Roki Sasaki is one of the biggest prizes of the offseason outside of Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are viewed as the favorite for Sasaki given the Japanese influence with Shohei Ohtani. Sasaki has until Jan. 23 to sign with one of 30 MLB teams.
Sasaki hasn’t played baseball long enough to be posted with other free agents, so he has to sign through international free agency. However, a report from The Athletic is shaking things up.
Despite the Dodgers being listed as the favorite, outside teams like the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs now have a chance.
“It’s absolutely insane right now trying to figure out who is actually available,” one international executive told Will Sammon. “It’s hard to tell. It’s a balance of acknowledging deals in place but also not wanting to miss out if someone is actually available. Plus agents are also using the situation to get more money with a new club than the one they originally agreed with. And there’s been more dialogue about international money trades, too. … It’s a lot.”
The latter part of that quote is where teams like the Yankees and Cubs come into play. The Dodgers currently have $5.15 million in international signing money, but that total is tied for the lowest among all 30 teams.
The Cubs and Yankees both have $6.26 million in international money. If the report holds true, the Dodgers’ chances of signing Sasaki are lowering due to not having as much money to spend.
Other teams in the mix for Sasaki are the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
