Top International Free Agents Who Could Make an MLB Impact in 2025

The 2023-24 offseason was a big one for international stars. Yoshinobu Yamamoto landed a record-breaking $325 million deal. Jung Hoo Lee signed a nine-figure contract of his own.

Shota Imanaga proved to be a brilliant signing for the Cubs, finishing fifth in Cy Young voting. Erick Fedde followed up his KBO MVP season with a triumphant return to MLB. Yuki Matsui was a solid contributor out of the Padres’ bullpen.

This 2024-25 free agent class isn’t quite as strong when it comes to foreign professionals. Still, there are several players primed to make the move overseas this winter who could make an impact on Major League Baseball next season.

For the purposes of this article, don’t worry too much about the precise definition of an international free agent. Just think of it like this: These are guys who played in NPB or the KBO in 2024 and could play in MLB in 2025.

Here are all the international free agents you should know this offseason.

Roki Sasaki, SP

2024 Stats (NPB): 10-5, 111.0 IP, 2.35 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9

There is no doubt that Roki Sasaki is the gem of this year’s international class. At 23 years old, he’s already a two-time NPB All-Star and one of the most promising young pitchers in the world.

What’s more, his age and lack of service time mean he still qualifies as an amateur international free agent. He can’t sign for anything more than a few million dollars. In other words, all 30 teams can, and will, try to woo him to join their club.

To learn more about Sasaki and his incredible potential, you can read Aram Leighton’s detailed breakdown of his arsenal from earlier this offseason.

It’s worth mentioning that Sasaki is still green. Unlike Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he won’t necessarily become a top-of-the-rotation starter in MLB right away. However, he has the upside to develop into one of the greatest pitchers of his generation.

Sasaki was posted on Monday, December 9 during the Winter Meetings, giving him until Thursday, January 23, 2025 to come to terms with an MLB club. However, he cannot officially sign until the 2025 international signing period begins on January 15. That means he has an eight-day window to put pen to paper.

His former team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, will receive a release fee from his new organization.

Tomoyuki Sugano, SP

2024 Stats (NPB): 15-3, 156.2 IP, 1.67 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 0.9 BB/9

Sugano agreed to a one-year, $13 million deal with the Orioles on Monday, December 16.

Arguably the second-best international free agent of the 2024-25 offseason, Tomoyuki Sugano is coming off a resurgent 2024 campaign. While the veteran starter seemed to be slowing down between 2021-23, he bounced back in his age-34 season, claiming his third Central League MVP Award in the process.

No longer an overpowering strikeout arm, Sugano turned into a control artist in 2024, limiting walks and hard contact. However, that’s precisely why some are concerned about his ability to succeed in MLB. There’s a fine line between successfully pitching to soft contact and getting absolutely destroyed on balls in play.

Nonetheless, Sugano has a long track record of success in Japan that surely made him intriguing to plenty of MLB clubs looking for a veteran starter on a short-length deal. What’s more, his diverse six-pitch mix certainly made him an appealing target for pitching coaches everywhere.

Ultimately, it was the Orioles who liked what they saw the most.

Sugano came into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, which means he did not need to be posted by his former team (the Yomiuri Giants) to pursue an MLB career.

Hyeseong Kim, 2B

2024 Stats (KBO): 567 PA, 11 HR, 30 SB, .326/.383/.458 (.841 OPS)

After Sasaki, Hyeseong Kim is the most talented player to be posted this offseason. (Remember, Sugano wasn’t posted.) And unlike Sasaki, he is old enough and experienced enough to sign for as many years and dollars as he can command. He’s also the top position player and the top player to be posted from Korea.

Formerly a shortstop, Kim has settled into a regular role at second base where evaluators consider him a strong defender.

He’s also a plus baserunner and contact hitter. He ranked among the top 10 in the KBO with 30 stolen bases in 2024, while his .326 batting average was well above the .277 league rate. It was his fourth consecutive season with at least 25 steals and a batting average above .300.

If this description is starting to remind you of another recent import from the KBO, you’re not alone. Indeed, Hyeseong Kim has a lot in common with his former teammate Ha-Seong Kim. The elder Kim signed a four-year, $28 million deal with the Padres ahead of the 2021 season.

Hyeseong Kim isn’t quite as well-regarded as his fellow countryman. For one thing, he isn’t as valuable a defender. Furthermore, Ha-Seong Kim actually hit for quite a bit of power in the KBO before coming over to MLB, where his power numbers have been well below average.

Hyeseong Kim, on the other hand, has never hit for power in Korea. It’s enough to make some evaluators wonder if he has the necessary power to survive against MLB pitching.

Ultimately, however, it’s very difficult to predict how well a hitter’s skillset will translate from the KBO to MLB. Kim will only be 26 years old next season. Even if he doesn’t succeed at the plate right away, he has time to develop. Meanwhile, his defense and baserunning give him a solid floor.

He might not sign for quite as much guaranteed money as Ha-Seong Kim earned in 2020-21, but he should get a multi-year major league deal.

Kim was posted at 8:00 AM ET on Thursday, December 5, giving him until 5:00 PM ET on Friday, January 3, 2025 to sign with an MLB club (the KBO posting window is shorter than the NPB posting window). His former team, the Kiwoom Heroes, will receive a release fee from his new organization.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara, SP

2024 Stats (NPB): 5-11, 144.1 IP, 3.12 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 1.4 BB/9

Shinnosuke Ogasawara doesn’t have the upside of Sasaki or the long track record of Sugano. Still, there’s a lot to like about the 27-year-old left-hander.

After six seasons in NPB, Ogasawara took a big step forward in 2022 and earned an All-Star selection in 2023. He has far more professional experience than most North American pitchers his age. At the same time, his youth means he still has plenty of time to further develop his skills.

His 3.12 ERA from 2024 isn’t as impressive as it first appears, given the low run-scoring environment in Japan. What’s more, his strikeouts per nine took a concerning dip to a career-low rate.

Still, Ogasawara has thrown at least 140 innings in each of the past four seasons, averaging more than six innings per start. That durability gives him a higher floor; even if he struggles to miss bats, he could still provide value in MLB as an innings eater.

He was posted on Tuesday, December 10 during the Winter Meetings, giving him until Friday, January 24, 2025 to sign with an MLB club. His former team, the Chunichi Dragons, will receive a release fee from his new organization.

Koyo Aoyagi, SP/RP

2024 Stats (NPB): 2-3, 61.0 IP, 3.69 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 3.1 BB/9

Koyo Aoyagi has been a starting pitcher in NPB, but MLB teams might be more likely to consider him for a relief role.

The 30-year-old right-hander is a three-time NPB All-Star and the 2022 Central League ERA leader. However, Aoyagi hasn’t looked nearly as sharp the last two years. He spent significant time with the Hanshin Tigers’ minor league team in each of the past two seasons.

It’s far from a guarantee that Aoyagi will receive an offer he likes, in which case he could stay in Japan instead.

The Hanshin Tigers posted Aoyagi on Tuesday, December 3, giving him until 5:00 PM ET on Friday, January 17, 2025 to sign with an MLB club. His former team will receive a release fee from his new organization.

International Free Agents Who Could Return to MLB

Kyle Hart, SP

If you’re anything like me, the first time you heard the name Kyle Hart was when Ben Clemens included him on his top 50 free agents list over at FanGraphs.

Last year’s homecoming king from the KBO was Erick Fedde. Unlike Hart, Fedde made his mark in MLB before he made a (much bigger) mark in the KBO.

Hart, on the other hand, made just four MLB appearances for the Red Sox during the 2020 season, giving up 21 runs (19 earned) in 11 innings of work. Aside from that, he was a career minor leaguer.

Then, in 2024, Hart broke the KBO’s single-season strikeout record. He won the Choi Dong-won Award, which honors the best starting pitcher in the league. Last year it was Fedde who took home that prize.

So, will the 32-year-old Hart look to follow in Fedde’s footsteps and return to MLB? One would certainly think he’d like to try. And given his incredible success in the KBO, one would certainly think he’ll be able to find an MLB team to give him that chance.

Aaron Wilkerson, SP

Over three seasons with the Brewers from 2017-19, Aaron Wilkerson pitched 35.1 innings with a 6.88 ERA and 6.10 FIP. However, he has been terrific over the past two seasons in the KBO.

In 45 starts (276.1 IP), he has a 3.39 ERA and 5.28 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Now a free agent, could he try to make an MLB comeback in his age-36 season?

Socrates Brito, OF

After three successful seasons in the KBO, Socrates Brito is reportedly receiving interest from a few MLB clubs this offseason. While he struggled to make much of an impact over 99 games with the D-backs and Blue Jays from 2015-19, he put up an .843 OPS over 409 games in the KBO.

Brito, 32, likely lost his spot on the Kia Tigers to Patrick Wisdom, which could further incentivize him to return to North America.