Bears. Packers. Playoffs. It’s coming. This will be a long week …
Now that Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto have signed, it’s plausible we could see some follow-up movement in the next day or two. The Edward Cabrera trade rumors kicking way up are probably at least modestly downstream of Imai’s resolution, and rumors of the Pirates’ interest in Eugenio Suarez, for example, are almost certainly owing to Okamoto going another way. That said, while posted players like Imai and Okamoto come with a firm deadline, everything else doesn’t. The next deadline is the filing of arbitration figures this Thursday, January 8. That could spur some trade movement, but, more likely, it’ll just spur a whole lot of attention paid to getting deals done with arbitration-eligible players to avoid actually filing (recall, most teams go to a full arbitration in February with players who don’t agree to terms before the filing deadline). There could also be a lot of extension-feeling-out among teams and arbitration-eligible players, and that does require a lot of front office attention. In other words, I’d tentatively expect free agency to get pretty quiet come Wednesday and Thursday, and then the same ‘ole slow drip from there until the start of Spring Training. So hopefully we see a lot of activity today and tomorrow … Not finding an acceptable deal with an MLB team, Kona Takahashi has opted to return to Japan for the 2026 season. It’s not a huge surprise, given his low-strikeout/command/control/pitchability style, but it does take one potential back-end starter off the board. Given the situation in Venezuela, it seems MLB teams were working first to confirm all their players were safe and accounted for this weekend, and now are scrambling to figure out what the next steps will be for their players in the country:Giants check on safety of players in Venezuela: ‘Most have just sheltered in place’ – who’s there playing winter ball and what happens to that league? And we talk to @Tomapapa about what’s happening in his home country: t.co/sNMEcJXl85 via @sfchronicle
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) January 3, 2026Didn't expect to begin my career as geopolitics reporter today but…/gestures broadly/Jackson Chourio is one of at least 3 Brewers currently in Venezuela, hitting a huge playoff homer last night. The Brewers are now in scramble mode figuring out what to do next.www.jsonline.com/story/sports…
— Curt Hogg (@cyrthogg.bsky.social) 2026-01-03T18:29:14.438Z Travel logistics are obviously a challenge right now (airports were closed, for example), but there should theoretically be enough time to work that part out ahead of Spring Training for players and coaches and families who are supposed to come from Venezuela to Florida or Arizona next month. Whether there will be other issues that impede that process, it’s pretty hard to speculate at the moment. Moises Ballesteros posted to his Instagram story yesterday afternoon that didn’t address any active events, but seemed like a pretty straightforward hype/training-type clip. I would presume that means he’s OK, though, again, I couldn’t speculate about any travel-related issues ahead. I don’t see any similar updates yet from Daniel Palencia before three days ago. Although the travel situations of a handful of professional baseball players and coaches is far from the most important part of what is happening in Venezuela, this is their livelihood. So, it would behoove MLB and its clubs to be proactive in making sure travel will be smooth ASAP. A lot of players and coaches actually come into the U.S. long before Spring Training traditional begins as part of their development program, so this might be all the more urgent for some guys. It sounds like the Nationals could soon be the seventh team to have their local broadcast rights taken back by MLB (and ultimately streamed locally via ESPN thanks to the new deal). We recently discussed the state of the RSN situation, and how MLB is likely to get more teams’ rights back this year. It’s not the most exciting topic, but it’s quietly a huge story for the upcoming CBA negotiations and the overall financial future of the sport. This was one of my favorite catches of the year, precisely because it didn’t “look” like such a crazy catch:Pete Crow-Armstrong gets a quick jump and catches a line drive with just a 10% catch probability—without even diving!No. 62 of 110 defensive highlights before the first spring training game. pic.twitter.com/sYgKAVv0xm
— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) January 4, 2026 There might not have been a play that more clearly spotlighted how special Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center field. Most outfielders don’t catch that ball. None of the ones who do would catch it standing up. Yet PCA makes it look like a relatively standing running catch thanks to an absurd jump, huge speed, and a perfect route. MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterBears-Packers Playoff Matchup is Locked in For Saturday Night t.co/X4qh40qsV5
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 5, 2026Bulls Poised to be ‘Biggest Sellers in the East’ This Trade Deadline? (Report) t.co/MAeojeJ05W
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 5, 2026Blackhawks 3, Golden Knights 2 (OT) — Three Stars, Key Takeaways #blackhawks t.co/aokHdRTxHQ
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 5, 2026Hence then, the article about pressure points this week takahashi out players in venezuela and other cubs bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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