Spring training camps will open in a little more than five weeks. It seems so close and yet so far away. Although there has been an uptick in spring training signings and trades in recent years, teams prefer to get all their business handled before camp opens. There will be no shortage of signings and trades these next five weeks. Here now are Sunday’s hot stove rumors.
Orioles still looking to add
Even after signing Charlie Morton, the Orioles are looking to make further additions via free agency and trade, reports The Athletic. Baltimore could still use a true frontline starter, though those guys are in short supply, and chances are GM Mike Elias exhausted those possibilities before pivoting to Morton. The O’s could use another reliever (which team couldn’t?) and maybe a bench guy.
Cot’s Baseball Contracts estimates Baltimore’s 2025 payroll at $136 million, well above last year’s $93 million Opening Day payroll. The O’s have certainly raised payroll this offseason. That said, their estimated 2025 payroll is still comfortably south of the team’s $148 million Opening Day payroll way back in 2016. Elias should have more spending room available to add to the roster under new billionaire owner David Rubenstein.
Red Sox did not get meeting with Sasaki
The Red Sox were not among the teams invited to meet in-person with star Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, according to the Boston Globe. Sasaki is known to have met in-person with the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Padres, Rangers, and Yankees. It’s possible he sat down with other teams face-to-face as well. We ranked Sasaki as the seventh-best free agent available this offseason.
Because he is only 23, Sasaki is subject to the international bonus pools, which essentially level the financial playing field. He can only sign a minor-league contract and his signing bonus will be no greater than $10 million or so. The 2025 international signing period opens Jan. 15 and Sasaki’s 45-day posting window closes Jan. 23, giving him nine days to sign.
Cardinals seeking late-inning bullpen help
The Cardinals are entering what POBO John Mozeliak called a “reset” earlier this offseason, though that doesn’t mean they are against making additions intended to help the team win. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Cardinals are looking to add to their bullpen, specifically a bona fide late-inning reliever to share high-leverage duty with closer Ryan Helsley.
It has been a slow-moving offseason for free agent relievers. Jeff Hoffman and Tanner Scott, who are Nos. 24 and 27 on our top 50 free agents, remain unsigned, as do grizzled veterans like Kenley Jansen, David Robertson, and Kirby Yates. At some point, likely soon, the seal will break and free-the agent relievers will come off the board. St. Louis could be among the active teams then.
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