International guys

[Guardians]

There are a handful of guys who have signed with MLB teams (either major league or minor league deals) who came back to the States from foreign leagues. If you want to bid on any of them, post here. In 24 hours, they will become free agents

[Guardians]

Twins signed RHP Adam Plutko to a minor league contract.

The 32-year-old veteran is back with a major league organization following two seasons in the KBO where he went 26-8 and posted a 2.40 ERA with a 250/69 K/BB ratio across 285 1/3 innings. Prior to his stint in Korea, Plutko spent time with the Orioles in 2021, but most of his time in MLB came with Cleveland from 2016-2020. Plutko has a career 5.39 ERA, 1.38 WHIP in five major league seasons.

https://www.nbcsports.com/adam-plutko/0 ... fd86bf0135

[Mets]

There are a handful of guys who have signed with MLB teams (either major league or minor league deals) who came back to the States from foreign leagues. If you want to bid on any of them, post here. In 24 hours, they will become free agents

Is this with the leftover budgets from ZiPS bidding?

[Guardians]

There are a handful of guys who have signed with MLB teams (either major league or minor league deals) who came back to the States from foreign leagues. If you want to bid on any of them, post here. In 24 hours, they will become free agents

Is this with the leftover budgets from ZiPS bidding?

Yes, I believe these guys would need to be bid on

[Padres]

Giants signed OF Jerar Encarnacion to a minor league contract.

The deal is pending a work visa and physical. The outfielder had been with Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League, where he had a ridiculous 19 home runs in only 107 plate appearances. The 26-year-old came up with the Marlins, but was outrighted off their roster last season. The Giants have four outfielders currently on the injured list so it’s not hard to see why they might give Encarnacion another chance in the majors soon.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/jerar-encarnacion/49137

[Padres]

Tomoyuki Sagano intends to pitch in MLB after becoming a free agent this winter, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Long one of Japan’s best pitchers, Sagano was posted by Yomiuri after the 2020 season and had several suitors, but he wound up signing a four-year, $40 million deal to stay put. That contract had a clause that allowed him to explore international free agency after the 2021 season, but following something of a down year, he declined to exercise it. Even accounting for the low offense environment in Japan right now, Sagano has had a terrific 2024, going 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA and a 111/16 K/BB in 156 2/3 innings. He turns 35 later this month, and his fastball sits in the 90-93 mph range, so he probably won’t land a huge contract an MLB team this winter. There will be significant interest, though.

https://www.nbcsports.com/tomoyuki-suga ... fdd42a000f

Note: This signing will occur within the IBC 2025 ZiPS bidding process ...

[Rockies]

Why would Sagano be part of Zips and not the draft? Because he isn't being posted?

[Padres]

Why would Sagano be part of Zips and not the draft? Because he isn't being posted?

I suppose it depends on when he signs ... This just seemed like the right area to post this update on him ...

[Guardians]

Why would Sagano be part of Zips and not the draft? Because he isn't being posted?

I suppose it depends on when he signs ... This just seemed like the right area to post this update on him ...

He should be a draft eligible international guy

[Reds]

Why would Sagano be part of Zips and not the draft? Because he isn't being posted?

I suppose it depends on when he signs ... This just seemed like the right area to post this update on him ...

He should be a draft eligible international guy

He should be in the draft.

[Padres]

Another probable IBC draft guy ...

Middle-infielder Hyeseong Kim wants to sign with an MLB team after playing in the KBO last season.

Infielder Hyeseong Kim, who stars for the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes, has hired CAA Baseball to represent him ahead of his expected move to Major League Baseball in the upcoming offseason, reports Jeeho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. (Kim’s name is commonly written as Kim Hye-Seong or Hye-Seong Kim, but Yoo further notes via X that CAA specifically informed him the infielder will go by Hyeseong Kim if he indeed moves to North American ball.)

Kim, who’ll turn 26 next January, is old enough and has enough experience in a major foreign league to be considered a “professional” under Major League Baseball’s international standards. He’ll be exempt from international amateur free-agent bonus pools and thus able to sign a major league contract for any length and dollar amount with an interested team.

The former double-play partner of current Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim 김하성, the younger Kim is a lifetime .301/.361/.398 hitter in 876 games with the KBO’s Heroes.

…
Prior to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser ranked Kim ninth among the top-ten MLB prospects for fans to track (landing behind current big leaguers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jung Hoo Lee 이정후 and Yariel Rodriguez). Glaser called Kim a plus defender at second base (and a capable defender at short) with a “preternatural feel for contact,” good pitch recognition and the ability to catch up to good velocity. At the very least, he could profile as a utilityman with high-end speed and contact skills, though it should come as little surprise if there are clubs who view him as a potential regular at second base. Given his age, Kim should find big league interest — particularly if he can continue his newfound power output.

https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/mining-the-news-10-28-24/

[Padres]

Another probable IBC draft guy ...

Francys Romero reports that Cuban slugger Pedro Revilla has been declared a free agent by the MLB Commissioner’s Office.

That means that the 25-year-old is now eligible to sign with any team. Revilla led the Cuban league with 29 homers over 110 games during the 2022 campaign. He spent his last two professional seasons playing for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan’s Western League. In 2023 he struggled to a .188/.235/.305 slash line with just three homers, 14 RBI and a 48/7 K/BB ratio over 136 plate appearances. It’s highly unlikely that he’ll be able to land anything other than a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/pedro-rev ... db25f80000