Report: One Team Drops Out of Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes

 The Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes may have taken a couple of dramatic new turns today, as reports have emerged that one of the three finalists have dropped out of the bidding.

The Padres are reportedly OUT on signing Roki Sasaki, per @francysromeroFR.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays appear to be the two finalists. pic.twitter.com/EFCHNEStUQ

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 17, 2025

Spanish baseball insider Francys Romero reported Friday morning that the LA Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays remain as the two finalists for the Japanese pitching phenom.

The other big news hit on Friday is that the Blue Jays have made a trade acquiring an extra $2 million in international bonus pool signing cash (which is where Sasaki's deal is eligible to come from). 

Baseball insider Robert Murray says, while calling the extra $2M "not insignificant," he says that development doesn't necessarily mean that the Jays have taken the lead in the chase. 

"That, to me, gave me two ideas: One, they may have the indication that they've gotten Sasaki, or Two, they believe he's going elsewhere and they're trying to make a last-ditch effort to get him... My guess is that this is a last-ditch effort to try to get Sasaki to come to Toronto."

Neither the Dodgers nor Blue Jays have signed any international free agents as of yet (preserving their full cap allotment), while the Romero report suggested that the Padres will begin to conduct other international signings.  

Photo Credit: とらとうはんしん, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons