<p>The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves at the last stretch of a two-horse race for Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki. While the rumour mills and the reports from journalists coast to coast had pegged Sasaki to sign with either the Dodgers or the Padres, the latter organization was <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1880256450746069438">reportedly notified</a> earlier today that they were out of the sweepstakes and started signing international free agents from Latin America.</p>
<p>Sasaki isn&#8217;t a normal free agent &#8211; he&#8217;s tied to the international free agency structure in place for amateur free agents and as such, teams can only spend within their allotted bonus pools. It&#8217;s the same method on how the Jays signed Orelvis Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back in the day.</p>
<p></p>
<p>With this in mind, the Blue Jays are not counting themselves out just yet for his services. The club just acquired Myles Straw,<a href="https://x.com/ShiDavidi/status/1880298503278325942"> cash considerations</a> ($3.75 million), and <a href="https://x.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/1880292513573138487">over $2 million</a> towards their bonus pool for this year, bumping it up from the ~$6.2 million they started with to just north of $8 million. In return, the Jays are sending cash or a player to be named later.</p>
<p>The move comes with some drawbacks, as the club is taking on Straw&#8217;s deadweight of a contract at $13.8 million over the next two seasons with a club option for 2027 and 2028 ($8 million and $8.5 million respectively), which includes a $1.75 million buyout in 2027 ($15.5 million total guaranteed if you include the buyout). The $3.75 million the club gets from Cleveland offsets Straw&#8217;s contract to some degree but it&#8217;s a risky move if the club comes up short on signing Sasaki.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
<p>Acquiring the additional bonus pool money doesn&#8217;t guarantee anything at this point, but it is a step in the right direction for the Blue Jays. That being said, it&#8217;s a bold move from the Jays general manager and one that could backfire on him if Sasaki pivots to the West Coast.</p>
<p>Andrew Stoeten worded it <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten/status/1880294654828290058">perfectly: </a>Ross Atkins is in some hot water if he swings and misses on Sasaki.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If this ends with them being on thr hook for Straw Ross is definitely cooked, so big outcome for Jays fans either way <a href="https://t.co/yHVTgiFLuz">https://t.co/yHVTgiFLuz</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Andrew Stoeten (@AndrewStoeten) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten/status/1880294654828290058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>To be so close to another premier free agent and have them sign elsewhere would be a gut punch that Blue Jays fans likely aren&#8217;t ready to handle again, especially after the club was in the running for Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes this season (and Ohtani last year). Factor in that the Jays are taking on a bad contract in Straw to add to the outfield in a manner that doesn&#8217;t satisfy what&#8217;s missing on the roster (power bat) and it&#8217;s a bold move by the front office that appears to be aggressive in their pursuit of the right-hander. Straw is a defensive-minded player and his bat just hasn&#8217;t found any sort of rhythm at the big-league level. He spent of last season in triple-A and with Columbus, he still only mustered a .651 OPS &#8211; not exactly the power one is looking for.</p>
<p>The trade at the end of the day is for the bonus pool money; everybody knows that. Atkins doesn&#8217;t have some sort of affinity for Myles Straw and the move now puts the Jays roughly $3 million ahead of the Dodgers&#8217; current bonus pool allotment. However, considering nothing has been made official at this time, at least from our viewpoint, the Blue Jays:</p>
<ol>
<li>Already have an answer and are firming things up to get Sasaki the dollar figure he wants</li>
<li>Are positioning themselves to make them more attractive if Sasaki is still wavering</li>
</ol>
<p>Point #1 would send the fan base into a frenzy and a lot of journalists would wind up with egg on their faces for counting Toronto out of the sweepstakes. Point #2 has the potential to backfire tremendously for Atkins and the Jays, so much so that it could be the straw that breaks the camel&#8217;s back at this point. Toronto has yet to address its power needs on the roster, an area that seriously needs some attention, and the club is also at a crossroads with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. when it comes to a contract extension. To push all the chips in on Sasaki by acquiring over $10 million of a contract and the additional $2 million for international free agency and still miss out on the right-hander is just the icing on the cake for a birthday party Jays fans don&#8217;t even want to be at anymore.</p>
<p>Should Sasaki sign elsewhere, it will be interesting to see if the Blue Jays will be making further moves in free agency &#8211; essentially having the budget and room to acquire the outfielder while still being able to pursue those still out there like Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, or Anthony Santander. If they don&#8217;t have the budget to withstand the Straw acquisition and acquire more players, then the move is likely a death sentence for Atkins and his tenure in Toronto. They still need a power bat (or two) and a starter and have added two defensive-minded players and a couple of relievers, which isn&#8217;t enough to get them out from the basement of the AL East.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sources tell me and <a href="https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShiDavidi</a> the Blue Jays are getting $2 million in international cap space in their trade with CLE.</p>
<p>Again, this does not mean Roki Sasaki has made a decision, but Jays clearly prepping in case he chooses them.</p>
<p>&mdash; Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/1880292513573138487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>It&#8217;s a bold and aggressive move by the Blue Jays general manager but one would also like to think that the risk is calculated in some measure, making it seem like they feel confident that Sasaki will pick them at the end of the day. Or the aggressiveness falls flat and Sasaki joins the NL West, putting Toronto further back in their competitiveness gameplan and turning back to the drawing board.</p>
<p>Blue Jays fans are getting their hopes up with the recent trade but at the same time, cautious optimism is sweeping the group considering Toronto has been here before only to be left sitting on the sidelines. To miss out on Sasaki would be a real stinger to this franchise and one that could spell an end for Atkins in Toronto.</p>
<hr />
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves at the last stretch of a two-horse race for Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki. While the rumour mills and the reports from journalists coast to coast had pegged Sasaki to sign with either the Dodgers or the Padres, the latter organization was <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1880256450746069438">reportedly notified</a> earlier today that they were out of the sweepstakes and started signing international free agents from Latin America.

Sasaki isn't a normal free agent - he's tied to the international free agency structure in place for amateur free agents and as such, teams can only spend within their allotted bonus pools. It's the same method on how the Jays signed Orelvis Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back in the day.



With this in mind, the Blue Jays are not counting themselves out just yet for his services. The club just acquired Myles Straw,<a href="https://x.com/ShiDavidi/status/1880298503278325942"> cash considerations</a> ($3.75 million), and <a href="https://x.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/1880292513573138487">over $2 million</a> towards their bonus pool for this year, bumping it up from the ~$6.2 million they started with to just north of $8 million. In return, the Jays are sending cash or a player to be named later.

The move comes with some drawbacks, as the club is taking on Straw's deadweight of a contract at $13.8 million over the next two seasons with a club option for 2027 and 2028 ($8 million and $8.5 million respectively), which includes a $1.75 million buyout in 2027 ($15.5 million total guaranteed if you include the buyout). The $3.75 million the club gets from Cleveland offsets Straw's contract to some degree but it's a risky move if the club comes up short on signing Sasaki.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
Acquiring the additional bonus pool money doesn't guarantee anything at this point, but it is a step in the right direction for the Blue Jays. That being said, it's a bold move from the Jays general manager and one that could backfire on him if Sasaki pivots to the West Coast.

Andrew Stoeten worded it <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten/status/1880294654828290058">perfectly: </a>Ross Atkins is in some hot water if he swings and misses on Sasaki.

https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten/status/1880294654828290058

To be so close to another premier free agent and have them sign elsewhere would be a gut punch that Blue Jays fans likely aren't ready to handle again, especially after the club was in the running for Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes this season (and Ohtani last year). Factor in that the Jays are taking on a bad contract in Straw to add to the outfield in a manner that doesn't satisfy what's missing on the roster (power bat) and it's a bold move by the front office that appears to be aggressive in their pursuit of the right-hander. Straw is a defensive-minded player and his bat just hasn't found any sort of rhythm at the big-league level. He spent of last season in triple-A and with Columbus, he still only mustered a .651 OPS - not exactly the power one is looking for.

The trade at the end of the day is for the bonus pool money; everybody knows that. Atkins doesn't have some sort of affinity for Myles Straw and the move now puts the Jays roughly $3 million ahead of the Dodgers' current bonus pool allotment. However, considering nothing has been made official at this time, at least from our viewpoint, the Blue Jays:
<ol>
 	<li>Already have an answer and are firming things up to get Sasaki the dollar figure he wants</li>
 	<li>Are positioning themselves to make them more attractive if Sasaki is still wavering</li>
</ol>
Point #1 would send the fan base into a frenzy and a lot of journalists would wind up with egg on their faces for counting Toronto out of the sweepstakes. Point #2 has the potential to backfire tremendously for Atkins and the Jays, so much so that it could be the straw that breaks the camel's back at this point. Toronto has yet to address its power needs on the roster, an area that seriously needs some attention, and the club is also at a crossroads with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. when it comes to a contract extension. To push all the chips in on Sasaki by acquiring over $10 million of a contract and the additional $2 million for international free agency and still miss out on the right-hander is just the icing on the cake for a birthday party Jays fans don't even want to be at anymore.

Should Sasaki sign elsewhere, it will be interesting to see if the Blue Jays will be making further moves in free agency - essentially having the budget and room to acquire the outfielder while still being able to pursue those still out there like Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, or Anthony Santander. If they don't have the budget to withstand the Straw acquisition and acquire more players, then the move is likely a death sentence for Atkins and his tenure in Toronto. They still need a power bat (or two) and a starter and have added two defensive-minded players and a couple of relievers, which isn't enough to get them out from the basement of the AL East.

https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/1880292513573138487

It's a bold and aggressive move by the Blue Jays general manager but one would also like to think that the risk is calculated in some measure, making it seem like they feel confident that Sasaki will pick them at the end of the day. Or the aggressiveness falls flat and Sasaki joins the NL West, putting Toronto further back in their competitiveness gameplan and turning back to the drawing board.

Blue Jays fans are getting their hopes up with the recent trade but at the same time, cautious optimism is sweeping the group considering Toronto has been here before only to be left sitting on the sidelines. To miss out on Sasaki would be a real stinger to this franchise and one that could spell an end for Atkins in Toronto.

<hr />

<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

The Blue Jays are aggressive in their pursuit of Roki Sasaki and it could cost Ross Atkins his job if it backfires

Instant Reaction: Blue Jays’ bats go cold in 2-1 defeat to Rays

Blue Jays: Gage Stanifer and three others named to the Northwest League All-Star team

Blue Jays GDB – 152.0: Kevin Gausman seeks to follow up complete game shutout in matchup against Rays

Blue Jays facing tough decision with José Berríos’ post-season fate

Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes (38) is congratulated by third baseman Addison Barger (47) after he hit a home run during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Recent articles from Tyson Shushkewich

Breaking News