The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are approaching their end, and the biggest question remains:
Will the Japanese ace end up on the West Coast, or head north of the border?
The reigning champion Dodgers and Blue Jays are the final teams standing from a pool that included the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Rangers and Giants — with the Padres being taken out of the equation on Friday, according to Francys Romero.
Toronto may have just found a way to up its offer to the 23-year-old right-hander.
According to multiple reports, the Blue Jays acquired outfielder Myles Straw from Cleveland in a deal that nets them $2 million in international bonus pool space on Friday.
Because he is under 25, Sasaki is considered an international amateur, limiting teams to their international pool funds for an offer to him.
After Friday’s dealings, Toronto is up to around $8.26 million in available funds to spend on Sasaki, while the Dodgers have $5.1 million.
Money isn’t the only factor when it comes to landing the fireballer, who could opt to join fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the Los Angeles rotation, or immediately step in as a top-of-the-rotation starter with the Blue Jays.
His low price, combined with an arsenal of pitches that include a 100 mph fastball to go with a splitter and slider, are just a few of his most attractive traits to teams.
The numbers back up his skill set: a 2.02 ERA, 11.4 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and a 6.0 H/9 over four seasons with the Chiba Latte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball League have had teams watching him closely for years.
Now, there are only two left, and with his 45-day posting window nearing its closure, the race is on.
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