The Blue Jays paid $11 million for a replacement-level player, because they thought it would help them get Roki Sasaki.
In an exciting development, we heard early on Friday morning that the Toronto Blue Jays were now one of two finalists for Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki. Sasaki had long-been rumored to join the Dodgers or the San Diego Padres,
Toronto acquired $2 million in international signing bonus pool allocation from the Cleveland Guardians that could be used in its pursuit of Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki as part of a trade that also brought underperforming outfielder Myles Straw to the Blue Jays.
The Padres have reportedly been eliminated as a destination for the Japanese right-hander. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays traded for additional international bonus pool money.
Roki Sasaki will sign with either the Dodgers, Padres, or Blue Jays. Here's how their pitching staffs would look with the Japanese sensation in the fold.
The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes have come to an end, with the Los Angeles Dodgers signing the Japanese phenom to a minor-league contract. He will receive a $6.5 mil
For Dodgers fans, it’s cause for celebration. For the rest of the league, it’s a disappointing conclusion and another reason to gripe and groan about the growing might of MLB’s new evil empire.
According to multiple reports, the Padres are out on Sasaki and it's down to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
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.
Japanese free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki is nearing a decision and is reportedly down to the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays
But while L.A. and San Diego may indeed still be the leaders for Sasaki's services, the longer this goes on the more it seems like the righty really is considering the Jays. There's no extra money to be gained by wielding leverage here, after all, and spending multiple days in Toronto likely isn't something he'd do just for the fun of it.