Inside The Padres

Padres Trail Dodgers for Best Odds to Sign Superstar Free Agent

Maren Angus-Coombs

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How likely is it that the San Diego Padres sign international free agent Roki Sasaki?

Bookies.com oddsmaker Adam Thompson recently updated his hypothetical odds and has Sasaki signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers at +300 odds, and the Padres trail at +325.

The Chiba Lotte Marines revealed on Saturday that they’re starting the posting process for Roki Sasaki, the highly-regarded Japanese right-hander considered one of the world’s top pitching talents. This move sets up the 23-year-old to join Major League Baseball in 2025.

"I am very grateful to the team for officially allowing me to post," Sasaki said in a statementposted by the Marines on X. "There were many things that did not go well during my five years with the Marines, but I was able to get to this point by concentrating only on baseball, with the support of my teammates, staff, front office, and fans. I will do my best to work my way up from my minor contract to become the best player in the world, so that I will have no regrets in my one and only baseball career and live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me."

Major League Baseball rules require free agents under 25 to sign as amateurs, meaning they fall under the international bonus pool limits. This cap heavily restricts how much teams can spend on international talent.

At 23, Sasaki is in the same position as Shohei Ohtani was when he left Japan for the Angels in 2017. Due to these rules, Ohtani signed for a $2.3 million bonus and entered MLB's arbitration system, with team control extending for six seasons.

Although he could have waited two more years to sign for a far larger contract, similar to what Yoshinobu Yamamoto might command, Ohtani prioritized his dream of playing in MLB. Endorsement deals helped close the financial gap.

Currently, the Dodgers have the largest available bonus pool for 2024, sitting at $2.5 million. The size of these pools is influenced by various factors, but if Sasaki opts to wait before being posted, teams will have a significantly larger pool of money to offer him for 2025, ranging from $5.15 million to $7.56 million.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite being raised in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer for the LA Sports Report Network.

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