As the first weekend of 2025 approaches, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around baseball:

1. The deadline for Hyeseong Kim’s signing is getting closer and closer:

We don’t want to sound like a broken record, but there’s a good reason for that Hyeseong Kim is back at the top of the opener for the second year in a row. The KBO star was released last month and his negotiating window officially opened on Dec. 5, giving him 30 days to sign a contract with an MLB team. He now has less than eight hours until his mail window closes at 4:00 PM CT this afternoon.

MLBTR ranked Kim number one. Ranked No. 26 on our list of the top 50 free agents this winter and was projected to sign a three-year, $24 million deal. However, his name has not appeared in many rumors or reports since its release. If Kim doesn’t sign today, he will return to his KBO team, the Kiwoom Heroes, for the 2025 season. As Yonhap News’ Jeeho Yoo points out, Kim will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason, meaning he won’t need to be drafted a second time if he wants to pursue an MLB career. That could improve his chances of getting a deal. Not only will he have more time to negotiate, but his new team will not be forced to pay a transfer fee to sign him.

2. The White Sox’s 40-man move is imminent:

The White Sox have a full 40-man roster, which means they need to make room for it Josh Rojas before they can complete his signing. The free agent infielder reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with Chicago on Thursday, but the team has not yet confirmed the news. The financial details of the deal are also worth keeping an eye on this weekend – as of today, they have not been disclosed.

Earlier this week, the White Sox switched to left-handed hitter Tyler Gilbert and designated infielder Braden Showmake for the task of making space in the roster. As a result, their 40-man roster is currently pretty shot-heavy, featuring 24 arms and only 16 position players. With that in mind, it seems more likely that the White Sox will cut a pitcher to make room for Rojas.

3. DFA Resolution by Owen White:

After signing the free agent reliever Hoby Milnerthe former top Rangers DFA candidate Owen White to make room on the 40-man roster. Since then, White has been waiting in limbo. Typically, teams have seven days to resolve a DFA, but this time frame can be extended to between Christmas and New Year’s Day. However, now that the holiday season is over, the Rangers will likely need to trade White or place him on waivers before the end of the weekend.