The Los Angeles Dodgers had a light international free agent class for the 2024 signing period as they potentially look toward a bigger target.
Their primary wave of signings was headlined by the No. 14 prospect in the class, shortstop Emil Morales. In total, the Dodgers signed seven pitchers, four catchers, five infielders and three outfielders to open the 2024 signing period.
But they have continued adding, and they are now expected to sign 17-year-old Taiwanese outfielder Ko Ching-Hsien to a deal worth $700,000, according to Francys Romero:
The Los Angeles Dodgers will sign Taiwanese OF Ko Ching-Hsien (17) for around $700,000 bonus, sources confirm.
The official signing will be in the next few days.
Hsien is an athletic and multi-tools outfielder who shined at the last World U-18 with .550 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI. pic.twitter.com/ElXxx1Lm4n
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) June 6, 2024
Ching-Hsien bats left-handed and throws with his right. He is expected to join the Dodgers’ Minor League system after he graduates from high school.
His performance during the U-18 Baseball World Cup seems to have caught the eyes of the Dodgers. In the tournament, Ching-Hsien went 11-for-20, with a double, home run, seven walks, and two stolen bases.
He started in all but one of Taiwan’s games and helped the team to a second place finish and an 8-1 record in the tournament, with their only loss being at the hands of Japan in the championship game.
The Dodgers remaining international bonus pool
Once the deal becomes official, it is expected that the Dodgers will have $3,152,500 remaining in their international signing bonus pool, which is a sizable amount. This is an important fact to consider with the Dodgers’ interest in Japanese pitcher Rōki Sasaki.
The 22-year-old right-hander is still under contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball, but he is expected to continue pressuring the team to post him in the coming offseason to take his talents stateside.
Any possible deal between Sasaki and the Dodgers will not look anything like Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s negotiations, but instead Shohei Ohtani’s with the Los Angeles Angels back in 2018.
The key difference being the service time accumulated in the NPB by Yamamoto which allowed him to earn his 12-year, $325 million contract. Sasaki wishes to follow in Ohtani’s footsteps and come over to MLB as quick as possible, which classifies him as an amateur international free agents.
This label means that teams are restricted to only offering contracts with their allotted international bonus pool money. Expect Sasaki’s contract to look more along the lines of the $2.315 million bonus Ohtani received back in 2018 and the posting fee paid to the Marines.
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