Nearly 400 international amateurs were reported to sign contracts on the first day of the 2025 international signing period. None by the Dodgers, Padres, or Blue Jays.
For the Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays, the start to their international signing period was very quiet on Wednesday, which was expected given that they are the three finalists for the services of Roki Sasaki.
None of those three teams have signed anyone for a bonus of over $10,000 per either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline, as they try to keep their bonus pool intact while waiting on Sasaki’s decision. For comparison, as of Wednesday night on Baseball America, the other 27 teams had an average of 14.6 reported international signings, with no other team signing fewer than six players on the first day of the period.
Teams can also trade for more bonus pool slots, up to 60 percent of their original total pool, which for the Dodgers would mean adding a little over $3 million at maximum in pool space. But it is yet unclear whether that extra money will be needed to sign Sasaki, who is already ceding nine figures by coming to MLB two years before he could have qualified for full free agency.
Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday on the Dodgers mulling potential deals to add bonus pool space:
Meanwhile, Dodgers officials have had discussions with several other teams about potentially acquiring more international bonus pool money via trade, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly — though it is believed those talks to this point have been more exploratory in nature.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that the Dodgers and Padres have been exploring potential trades for bonus pool space, but that they weren’t the only teams doing so.
One executive said: “There are a number of teams asking for international money some that you would guess and some that you would not. [LA & SD] are certainly reaching out but they aren’t alone, other teams are recognizing opportunities.”
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 16, 2025
The deadline for a team to sign Sasaki is one week from today, on January 23.