President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday that the Dodgers plan to use Sasaki in their major-league rotation from the beginning of the season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sasaki officially signed a minor-league contract with Los Angeles on Wednesday and received a $6.5 million signing bonus, but there are seemingly no plans to ease the 23-year-old righty into his first year with the Dodgers. He never pitched more than 129.1 innings in a year over his four seasons in Japan, however, so the Dodgers may look for other ways -- such as a six-man rotation -- to limit his rookie-season workload.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli named Lopez the team's Opening Day starter Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

It's pretty early to be naming an Opening Day starter, but Baldelli chose to let the cat out of the bag during an interview on the Inside Twins podcast. Lopez had a relatively disappointing 2024, going 15-10 while posting a 4.08 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 198:41 K:BB over 185.1 innings. His xERA was 3.67, however, and he posted a 2.77 mark in 13 second-half starts.

The Reds have extended Burns an invitation to big-league camp during spring training.

Burns has yet to make his professional debut after being taken with the second pick of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, but the Reds will give the young right-hander a look-see in spring training. Cam Collier, Sal Stewart and Edwin Arroyo are among the team's other top prospects that will be in big-league camp.

Kopech could miss the first month of the season due to right forearm inflammation, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Kopech battled a forearm issue during the playoffs, although it never got to the point where he was unavailable to pitch. There's no indication the injury has gotten worse since then, with Nightengale noting that Kopech does not have any structural damage. However, the Dodgers are opting to take things slowly with the hard-throwing reliever. Once healthy, Kopech figures to be in the mix for saves, along with Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Blake Treinen and perhaps others.

Horton (shoulder) has been throwing light "touch-and-feel" sessions off the mound, Ryan Herrera of Just Baseball reports.

Horton didn't pitch after late May last season following a Grade 2 right subscapularis strain. However, he's been able to go through a normal throwing progression this offseason and said he's "feeling good and ready to go for spring training." Horton likely would have debuted in 2024 if not for the injury, and while he's slated to begin 2025 back at Triple-A Iowa, the 23-year-old could play an important role with the Cubs this season, if healthy.

Kopech (undisclosed) is expected to possibly miss the first month of the season, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic note that Kopech dealt with a forearm issue throughout the postseason, "but it was not deemed to be anything he couldn't pitch through." It's not clear whether it's the forearm problem or something else that might force the month-long absence. More information on Kopech's situation should come to light soon.

The Giants signed Lucchesi to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Lucchesi will earn $1.5 million if he's in the majors. The left-hander made 11 starts with the Mets over the last two seasons, compiling a 3.32 ERA but an underwhelming 39:25 K:BB across 57 innings. Lucchesi will likely begin the 2025 season in the rotation at Triple-A Sacramento.

Liberatore said Sunday that he'll build up as a starter during spring training, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander found success out of the bullpen last season with a 3.69 ERA in 54 relief appearances, but he'll still get stretched out during camp. Liberatore pointed out it's easier to pare down his workload later on compared to building up midseason, so he could still end up beginning the campaign in a relief role.

Sasaki agreed to terms on a contract with the Dodgers on Friday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Sasaki received offers from many teams but ultimately decided to join the Dodgers, who were heavily favored to land the 23-year-old from the beginning. The right-hander receives a $6.5 million signing bonus, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Over four seasons in Japan, Sasaki compiled a 2.02 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across 414.2 innings. Although his deal is officially only a minor-league contract, the phenom is certainly talented enough to pitch in the majors immediately. That being said, it's unclear where he will fit in the Dodgers' star-studded rotation.

Atlanta designated Winans for assignment Friday.

The move frees a spot on the 40-man roster for Amos Willingham, who was claimed off waivers. Winans, 29, has made eight starts at the big-league level since the beginning of the 2023 season, putting up a 7.20 ERA and 38:12 K:BB across 40 innings.