What we’re hearing on the Mariners at Day 2 of MLB Winter Meetings

DALLAS – With Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki officially posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines, his agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Baseball, held a semi-impromptu news conference late Tuesday morning in the media workroom at the Anatole Hilton at the MLB Winter Meetings.

Due to rules from Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, Wolfe was not allowed to speak publicly about Sasaki, 23, before the pitcher’s posting Monday.

A group of more than 70 media members crowded around the dais in the work room to hear Wolfe discuss what Sasaki is looking for from interested teams, the timeline for him to sign and any misconceptions about the entire process, including rumors of a prenegotiated agreement that Sasaki will sign with the Dodgers – a rumor Wolfe called “false.”

Wolfe said he hasn’t had much time to sit down with Sasaki to go over the details of what he wants and expects from the process. Sasaki is in the U.S. this week to meet with Wolfe.

A least three or four teams have submitted proposals and presentations to Wolfe’s agency.

Wolfe described Sasaki as one of the most “driven” and “intense” players he’s been around.

He suggested Sasaki could be more open to a small to midmarket MLB team because Sasaki felt he had been treated unfairly by the Japanese media, and Wolfe added that Sasaki doesn’t need to sign with an MLB team that already has another Japanese player to be his “Senpai” – Japanese for mentor.

Some flexibility in the infield?

With the likes of Dylan Moore, Ryan Bliss and Leo Rivas on the Mariners roster – and an open-minded view on 21-year-old prospect Cole Young, who could push for a big-league promotion at some point in 2025 – Jerry Dipoto has described the club’s infield needs as “fluid” between second base and third base.

“Meaning that if we have that group of players, we can count on that group to fill one spot and the other is likely to come externally, whether that be trade or free agency,” Dipoto said.

The market for third baseman isn’t particularly deep.

The Mariners are known to have checked in on the Phillies’ Alec Bohm.

Perhaps Brett Baty, the New York Mets’ former top prospect, becomes a trade option at some point.

But there isn’t an obvious – and affordable – fit for Seattle at third base.

It could be easier to find a new second baseman. The Mariners are believed to still be interested in the Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner, though a trade between the clubs is not considered imminent.

Big changes in Houston?

Around the AL West, Houston Astros GM Dana Brown indicated the club would listen to offers for star right field Kyle Tucker and starting pitcher Framber Valdez.

Tucker will be a free agent after the 2025 season. After Juan Soto’s record-shattering deal this week, there’s buzz that perhaps Tucker could be baseball’s next $400 million player in a year.

Third baseman Alex Bregman, a stalwart for the Astros over the past decade, is expected to sign his free-agent deal soon – and the Boston Red Sox have reportedly emerged as a favorite to land him.

The Astros reportedly have an offer of $156 million over six years for Bregman.

A trade of either Tucker or Valdez is considered unlikely, but the Astros are at “a crossroads,” The Athletic’s Chandler Rome wrote, as a team “with limited spending power, a paucity of elite prospects and postseason expectations to maintain.”

Even so, the Astros see themselves as favorites in the division again going into 2025.

“If we think we can improve this club by trade, we will do it,” Brown said. “It’s got to make sense for us because, right now, we’re projected to win the division again. We have a good team.

“If we can try to improve the team, we will do it if it makes sense. If it doesn’t make sense, we’ll stick with the club that we have and we’ll roll along.”