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He’ll be sentenced on May 22. The 35-year-old faces up to 15 years in federal prison, though it doesn’t sound like prosecutors will aim for that. Puig initially made a deal to plead guilty to charges back in 2022 and would have gotten probation and a fine, but he backed out of it, resulting in the greatly delayed trial. Puig lied during a Jan. 2022 interview he voluntarily participated in regarding his bookmaker, Wayne Nix. Nix later pleaded guilty of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business.

Castro had agreed to a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, but the team released him on Monday so that he could pursue this opportunity. The 26-year-old hit .235/.324/.421 with 19 homers and 18 stolen bases for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies organization in 2025.

Ureña played for five different teams in 2025, posting a 4.58 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 34/23 K/BB ratio in 55 innings. The 34-year-old has pitched over 1,000 MLB innings and will head overseas for the start of the 2026 campaign.

Veneziano was just signed in December, so make sure you get your money back for that custom jersey. The 28-year-old will get a chance to show his arsenal in Asia with a chance to return stateside in the coming years.

All signs pointed to a muted market for Takahashi this offseason, and that belief only strengthened when fellow Japanese righty Tatsuya Imai landed what was essentially a series of one-year deals with the Astros earlier this week. The 28-year-old righty, who had until later this weekend to reach an agreement with a major-league club, will return to Japan without one. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds that Takahashi received offers from three teams but opted to return to Japan instead. He lacks the requisite strikeout upside to envision a scenario where he would be a mixed-league relevant fantasy option but he’s a name to know in the event that he makes some changes and unlocks something in the future.

Feinsand adds that Okamoto has been linked to the Pirates, Red Sox, Padres, Mariners and Angels as a potential corner infield option. He has until 5:00 p.m. ET on December 4 to reach an agreement with a major-league team. The Athletic’s Will Sammon adds that Okamoto’s limited experience in left field could make him a potential fit for the Blue Jays. The 29-year-old projects as a potential 20-homer threat with a respectable batting average in his impending stateside debut but he’s unlikely to chip in more than a handful of stolen bases. There should be a definitive update regarding his long-term future by the conclusion of the weekend.

Takahashi is holding out for something better prior to his Sunday deadline for finalizing a deal with an MLB club, but teams probably aren’t seeing much of a ceiling here. The 28-year-old right-hander went 8-9 with a 3.04 ERA and an 88/41 K/BB in 148 innings for Seibu last season. The 14.3% strikeout rate was the lowest mark of his career, and he’s never topped 20% in seven seasons in Japan.

Okamoto’s posting deadline is on January 4th, which will give him the remainder of the week to decide on a team. Previous reports seemed to indicate that he was all but down to the Angels and the Pirates, but Yahoo is reporting that Okamoto has meetings set up with the Blue Jays, Cubs, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Padres, Angels, and Pirates, so his market may be a bit more robust than previously believed.

The Pirates have been mentioned as the favorites to land the 29-year-old third baseman, but it sounds like there are other teams in the mix as well. Okamoto slashed a healthy .322/.411/.581 with 27 homers and 83 RBI in 611 plate appearances with the Yomiuri Giants in 2025. He has until January 4 to sign with an MLB team.

Arihara flirted with the idea of a potential return to the majors earlier this offseason. However, that speculation seems in retrospect linked to generating additional leverage during negotiations for a lucrative multi-year deal to remain in Japan. At 33 years old, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll return to the majors at some point down the road. He made 15 appearances (14 starts) for the Rangers from 2021-2022, finishing with a lackluster 7.57 ERA across 60 2/3 innings of work.