Right-hander Roki Sasaki, the covered Japanese free agent, has whittled down a list of suitors to two finalists, according to a report by veteran MLB reporter Francys Romero.
Sasaki eliminated the San Diego Padres and will choose between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, the report claims.
At least eight teams met with Sasaki, who has until Thursday to pick an MLB team or return to Japan.
The signing period for international players opened on Wednesday, giving Sasaki and other players just eight days — until Thursday at 5 p.m. ET to sign a contract. Without a deal in place, Sasaki would return to the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball for the 2025 season.
Similar to the initial signing of Shohei Ohtani, age and MLB rules restrict contract terms teams can offer Sasaki based on bonus pool restrictions, which are placed on foreign-born players unless they are 25 and have played as a professional in a foreign league recognized by Major League Baseball for a minimum of six seasons. Sasaki will not turn 24 until November, meaning he’ll play at least two more seasons under MLB contract restrictions.
Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, was part of a second meeting with Sasaki and the Dodgers on Tuesday, The Athletic reported. The sitdown came one day after reports the Cubs, Yankees, Mets, Rangers and Giants were no longer in the running.
Toronto and San Diego each had $6.3 million available in bonus pool funds as of the December Winter Meetings in Texas, which is believed to be $1.15 million more than the Dodgers have.
Teams can add international pool bonus money in trades with other teams. MLB.com reported on Wednesday that the Dodgers and Padres were making calls to inquire about acquiring additional international pool funds from other teams.
Toronto moved Friday to complete a trade for additional bonus money in a deal with the Cleveland Guardians. According to multiple reports, the Blue Jays increased their total available to more than $8 million and could exceed $10 million.
The deal reported by multiple outlets sends outfielder Myles Straw, cash and international pool money for 2025 from Cleveland to Toronto.
Sasaki became a folk hero when he set a fastball record for high schoolers with a 101 mph clocking and introduced himself on the world stage during the World Baseball Classic in 2023. In his only start — a win against Mexico — Sasaki averaged 100.5 mph on his fastball.
He set a record in Japan in 2022 with 19 strikeouts in a game, including a stretch of 13 consecutive Ks, in a perfect game.
–Field Level Media
