The Los Angeles Dodgers ultimately emerged as the winners of the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes, although the San Diego Padres were serious contenders throughout much of the process.
After receiving interest from over 20 teams, Sasaki narrowed his options to three finalists: the Dodgers, Padres, and the Toronto Blue Jays, who surprisingly became a late addition to the mix. In the end, the Padres did not make the final cut, leaving Sasaki to choose between the Dodgers and Blue Jays.
Despite falling short, the Padres made an aggressive push for Sasaki, offering their entire bonus pool, which exceeded what the Dodgers could provide. According to Fabian Ardaya, Dennis Lin, and others from The Athletic, San Diego even informed Sasaki’s representatives that they were willing to trade for additional bonus pool money to offer the young right-hander over $10 million.
The Blue Jays, after acquiring $2 million in bonus pool money through a trade with the Cleveland Guardians, were also positioned to offer Sasaki a more lucrative deal than the Dodgers. However, Sasaki ultimately turned down both the Padres’ and Blue Jays’ larger offers, opting instead for the Dodgers’ $6.5 million deal.
The Dodgers managed to win Sasaki over with factors beyond money, including an impressive second meeting with their star players and their explanation for the decline in Sasaki’s fastball velocity last season.
MLB Investigates Sasaki Signing Process
Speculation arose about whether the Dodgers and Sasaki had an agreement in place before his official decision. However, an MLB investigation confirmed that the Dodgers adhered to all protocols during negotiations.
Following comments by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in November, the league conducted a thorough investigation involving multiple parties, including Sasaki’s NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. The findings cleared all sides of any wrongdoing.
Leave a Reply