MLB Rumors: Roki Sasaki favorite, Braves big game hunting, A's keep on spending

MLB never truly sleeps. It's a year-round affair, with plenty of juicy headlines and palpable intrigue to chew on, even after the biggest free agents have found their new homes.

We have arrived at an especially interesting juncture in the offseason. Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes dominated the rumor mill for months, but now the leftovers are operating with increased urgency. Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso and Jack Flaherty all finished the 2024 campaign expecting major paydays. That should still prove true, but when the market fades and money becomes tight, folks end up settling for less. Just ask Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery.

The Dodgers, Yankees and Mets have all made sizable dents at the top of the free agent market. Those are your standard high rollers, which leaves the stingy teams to clean up the scraps. Here is the latest scuttlebutt from around the league.

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MLB Rumors: A's hand Brent Rooker healthy $60 million extension

The formerly-of-Oakland Athletics and Brent Rooker have agreed to terms on a five-year, $60 million extension, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. A vesting option can expand it to six years and $90 million.

This is ... a huge underpay?

How the A's pulled this one off is a bit baffling, as Rooker would have raked in hefty offers on the open market. The 30-year-old finished last season with .293/.365/.562 splits and 39 home runs, posting an impressive 5.6 WAR for the lowly A's.

He is exclusive to DH, which limits his value to a certain extent, but MLB contracts are ballooning with each passing year. We have seen the record for largest contract ever broken in back-to-back offseasons. Willy Adames got $182 million. Hell, Christian Walker got $60 million over two fewer years. Rooker does not supply the same defensive impact, but he's a genuinely special bat. The A's aren't exactly a marquee destination either. Is Rooker really looking forward to spending the foreseeable future in a Minor League ballpark in Sacramento?

All that said, the A's deserve credit (?) for actually spending this winter in an effort to improve the on-field product, even if it feels a bit disrespectful for this spending spree to occur after leaving their loyal Oakland fanbase high and dry. Rooker's new deal comes on the heels of Luis Severino's three-year, $67 million contract, which is the largest in A's history.

MLB Rumors: Braves interested in top free agent reliever Tanner Scott

The Atlanta Braves have mostly let the offseason pass them by to date. Both Max Fried and Charlie Morton are with new teams, which leaves the pitching staff in a compromised state. The offense should improve by virtue of better health and better luck, but after such a disappointing 2024 campaign, it's hard to justify Alex Anthopoulos' complete inaction this winter.

That said, there is still time for Atlanta to make a dent in the free agent pool. The Braves are $24 million away from the $241 million luxury tax threshold, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic points out. Anthopoulos has said the Braves will not let the luxury tax deter them, but we shall see if he's true to his word. Rosenthal does not believe Atlanta is done scouring the market.

"The Braves have done background work on reliever Tanner Scott, among other free agents," he writes. "It seems doubtful their offseason is over."

Lefty reliever Tanner Scott would beautifully accent what is already a strong Braves bullpen. The hard-throwing southpaw split last season between Miami and San Diego, so Atlanta is intimately familiar with what he brings to the table. Scott appeared in 72 games, posting a 1.75 ERA and 4.0 WAR, striking out 84 across 72.0 innings en route to 22 saves. He would presumably split closer duties with Raisel Iglesias.

The Braves also need to focus on the starter market — putting Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson down for significant starts in 2025 is a bad game plan — but signing Scott would go a long way toward satisfying an anxious fanbase.

MLB Rumors: Padres, not Dodgers, emerge as Roki Sasaki favorites

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the chalk favorite team in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes since October. One couldn't blame the 23-year-old for signing up to pitch behind Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He'd be in the spotlight, both in America and Japan, and he'd be in line to win a lot of postseason games.

That said, the market has shifted in recent days, with the San Diego Padres now emerging as the favorites to acquire the top remaining free agent ace, per Bob Nigthengale of USA Today.

"Sure, if he wants the bright lights, the marketing endorsements, and the chance to win the World Series every year, the Dodgers are his team," Nightengale says. "But if he wants a more tranquil market and to play with his mentor Yu Darvish, the Padres are his team."

The Darvish connection continues to loom large when trying to peg down Sasaki's next move. He won't get the same spotlight in San Diego as he might in Los Angeles, but there's reason to believe that's a positive for his long-term development. Factor in his longstanding friendship with Darvish, who can function as a teacher as well as a teammate, and Sasaki could be swayed toward the Padres.

San Diego hasn't done much to improve the team after a strong finish in 2024, so landing Sasaki would be huge. He could be limited in terms of workload out of the gate, but Sasaki packs nasty stuff and operates with tremendous poise. There should be no doubt about the 23-year-old's ability to win games straight away.