Sasaki Sweepstakes Heat Up: Blue Jays, Dodgers, Padres Lead Race

The gates are officially open in MLB’s latest international signing period, bringing the high-profile Roki Sasaki sweepstakes a big step closer to its much-anticipated conclusion.

The destination of the 23-year-old Japanese pitcher has long been among the sport’s top offseason storylines, due to his prodigious talent and relative bargain cost due to his not waiting until he turned 25 to leave Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. 

Wednesday marked the formal beginning of the 2025 period in which MLB clubs can sign international amateur free agents, the player classification that includes Sasaki, and have received a reset bonus pool to fund those signings. 

The push for Sasaki, however, is now reportedly down to three teams: the defending World Series champion Dodgers, a Padres team that’s in ownership turmoil, and the Blue Jays, in the midst of their own corporate-level shift. Other teams such as the Mets, Rangers, and Yankees are said to have been notified they are now out of the race for the pitcher, one of the game’s top young talents, featuring a blazing fastball that has topped 102 miles per hour and a wipeout slider. 

Sasaki’s posting window closes Jan. 23. The heavy focus on Sasaki, however, by MLB clubs has turned their attention away from other international amateurs in the run-up to the new signing period—creating broader chaos in this part of the player market, and the potential loss of deals for some others. 

Sasaki’s age and four years of professional experience in Japan also make him stand out from most others in this class of international free-agent prospects, made up primarily of teenagers from Latin America. Other top talents include Dominican infielder Elian Peña, who signed Wednesday with the Mets for a $5 million bonus, and countryman Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who signed with the Giants for $3 million.