The Los Angeles Dodgers added onto what’s been an impressive offseason by coming to terms with Roki Sasaki, who arrived at a decision with just under one week remaining before his 45-day posting window closed on Jan. 23.
Sasaki met with several teams before deciding on a group of finalists that consisted of the Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. Multiple reports on Friday morning indicated the Padres had fallen out of the running, leaving just the Dodgers and Blue Jays in the Sasaki sweepstakes.
Sasaki’s announcement was followed by the Dodgers trading Dylan Campbell to the Philadelphia Phillies for international bonus pool money.
In addition, the Dodgers also announced they’ve traded minor league outfielder Arnaldo Lantigua to the Cincinnati Reds for more bonus pool money.
According to Francys Romero, the Dodgers received an extra $1 million from the Reds:
Sources: The Dodgers traded OF Arnaldo Lantigua to the Cincinnati Reds and received over $1 million in international signing bonus pool money.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 18, 2025
Over recent days the Dodgers were reported as being in search of acquiring bonus pool money. The Blue Jays raised some eyebrows on Friday when they netted $2 million in pool money via trade with the Cleveland Guardians.
The Dodgers went into the 2025 international signing period with a $5,146,200 bonus pool. It tied with the San Francisco Giants for the smallest amount among all teams.
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.
The Dodgers are said to have received between $750,000 and $1 million through their trade with the Phillies.
Roki Sasaki’s Dodgers signing bonus
According to multiple reports, Sasaki’s signing bonus with the Dodgers was $6.5 million, which necessitated more than their first trade with the Phillies to acquire pool money.
Sasaki’s signing bonus is the largest for an international signing period since 2017.
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