With the hot stove roaring back to life after going dormant over New Years, here are three things well be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today: 1. Whats next for the As? The Athletics have engaged in their busiest winter in recent memory as they head from Oakland to West Sacramento. In December, the club added and in free agency while swinging a trade for . Last night, they kicked off 2025 by working out a five-year extension with current face of the franchise . That extension also has the side effect of boosting the rosters payroll for luxury tax purposes, with New York Yankees Jersey now estimating the clubs tax payroll to be in the range of $97MM. The As reportedly need to get that number into the $105MM range in order to from the MLBPA. That likely leaves just over $8MM in spending for the As to do this winter, at minimum. Club bra s hasnt ruled out the addition of another starting pitcher, and a reliever to serve as a veteran setup option for closer could also make plenty of sense. 2. Is the relief market coming to life? Speaking of the relief market, thats been by far the quietest corner of free agency this winter. , , and standing as the only notable signings, though there have been some notable trades (headlined by the trade of Devin Williams to the Yankees). The latest major free agent relief signing of the offseason took place yesterday, when the Rangers agreed to a with veteran setup man . Meanwhile, the Braves to be connected to top free agent reliever as he reportedly seeks a deal that could guarantee him an annual salary in the $20MM range. Its unclear how close Scott might be to signing, but with a glut of late-inning talent still available its difficult to imagine the dam not breaking sooner rather than later. 3. MLBTR Chat Today: Its time for the first weekday chat of 2025. Twenty-six of the players on for the winter have signed, putting us just beyond the halfway point in the offseason by that metric. Whether you have questions about whats left for your team to do this winter or a trade proposal in the back of your mind, MLBTRs Steve Adams will be here to answer your questions during a live chat scheduled for noon CT. to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete. Don Mattingly Jersey