With le s than a month until pitchers and catchers begin reporting for Spring Training, here are three things well be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today: 1. International signing period opens: The 2025 signing period for international amateurs has begun and will remain open until December 15. Teams have set bonus pools ranging from $7,555,500 to $5,146,200 for the upcoming period that they can allocate however they see fit including trading bonus allotments in $250K increments. (A team can only acquire a maximum of 60% of its originally allotted pool, however.) The most highly-regarded prospects in the cla s have had handshake agreements in place with MLB clubs for years before they were old enough to sign, so for many players at the top of the cla s their destination is already known. Among the top prospects available are Dominican shortstop Josuar Gonzalez (tied to the Giants), Venezuelan-American shortstop/outfielder Andrew Salas (tied to the Marlins), Dominican shortstop Elian Pea (tied to the Mets) and Cuban outfielder Kevin Alvarez (tied to the Astros). 2. Sasaki officially eligible to sign: Of course, the presence of right-hander , who was posted by NPBs Chiba Lotte Marines last month, is a major disrupting force in Rich Gedman Jersey the current international cla s. Sasaki, 23, is regarded as among the most talented pitchers in the world and has four years of NPB experience under his belt already. Unlike the typical teenage prospects that come to the majors through the international amateur system, Sasaki is viewed as big league ready and could be a front-of-the-rotation starter in year one. Whoever ultimately signs Sasaki will likely use most if not all of their bonus pool in order to do so, which could force their more traditional international prospects to look for deals elsewhere. He recently narrowed down his potential landing spots to three finalists: the Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays. A yesterday suggests that the majority of fans expect him to sign in L.A., with nearly 52% voting for the Dodgers. The Padres have received 33% of the vote at the time of writing. Toronto lags behind at 15%. While Sasaki is officially eligible to sign as of today, he could wait another few days in order to give teams the opportunity to trade for additional dollars in their bonus pool. Sasaki must sign by Jan. 23, when his posting window comes to a close. 3. Burnes pre ser today: The Diamondbacks are set to formally introduce right-hander at a pre s conference scheduled for 1pm local time this afternoon. Burnes surprised the baseball world last month by signing a with Arizona after weeks of rumors connecting him to the Giants and Blue Jays. He was nearly universally ranked as the top pitcher available in free agency this winter (aside from, perhaps, Sasaki) and should give the Snakes one of the most formidable rotations in baseball, joining , , , and (and perhaps , if hes not traded). In addition to Burnes himself, principal owner Ken Kendrick and GM Mike Hazen are both set to be on hand for todays pre s conference. Trevor Story Jersey