Dodgers shed more international prospects as Roki Sasaki decision nears

Even before the Los Angeles Dodgers had a second in-person meeting with Roki Sasaki on Jan. 14, they dropped some not-so-subtle hints that they were very confident they would be able to sign him.

Over the weekend, they offered up the contracts of a couple of international prospects to the rest of the league, shortstop Darrell Morel (owed $1.1 million) and outfielder Orlando Patiño (owed $400,000), in an effort to free up more international bonus pool money.

This is, on one hand, incredibly presumptuous. The Dodgers hadn't even been granted another meeting before they decided they were willing to let go of a handful of promising prospects. If they lose out on Sasaki, they'll have basically nothing to show for the 2025 international signing period.

Morel was almost immediately picked up by the Pirates, and Patiño's contract was bought by the White Sox, who will now sign him for $570,000. A third prospect, Dominican shortstop Teilon Serrano, also withdrew his agreement with the Dodgers to go to the Twins instead, where he'll sign for $1 million.

The international signing period opened on Jan. 15, and there's no going back now. If the Dodgers get Sasaki, the culling will have paid off. If not, they just let a lot of potential go for nothing.

Dodgers lose three international prospects in effort to clear money for Roki Sasaki

Although it's pretty clear that if Sasaki really cared about making top dollar as soon as he arrived in MLB, he would've waited until he was 25 and could come over as a fully fledged free agent, there's no question that giving Sasaki as much as they possibly can out of the bonus pool would be a point in the Dodgers' favor. He would undoubtedly have sponsorship opportunities in LA, but it makes sense that the Dodgers want to give him as much guaranteed money as they can right from the jump.

Sasaki isn't expected to sign for a few more days, closer to the end of his signing window, which closes on Jan. 23. The Dodgers are taking a huge gamble here, as their odds seem to stack up identically with the Padres' (sorry to the Blue Jays), but there was really no other option if they wanted to make their strongest case to him.

Let's hope it pays off. Both Dodgers and opposing fans alike seemed to be acting like Sasaki had already decided on LA as soon as the second meeting was reported, but it'd probably be wiser to tread with caution. This could all end up working out pretty badly for the Dodgers.