MLB decided to prohibit them from attending any league event, per Martin.

Capobianco told ESPN's Jesse Rogers after the game that the incident had been part of his and Hansen's plan to "D up" if a foul ball came to them at the wall.

Capobianco later acknowledged in an interview with Barstool Sports (h/t the Post's Ryan Glasspiegel) that they "crossed the line" by grabbing Betts' wrist.

The Yankees said in a statement following the incident that the fans' actions had been "egregious and unacceptable."

"The safety and security of players, fans and Stadium staff is the foundational element of every event held at Yankee Stadium, and it cannot be compromised," the Yankees said.

The Yankees then announced the pair's Game 5 tickets had been given to a pediatric cancer patient and their family.

Betts, who shrugged off the incident immediately after the game, expressed frustration with the fans months after the Dodgers bounced back from the Game 4 loss to win the World Series.

"I get them trying to get the ball. Cool. But, like, you tried to grab my s--t," Betts said about the moment in a December appearance on Peacock's 2024 Back That Year Up With Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson.

Betts continued: "I was in the moment. So I thought about throwing a ball at them. And then I realized, 'Mook, you ain't gonna do s--t. Go back to right field.'"

Initial reports from ESPN described Capobianco and Hansen both as season ticket holders. Martin reported the pair was sitting in seats owned by another season ticket holder, who was not in attendance at Game 4 and supported MLB's ban.

The ticket holder, who has held the tickets since 1990, will be allowed to keep the seats, according to Martin.

Amid months of trade speculation, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has settled his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Guerrero settled his arbitration case with Toronto at $28.5 million for the 2025 season. The 25-year-old is in his final season of arbitration eligibility and will become a free agent next offseason.

Last offseason, the Blue Jays offered Guerrero $18.05 million but he won a salary of $19.9 million in arbitration, which was the highest arbitration salary awarded in a case decided by a hearing.

This year's figure for Guerrero was the third-highest in arbitration behind Juan Soto's $31.5 million with the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani's $30 million with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. Guerrero will likely be the highest-paid arbitration player this season.

Guerrero is coming off a season in which he recorded 30 home runs, 103 RBI and the second-best batting average in the majors at .323. He also had the sixth-best OPS at .940.

Though there were rumors about Guerrero potentially requesting a trade if the two sides failed to reach a long-term contract, he'll now likely wait until free agency. Of course, Toronto could still secure its franchise player for the long term if it gives him the right offer.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported in January that Guerrero was seeking a deal worth at least $450 million and that he and the Blue Jays are still at least $100 million apart in negotiations. Nightengale also noted that if Guerrero doesn't have a deal by spring training he'll test free agency, with the Boston Red Sox being one of his teams of choice.

Toronto now has a season to figure out whether it wants to commit to Guerrero long-term or move in a different direction with the franchise.

The Boston Red Sox might have missed the last three postseasons, but the future is bright for the team.

In MLB.com's MLB Pipeline Executives Poll, executives were asked which team has the best pipeline. That voting was overwhelmingly in favor of the Red Sox. The Red Sox got 32 percent of the vote with the second-most votes going to the Tampa Bay Rays at 20 percent.

Leading the way in Boston's farm system is outfielder Roman Anthony, who is considered to be the No. 3 overall prospect and the top prospect for the Red Sox.

Along with taking the top spot for the best farm system, the Red Sox received high praise from executives in a few other categories. They had the second-most votes when asked what team does the best job drafting, only behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Boston was also tied for the most votes when it came to developing hitters, receiving 30 percent of the votes along with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Red Sox farm system took a hit when they traded away Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery in return for Garrett Crochet this offseason. Teel is considered to be the No. 25 overall prospect, according to MLB.com, while Montgomery ranks No. 37 overall.

Still, there's no shortage of talent in Boston's system. In MLB.com's prospect rankings, the Red Sox feature three of the top 10 players with Anthony leading the way.

Anthony, who was drafted in 2022, had an impressive season in 2024 when he was called up to Triple-A. He had a .344 batting average and a .982 OPS while hitting three homers and 20 RBI in his 35 games.

He'll look to build off that strong season and perhaps get called up to The Show in 2025.

The Red Sox are coming off an 81-81 season but have made some big moves this offseason, including landing Crochet and signing Walker Buehler. While they missed out on the biggest star in free agency, Juan Soto, they'll still enter the 2025 season with a much-improved roster.

The New York Yankees and San Diego Padres reportedly aren't expected to discuss a trade involving second baseman Luis Arráez.

According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Yankees "briefly" checked in with the Padres "last November" but the two sides haven't discussed a deal since. The New York Mets haven't entered negotiations with San Diego either but could still be on the lookout for a veteran infielder, per Martino.

Arráez and the Padres settled at $14 million to avoid arbitration on Thursday, via Robert Murray of FanSided.

The Mets could still be in play for the three-time All-Star, though. Martino noted on Thursday that Arráez may be viewed as a "stopgap first baseman" by the team if the front office can't re-sign Pete Alonso in free agency.

ESPN's Jeff Passan previously reported that the Yankees showed interest in Arráez as well as Gavin Lux, and their desire to add the Padres' infielder may have increased after Lux was dealt from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

New York is still on the lookout for Gleyber Torres' replacement at second base, as Torres signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Tigers on Dec. 27.

Arráez has won three consecutive batting titles, maintaining a career average of .323 and owning a .328/.371/.426 slash line since the start of the 2022 season.

Luis Arraez makes HITS-tory! 

With a .314 average, Arraez leads the National League and will become the first player to win 3 straight batting crowns with 3 different teams 👏 pic.twitter.com/hQMW7AgsLu

— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2024

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that he's "not seen as a fit" with the Yankees, though.

Concerns may stem from his shaky defense as well as a lack of power at the plate, hitting just 22 home runs in 1,892 plate appearances over the past three years.

The Yankees will continue their search for a new starting second baseman for the 2025 season, but a potential Arráez acquisition doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

The New York Yankees have added notable players such as Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, Devin Williams and Paul Goldschmidt this offseason, but teams are reportedly interested in whether they would be willing to give up one of their players in a trade.

Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported Thursday that multiple teams "have checked in on" whether the Yankees would trade Oswaldo Cabrera this offseason.

"The 25-year-old is cheap, still a season away from salary arbitration eligibility, also plays the corner outfield spots, and won't be a free agent until after the 2028 season," Kuty wrote of the versatile player who is set to make $800,000 during the upcoming campaign.

Cabrera appeared in 108 games for the Yankees last season and slashed .247/.296/.365 with eight home runs, 36 RBI and four stolen bases.

He also played innings at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field, underscoring his ability to fit into almost any lineup in the league with a formidable glove. Cabrera played the most innings at third base (566.1) and posted impressive plus-seven defensive runs saved above average at the hot corner, per FanGraphs.

While the offensive numbers don't jump off the page, his defense and potential stand out.

It wasn't long ago that MLB.com ranked him as the 14th-best prospect in the Yankees' system in 2022, and other teams are surely hoping he can fully tap into that potential with a change of scenery and perhaps more consistent playing time if New York trades him.

Rafael Devers is not shying away from his willingness to move off third base if the Boston Red Sox can sign Alex Bregman.

The three-time All-Star recently liked a post from a Red Sox podcast that was discussing the possibility of Bregman coming to Boston to play the hot corner, with Devers shifting to designated hitter.

Raffy liked this clip of us saying Bregman should be the Sox 3B and he should be the DH… https://t.co/l5TwmW0uPa pic.twitter.com/EQt50D3rUp

— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) January 8, 2025

Red Sox manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow initially dismissed the idea of moving Devers off third base when asked about it during the winter meetings.

The tone has changed in his recent weeks, with Breslow saying on Dec. 30 that "as of now" the plan is for Devers to be the starter at third base in 2025.

Craig Breslow says “as of now” Rafael Devers is the Red Sox third baseman and they’re really pleased with the work he’s put in this offseason, but that they’re open to any way to make the team better.

— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) December 30, 2024

The Red Sox have been connected to Bregman, but their level of interest could be waning. MLB.com's John Denton reported on Monday they "could be close" to pulling out of the bidding for the 30-year-old star, especially since Nolan Arenado would be willing to waive his no-trade clause if the St. Louis Cardinals can work out a deal with Boston.

Whether the Red Sox end up landing either Bregman or Arenado, either one would represent a significant defensive upgrade at third base. Devers was the worst defensive third baseman in MLB by FanGraphs' defensive value (minus-1.7), defensive runs saved (minus-nine) and outs above average (minus-six).

Since his first full season in 2018, Devers ranks 81st out of 82 qualified players in defensive runs saved (minus-57). Only Nick Castellanos (minus-67) has been worse among all MLB players.

Adding even an average defender at third base would represent a huge upgrade for the Red Sox. It would also Devers to focus entirely on what he does best: hit. He has a .279/.354/.519 slash line in 588 games since the start of the 2021 season.

The Red Sox have taken steps to upgrade their pitching staff this offseason by trading for Garrett Crochet and signing Walker Buehler, but they have yet to make a significant addition on the position player side.

Bregman or Arenado would solve two problems for the Red Sox by giving them a quality starter at third base and allow Devers to replace Masataka Yoshida at DH.