<p>With the holiday season in the rearview mirror, it&#8217;s time for baseball&#8217;s off-season to kick it into high gear again as players will begin reporting for spring training in just over a month. Crazy, right?</p>
<p>While winter&#8217;s second half has arrived, several marquee free agents remain on the board as the calendar flipped to 2025, leaving countless impact hitters and pitchers unsigned for next season. Thus, these next few weeks could feature plenty of action as players attempt to find new homes to avoid impacting their preparation for the upcoming campaign.</p>
<h2>Jeff Hoffman Eying Contract Similar to Clay Holmes&#8217; Amidst Potential Return as Starter</h2>
<p>The reliever market hasn&#8217;t been overly active thus far, as many top-tier relief pitchers remain available, including Hoffman. Following consecutive impressive seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, the one-time Toronto Blue Jays prospect is considered one of the top bullpen arms in free agency &#8212; if he signs as a reliever, that is.</p>
<p>Hoffman, previously a starting pitcher but has strictly worked out of the &#8216;pen since 2023, has received interest from many teams as a starter this winter, as <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/43042910/mlb-offseason-2024-25-free-agency-trade-rumors-update-passan-arenado-bregman-burnes-alonso" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>ESPN&#8217;s </em>Jeff Passan reported</a> last month. If the 31-year-old follows that path, it appears he&#8217;ll hope to land a contract similar to Clay Holmes&#8217; three-year, $38-million deal signed with the New York Mets, per <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/jeff-hoffman-reportedly-seeking-deal-in-same-range-as-clay-holmess.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Athletic&#8217;</em>s Matt Gelb</a>.</p>
<p>Holmes, also 31, has only made four career big-league starts &#8212; all of which as a rookie in 2018 with the Pittsburgh Pirates &#8212; while Hoffman, who hasn&#8217;t started since &#8217;22, owns 50 career starts since debuting in &#8217;16. Both righties may look to repeat the success of Reynaldo López, Garrett Crochet and Jordan Hicks next season after all three successfully transitioned to the rotation in &#8217;24.</p>
<p>Of the teams who missed out on Holmes as a starter, perhaps they could circle back around to Hoffman, who&#8217;s pitched to a spectacular 2.28 ERA and 2.54 FIP with a 33.4-per-cent strikeout rate over 118.2 innings across the past two seasons.</p>
<h2>Jack Flaherty Reportedly Didn&#8217;t Enjoy First Orioles Stint</h2>
<p>Now that Blake Snell, Max Fried and Corbin Burnes have signed, Flaherty is widely considered the best available starting pitcher in free agency. However, we might be able to cross off one potential destination &#8212; the Baltimore Orioles.</p>
<p>The 29-year-old spent two months with the O&#8217;s down the stretch in 2023 following a mid-season trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, but he struggled mightily in nine games (seven starts) with the club, earning a 6.75 ERA and 4.84 FIP over 34.2 innings. And that rough stretch will likely reduce his appetite for a second go-around, reports Rich Dubroff of <em>Baltimore Baseball.</em></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jack Flaherty did not have a good time in Baltimore, and is unlikely to sign there says <a href="https://twitter.com/RichDubroffMLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RichDubroffMLB</a> <a href="https://t.co/JIzCcfoUsa">pic.twitter.com/JIzCcfoUsa</a></p>
<p>— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1874905505560399922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Flaherty salvaged his value with a bounce-back performance in 2024, recording a 3.17 ERA and 3.48 FIP with 194 strikeouts &#8212; the second-most of his eight-year MLB career &#8212; in 28 starts split between the Detroit Tigers and World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also worth 3.2 fWAR, his second-highest rating behind &#8217;19 (4.7).</p>
<p>Potential suitors for Flaherty &#8212; excluding Baltimore &#8212; could include the Tigers, Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.</p>
<h2>Hyeseong Kim&#8217;s Final Posting Day, Reportedly Signs With Dodgers</h2>
<p>Infielder Hyeseong Kim has until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to sign with an MLB club, or he&#8217;ll return to the KBO for a ninth season in 2025. He&#8217;s considered one of the top hitters in Korea after slashing .326/.383/.458 in 127 games with the Kiwoom Heroes last season &#8212; posting a batting average north of .300 for the fourth straight campaign.</p>
<p>Multiple Korean media outlets have reported that Kim has signed with the Dodgers, with <em>ESPN&#8217;s </em>Daniel Kim &#8212; and other colleagues &#8212; since confirming those reports, indicating he&#8217;s agreed to a three-year deal with the reigning World Series champions that includes an option for two additional seasons.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Several media outlets in Korea are now reporting that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dodgers</a> have agreed to a 3-yr deal w/ Hye-seong Kim w/ option for an additional 2 years. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KBO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KBO</a> <a href="https://t.co/SLPieGZKPM">pic.twitter.com/SLPieGZKPM</a></p>
<p>— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielKimW/status/1875258304202731880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Kim, posted by his KBO team on Dec. 4, is also a solid defender, winning consecutive KBO Golden Gloves at second base in 2022 and &#8217;23 and one at shortstop in &#8217;21. He&#8217;s exceptionally athletic, evidenced by his defensive versatility and as a four-time 30 base stealer.</p>


With the holiday season in the rearview mirror, it's time for baseball's off-season to kick it into high gear again as players will begin reporting for spring training in just over a month. Crazy, right?

While winter's second half has arrived, several marquee free agents remain on the board as the calendar flipped to 2025, leaving countless impact hitters and pitchers unsigned for next season. Thus, these next few weeks could feature plenty of action as players attempt to find new homes to avoid impacting their preparation for the upcoming campaign.
<h2>Jeff Hoffman Eying Contract Similar to Clay Holmes' Amidst Potential Return as Starter</h2>
The reliever market hasn't been overly active thus far, as many top-tier relief pitchers remain available, including Hoffman. Following consecutive impressive seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, the one-time Toronto Blue Jays prospect is considered one of the top bullpen arms in free agency -- if he signs as a reliever, that is.

Hoffman, previously a starting pitcher but has strictly worked out of the 'pen since 2023, has received interest from many teams as a starter this winter, as <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/43042910/mlb-offseason-2024-25-free-agency-trade-rumors-update-passan-arenado-bregman-burnes-alonso" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>ESPN's </em>Jeff Passan reported</a> last month. If the 31-year-old follows that path, it appears he'll hope to land a contract similar to Clay Holmes' three-year, $38-million deal signed with the New York Mets, per <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/jeff-hoffman-reportedly-seeking-deal-in-same-range-as-clay-holmess.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Athletic'</em>s Matt Gelb</a>.

Holmes, also 31, has only made four career big-league starts -- all of which as a rookie in 2018 with the Pittsburgh Pirates -- while Hoffman, who hasn't started since '22, owns 50 career starts since debuting in '16. Both righties may look to repeat the success of Reynaldo López, Garrett Crochet and Jordan Hicks next season after all three successfully transitioned to the rotation in '24.

Of the teams who missed out on Holmes as a starter, perhaps they could circle back around to Hoffman, who's pitched to a spectacular 2.28 ERA and 2.54 FIP with a 33.4-per-cent strikeout rate over 118.2 innings across the past two seasons.
<h2>Jack Flaherty Reportedly Didn't Enjoy First Orioles Stint</h2>
Now that Blake Snell, Max Fried and Corbin Burnes have signed, Flaherty is widely considered the best available starting pitcher in free agency. However, we might be able to cross off one potential destination -- the Baltimore Orioles.

The 29-year-old spent two months with the O's down the stretch in 2023 following a mid-season trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, but he struggled mightily in nine games (seven starts) with the club, earning a 6.75 ERA and 4.84 FIP over 34.2 innings. And that rough stretch will likely reduce his appetite for a second go-around, reports Rich Dubroff of <em>Baltimore Baseball.</em>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jack Flaherty did not have a good time in Baltimore, and is unlikely to sign there says <a href="https://twitter.com/RichDubroffMLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RichDubroffMLB</a> <a href="https://t.co/JIzCcfoUsa">pic.twitter.com/JIzCcfoUsa</a></p>
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1874905505560399922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
Flaherty salvaged his value with a bounce-back performance in 2024, recording a 3.17 ERA and 3.48 FIP with 194 strikeouts -- the second-most of his eight-year MLB career -- in 28 starts split between the Detroit Tigers and World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also worth 3.2 fWAR, his second-highest rating behind '19 (4.7).

Potential suitors for Flaherty -- excluding Baltimore -- could include the Tigers, Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
<h2>Hyeseong Kim's Final Posting Day, Reportedly Signs With Dodgers</h2>
Infielder Hyeseong Kim has until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to sign with an MLB club, or he'll return to the KBO for a ninth season in 2025. He's considered one of the top hitters in Korea after slashing .326/.383/.458 in 127 games with the Kiwoom Heroes last season -- posting a batting average north of .300 for the fourth straight campaign.

Multiple Korean media outlets have reported that Kim has signed with the Dodgers, with <em>ESPN's </em>Daniel Kim -- and other colleagues -- since confirming those reports, indicating he's agreed to a three-year deal with the reigning World Series champions that includes an option for two additional seasons.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Several media outlets in Korea are now reporting that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dodgers</a> have agreed to a 3-yr deal w/ Hye-seong Kim w/ option for an additional 2 years. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KBO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KBO</a> <a href="https://t.co/SLPieGZKPM">pic.twitter.com/SLPieGZKPM</a></p>
— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielKimW/status/1875258304202731880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
Kim, posted by his KBO team on Dec. 4, is also a solid defender, winning consecutive KBO Golden Gloves at second base in 2022 and '23 and one at shortstop in '21. He's exceptionally athletic, evidenced by his defensive versatility and as a four-time 30 base stealer.

Recent articles from Thomas Hall

Breaking News