The push to sign Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki is on, with the Toronto Blue Jays adding to their international signing bonus pool following Friday’s trade with the Cleveland Guardians.

As part of the deal, the club acquired outfielder Myles Straw, cash and international signing bonus funds from Cleveland for either a player-to-be-named-later or cash. They are receiving $2 million in extra cash for international free agents, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported.

The Guardians are also sending $3.75 million in cash to cover a portion of the $15.5 million remaining on Straw’s contract, according to Davidi’s colleague, Ben Nicholson-Smith. He’s owed $6.4 million this year and $7.4 million in 2026. His deal also includes a pair of club options for ’27 and ’28, with a $1.75-million buyout.

Here’s the payment breakdown from Cleveland, per The Athletic’s Zack Meisel:

Prior to this trade, Toronto featured $6,261,600 in its international bonus pool for the ’25 signing period, an amount that now far exceeds the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pool of $5,146,200. But, they have also been exploring trade avenues to increase their spending limits.

By rule, teams are not permitted to exceed 60 per cent of their original international signing bonus pool, meaning the Blue Jays can feature slightly over $10 million in spending before reaching their limit.

After acquiring Myers, who features a revised $7.775 million AAV, the organization’s projected Competitive Balance Tax payroll has surpassed the initial luxury tax threshold of $241 million, sitting at approximately $245 million, per FanGraphs’ Roster Resource. That provides them with roughly $16 million in space before reaching the second luxury tax bracket ($261 million).

Based on Toronto’s desire to improve its lineup and starting rotation while rounding out the bullpen with at least one more addition, management may be more inclined to surpass that second threshold post-Myers trade, especially if they end up signing Sasaki.

By acquiring the 30-year-old outfielder, the Blue Jays have procured some much-needed insurance in centre field for next season, with Daulton Varsho expected to begin Opening Day on the IL after undergoing shoulder surgery last fall.

Myers spent most of the 2024 season at triple-A, but he’s a glove-first outfielder and won the AL Gold Glove for centre in ’22 after finishing third in defensive runs saved (+17) and outs above average (+12) among major league outfielders.

For his career, the right-handed-hitting outfielder owns a .244/.316/.308 slash line, six home runs, 125 RBIs and a 78 wRC+ (100 league average) over 562 games split between Cleveland and the Houston Astros. Additionally, he’s stolen 89 bases in 105 career attempts since debuting in 2018.

Last season, Myers only appeared in seven games with the Guardians, going 1-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and two stolen bases. He mostly served as a late-game defensive replacement, logging 14 innings in the outfield — all in centre.

Since Myers already cleared waivers and was outrighted to triple-A in November, the Blue Jays don’t need to create a spot on their 40-man roster — which is currently full — until he joins the big-league squad next season.