1. Giants 40-man roster incoming:
The Giants signed right-handers Adriaan Huiser And Jason Foley to Major League deals yesterday, thus creating a logjam on their 40-man roster. San Francisco’s roster was already full before these signings, so they’ll have to make some corresponding moves to round out those additions. Those trades could simply involve designating two other players for assignment, but it’s also possible the Giants want to work out some sort of trade that frees up 40-man cap space.
2. Left-handed market is heating up:
While the bullpen market has been buzzing for most of the offseason, the market for specifically left-handed relief pitching has been a bit quieter until recently. Since the beginning of last week Gregory Soto was most noticeably left-handed to draw, but that dam has been broken. Hobby Milner And Tyler Alexander signed at the end of last week, and yesterday it continued with three agreements: Caleb Thielbar returned to the Cubs after a strong rebound season, Drew Pomeranz signed with the Angels, and the Reds landed Caleb Ferguson. Now that this group is no longer active, it also includes the most notable left-handers still on the market Sean Newcomb, Taylor Rogers, Justin Wilson And Danny Coulombe.
3. Placing windows for Song, Murakami nears his end:
When international players are drafted to MLB teams, they are given a limited period in which they can sign. That period lasts 30 days for players who come over from the KBO, while NPB players have 45 days. Two such players are coming to an end in the coming days: KBO infielder Monthwho must sign by December 21 at 4:00 PM CT, and NPB slugger Munetaka Murakamiwho must sign by December 22 at 4:00 PM CT.
Murakami is by far the best-known player, praised for his youth and prodigious strength despite concerns about his contact ability. He should land a healthy multi-year deal via free agency, although his camp has kept things very hush-hush thus far. Song hasn’t received as much buzz, but has had a few great seasons, combining his .327/.397/.524 with a 10.5% walk rate and just a 14.3% strikeout rate.
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