As a result, signees who were originally supposed to sign with the Dodgers in the next international signing period as part of the 2025 class have been told by the organization to wait until the next year. This was the situation for Dominican shortstop prospect Darell Morel.

Sources: The Dodgers have brought back to the market two of their highest bonuses for the upcoming 2024-25 international signing period: SS Darrell Morel (DR, $1.1M) and OF Orlando Patiño (VEN, $400K).

They currently have around $3.6M to bid for Japanese ace Roki Sasaki.

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 11, 2025

The Dodgers brought Morel back to the market and he is now expected to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates for around $1.7 million. The Dodgers currently have approximately $3.6 million in their international bonus pool to offer Sasaki.

Dominican SS Darrell Morel is expected to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates for around $1.7 M when a new international period opens January 15.

Morell was set to sign with the Dodgers but returned to the market and will now head to the Pirates.@BaseballAmerica on it. pic.twitter.com/ARRIUMJp3G

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 11, 2025

The Dodgers aren’t the only MLB team adjusting their international signings as stateside baseball prepares to welcome one of the most talented young pitchers in the world.

Now the questions remains: When will Sasaki sign? The 23-year-old pitcher has to make his decision before Jan. 23. It is unknown if the Dodgers received a second meeting with Sasaki, but it’s likely, given the preparation by the organization.

Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, Sasaki’s agent, said his client’s decision will come down to the wire.

“The timeline for Round 2 is going to lead right up until he signs,” Wolfe said, via Will Sammon of The Athletic. “We’re still talking and having Zoom calls. So I don’t have a precise timeline for that, like we did for the meetings. Teams will be notified at some point if there’s going to be additional meetings or travel or something like that. But other than that, I don’t believe there’s going to be any specific timeline.”

The team to land Sasaki will win big as starting pitching isn’t typically so affordable, as the offseason has shown. However, Sasaki joins MLB as an international amateur, limiting him to a modest contract with a signing bonus.

Money doesn’t seem to be a priority for Sasaki, as Wolfe has publicly said before. The jump from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB before reaching the age of eligibility is not a common one, and was most recently done by Shohei Ohtani.

“There are no absolutes in baseball and, through Roki’s eyes, there are no absolutes in life,” Wolfe said at the Winter Meetings. “He does not take anything for granted.”

Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

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