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The Los Angeles Dodgers are among the three finalists in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes.
Sasaki, a 23-year-old phenom pitcher from Japan, has until Jan. 23 to sign with an MLB club.
As the Dodgers await Sasaki’s decision, they’ve been quiet on the international front. The 2025 international signing period began on Wednesday, and while 27 MLB teams were active in adding players, the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays were not.
More news: Dodgers Asking 2025 International Signees to Wait Until 2026 as Roki Sasaki Nears Decision
The Dodgers saw three of their top international signees head elsewhere, with Darrell Morel going to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Orlando Patiño heading to the Chicago White Sox, and Teilon Serrano going to the Minnesota Twins. They could very well lose more before Sasaki makes his decision.
Of the three finalists for Sasaki, the Dodgers have the least amount of money. That’s why, as LA Times’ Jack Harris reported Wednesday, the team has had exploratory talks regarding potential trades to enhance their offer for Sasaki.
More news: Dodgers Could Make Trades This Week to Get More Than $8 Million to Offer Roki Sasaki
“Meanwhile, Dodgers officials have had discussions with several other teams about potentially acquiring more international bonus pool money via trade, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly — though it is believed those talks to this point have been more exploratory in nature,” Harris wrote.
The Dodgers can get more than $8 million in their bonus pool by making trades this week. As of now, the team has $5.15 million, which is less than both the Padres and Blue Jays who have $6.26 million.
The Dodgers could secure up to $8.23 million from trades, while the Padres and Blue Jays could reach up to $10.02 million.
However, while the Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays could all technically up their offers to Sasaki, it’s unclear if they have to.
Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, has made it clear that money is not a motivating factor for his client. If it was, Sasaki would have waited two more years to join MLB as a non-amateur free agent, and then could have been the center of a bidding war similar to the one Yoshinobu Yamamoto had last year, when the Dodgers made him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history with a 12-year, $325 million deal.
“My advice to him is don’t make a decision based on that,” Wolfe said at the Winter Meetings regarding the minuscule differences in each team’s bonus pools.
“There are no absolutes in baseball, and in Roki’s eyes, there are no absolutes in life,” Wolfe added. “It’s always been his dream to come to the major leagues since he was in high school.”
That dream will become a reality in the next eight days. The only question is which team will have the opportunity to share it with him.
Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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