The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes came to an end on Friday as the Japanese phenom announced he will be signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It was the expected outcome from the start of the process as the Dodgers have long coveted Sasaki and they checked all the boxes for what the right-hander may have been looking for in his next team.
The biggest concern was the Dodgers’ international bonus pool total, which was the lowest among all MLB teams at $5,146,200. However, they made a pair of trades with the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies to increase their total by a reported $1.75 to $2 million.
With their increased funds, the Dodgers gave Sasaki a $6.5 million signing bonus, according to Alden González of ESPN:
With that, the Dodgers will pay Sasaki a $6.5 million bonus, a source said, roughly $2 million less than what the Blue Jays had prepared to offer.
Sasaki’s signing bonus is the largest for an international signing period since 2017, and he could have received more with another organization.
The Blue Jays acquired an extra $2 million in bonus pool money via trade with the Cleveland Guardians earlier in the day, putting them about $3 million ahead of the Dodgers. That led to some speculation the Blue Jays emerged as the new favorite to sign Sasaki, while others saw it at a desperate attempt to sway his decision.
With the Dodgers adding roughly $2 million to their bonus pool, that left them about $400,000 to $646,200 remaining to sign other international prospects.
The Dodgers reportedly added a few players after Sasaki announced his intent to join the organization, and they are said to be signing roughly 15 players total within the next day or so.
During their pursuit of Sasaki, the Dodgers asked their 2025 commitments to wait until the next signing period, while a few of them decided to join other organizations.
Tyler Glasnow made pitch to Roki Sasaki
Tyler Glasnow was not part of the Dodgers meeting with Sasaki as many of their other stars were, but he did have the chance to talk with the 23-year-old on the phone and send him a message.
In his message, Glasnow detailed all of the advantages that come with playing for the Dodgers and specifically how they develop their pitchers.
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