Blue Jays receive additional bonus pool money to increase Sasaki’s bid in trade with Cleveland.
The Toronto Blue Jays are aware that they are now in a two-way race for Japanese ace Roki Sasaki. The great pitcher has already ruled out the San Diego Padres, leaving the Jays just competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for his services. The difficulty is that Los Angeles has become the favorite destination for Asian players in recent seasons, and logic suggests Sasaki would go there.
Still, the Blue Jays will not go down without a fight. The odds are stacked against them, but they still have a shot and plan to make the most of it.
That’s why the Blue Jays made a deal on Friday, accepting light-hitting Myles Straw’s contract and receiving $2 million in international bonus pool money from the Cleveland Guardians.
“Sources tell me and @ShiDavidi that the Blue Jays will receive $2 million in international cap space in their trade with CLE. Again, this does not imply that Roki Sasaki has made a choice, but the Jays are definitely preparing in case he does.” Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson-Smith commented on X.
Roki Sasaki, Yankees
Credit: Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports.
The Blue Jays are investing heavily on Sasaki, who has a 2.10 lifetime ERA in Japan and is eager to take on new challenges. The Dodgers provide the opportunity to join a legitimate contender and be closer to home, complicating matters for Toronto.
A decent place to start would be to offer more money than the Dodgers, which will be possible in large part due to the recent trade with Cleveland. When he gets his feet wet in the MLB realm, he may be able to become the staff ace in Toronto.
A decision is expected before January 23, when Sasaki’s posting window closes. The whole baseball world is paying attention to the pitcher’s choice, which has the potential to affect the remainder of the offseason.