As the first weekend of 2025 approaches, here are three things we’ll be looking at in baseball:
1. Hyeseong Kim’s signing deadline is fast approaching:
We don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but there’s a good reason why Hyeseong Kim returned to the top of The Opener for the second day in a row. The KBO star was drafted last month, and his negotiating window officially opened on December 5, giving him 30 days to sign a contract with the MLB team. He now has less than eight hours before his posting window closes this afternoon at 4:00 PM CT.
MLBTR ranked Kim at no. 26 on our list of the Top 50 Free Agents this winter, predicted to sign a three-year, $24MM deal. However, his name does not appear in many rumors or reports since he was installed. If Kim does not sign today, he will return to his KBO team, the Kiwoom Heroes, for the 2025 season. As Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News points out, Kim will be an unrestricted free agent next season, meaning he won’t need a second draft if he wants to pursue an MLB career. That would improve his chances of making a deal. Not only will he have more time to negotiate, but his new team won’t be forced to pay a release clause to sign him.
2. The White Sox 40-man innings move:
The White Sox have a full 40-man roster, which means they will need to make room Josh Rojas before they finalize his signing. The free agent forward reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with Chicago on Thursday, but the team has yet to confirm the news. The financial details of the deal are another thing to keep an eye on this weekend – as of today, they have not been reported.
Earlier this week, the White Sox traded the left-hander Tyler Gilbert and the designated player Braden Shewmake for the assignment to free up space in the list. So, their current 40-man roster is pretty heavy, with 24 arms and only 16 position players. With that in mind, it appears the White Sox will cut the pitcher to make room for Rojas.
3. Owen White’s DFA Adjustment:
After signing the free agent cutoff Hoby MilnerRangers DFA’d top forward Owen White to make room on the 40-man roster. Since then, White has been waiting. Generally, parties have seven days to resolve a DFA, but that timeline can be extended during the period between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Now that the offseason is over, however, the Rangers will have to trade White or place him on waivers, likely before the end of the weekend.
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