The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2025 season as defending World Series champions after a magical October. They’ve also been quite busy this offseason, signing Hye-Seong Kim, Blake Snell and Teoscar Hernandez.
But they may not be done just yet. They are one of the reported finalists for Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, who is expected to sign soon. However, Zachary Rotman of FanSided notes that they might be at a slight disadvantage.
Between the Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres, the highest bonus he can receive is with San Diego and Toronto at $10 million, while he can only receive an $8.1 million bonus from the Dodgers, per Spotrac.
“The Seattle Mariners are not among the reported finalists, but the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays both are. They have $1.9 million more to offer in international bonus money than the Dodgers do. For a Dodgers team that currently has the highest payroll in the league by far, this is unfamiliar territory,” Rotman wrote.
While this may turn out to not be too big of a setback for the Dodgers, it is worth noting. Sasaki has prioritized playing with a team that is strong in development for pitchers, and while the Dodgers have that luxury, so too do the Padres and Blue Jays.
Sasaki could decide his destination as soon as Wednesday, as that is the day the international signing period begins. It will be interesting to see if this plays a role in him choosing one team over the others.
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