Depending on who one asks about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ likelihood of signing Japanese free agent Roki Sasaki, the answers will vary.
One of those answers will almost certainly have to do with money. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune recently explained why.
“The Padres and Blue Jays can both offer Sasaki as much as $6.26 million,” Sanders wrote. “The Dodgers can offer $5.15 million, although the ability for teams to acquire an additional 60% could push Sasaki’s purse to as much as $8.23 million from the Dodgers and $10.02 million from San Diego and Toronto.
“Teams cannot begin to make trades to add to their pools until the window opens Wednesday.”
When it comes to the Dodgers, they could swing a few trades but are likely not willing to send their higher ranked prospects anywhere. But, there is young talent that won’t see much playing time in 2025 that could benefit from a change of scenery, plus tons of lower-ranked prospects who could be of value to other teams as L.A. looks to add to their international bonus pool.
In terms of big name players, outfielders Andy Pages and James Outman are first two names that come to mind. With Tommy Edman slated to play center field daily, one of the two younger players will be the odd man out.
On the other hand, the San Diego Padres spent years courting top prospects like catcher Ethan Salas (2023) and shortstop Leodalis De Vries (2024), making their signings almost a formality when the international signing window opened. This year, however, the Padres aren’t focused on any high-profile prospects, largely because their attention is fully on landing Sasaki.
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San Diego has also not made any significant moves this winter which confirms they are all-in on Sasaki.
Both teams have reportedly asked their international signing class to wait until Sasaki makes a decision and the Dodgers have seen several players opt to sign elsewhere rather than waiting.
The White Sox have signed Venezuelan outfielder Orlando Patiño (No. 81) away from the Dodgers for $570,000, exceeding the $400,000 deal he was set to sign with Los Angeles, according to Baseball America. Meanwhile, the Dodgers also lost Dominican shortstop Darell Morel (No. 20) to the Pirates.
Once Sasaki makes a decision, the other finalists will be able to sign their top targets or even sign players who were planning on signing with the team who lands him.
For now, though, if the Dodgers want to try to beef up their offer, they could move on from players for international bonus pool money.
Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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