The baseball world waits for Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki to announce which Major League Baseball team he will sign with. The international signing period begins Wednesday, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports sources say Sasaki will sign with either the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, or Los Angeles Dodgers.
Those three teams might be patient enough to wait for Sasaki’s decision. Still, a few international prospects who verbally committed to the Dodgers before Wednesday became increasingly unsettled that their future team would withdraw from their first professional contract to sign Sasaki. The two-time NPB All-Star is under 25 and did not accumulate nine seasons of Nippon Professional Baseball service time, limiting MLB teams to signing him as an amateur with international bonus pool money.
The Dodgers had a verbal commitment with 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Darrell Morel and were initially expected to make his signing official this Wednesday. Instead, the six-foot-five Morel will sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates for around $1.7 million, Francys Romero wrote in an X post on January 11. Ben Badler of Baseball America reports Morel’s contract with the Pirates is almost twice the money of his original agreement with the Dodgers.
In addition to Morel, Venezuelan outfielder Orlando Patino backed out of his verbal agreement with the Dodgers and will reportedly sign with the Chicago White Sox (per Baseball America). Like Morel, Patino will see a hefty increase in his signing bonus. Badler reports Patino’s original agreement with the Dodgers was for $400,000, but he is expected to sign a $570,000 pact with the White Sox.
Losing Morel and Patino to other organizations would sting the Dodgers tremendously if they did not land Sasaki. Additionally, Sasaki’s posting window closes on Thursday, January 23, and there’s no guarantee he will decide on Wednesday. The Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays could be left wondering where they stand in the sweepstakes for several days.
MLB clubs may use all of their 2025 international bonus pool money to sign Sasaki, leaving players like Morel and Patino in the dust. Hence, the two teenagers backed out of verbal agreements with the Dodgers and moved on to a more secure financial situation.
As for the other two finalists in the Sasaki sweepstakes, the Padres have recently experienced great success in the international free-agent market. Twelve of the Padres’ top 30 prospects on MLB.com signed with the club via the international free-agent market.
Catcher Ethan Salas, the Padres’ No. 1 overall ranked MLB.com prospect, signed for $5.6 million in 2023 out of Venezuela. In 2024, the Padres snagged the No. 1 ranked prospect in the 2024 international class, shortstop Leodalis De Vries from the Dominican Republic. In this year’s international free agency, Francys Romero of Beisbol FR reports the Padres will sign 17-year-old shortstop Jhoan De La Cruz from the Dominican Republic for $2 million.
Francys Romero also reported on Beisbol FR that the Blue Jays have verbal agreements with nine players, including Dominican shortstop Cristopher Polanco. Polanco is the 22nd-ranked international prospect on MLB.com.
International free agents like De La Cruz and Polanco have verbally agreed to join the Padres and Blue Jays. Still, whether the two organizations can honor those contracts if Sasaki signs with their potential future organization remains a glaring question. Don’t be surprised to hear those contracts are put on hold until the Japanese flamethrower reveals his decision.
The international signing period begins on Wednesday and ends on December 15, 2025. Players must be 16 and turn 17 before September 1, 2026, to sign. Any international free agents under 25 are eligible to negotiate with MLB clubs.
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