An overwhelming expectation throughout the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes has been the Japanese phenom would ultimately decide between signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres.
They were among the teams Sasaki met with in December upon being posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines, and included in the reported group of finalists earlier this week. That also included the Toronto Blue Jays, who reportedly hosted Sasaki for a visit last week.
He then took a trip to San Diego over the weekend and days later met with the Dodgers, during which current players present.
As Sasaki’s decision nears before his Jan. 23 deadline, the Padres have been eliminated from consideration, according to baseball insider Francys Romero:
Hearing from multiple sources that the Padres are out in Roki Sasaki.
They will begin their international signings of Jhoan De La Cruz and Carlos Alvarez in the next few hours.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 17, 2025
Further suggestion that Sasaki won’t pick the Padres are multiple reports of their impending signing of prospect Carlos Alvarez. He represents their first big addition of the 2025 international signing period as the Padres, Dodgers and Blue Jays each have been preserving bonus pool money for Sasaki.
The 23-year-old seemingly spurning the Padres comes as a mild surprise considering a belief he prefers to join a team on the West Coast and has a strong connection to Yu Darvish.
Of course, Sasaki also shares a close relationship with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Dodgers searching for more Roki Sasaki bonus money
Amid the wait for Sasaki’s decision, the Dodgers reportedly have contacted teams in search of trading for more international bonus pool money.
The Dodgers have a $5,146,200 bonus pool for the 2025 international signing period, which is tied with the San Francisco Giants for the smallest amount among all teams.
The Padres and Blue Jays both have $6,261,600.
Teams can acquire up to an additional 60% of their original bonus pool total in trades. International bonus pool money must be traded in increments of $250,000 unless a team is parting with its entire total.
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