{"id":18830,"date":"2025-01-13T03:43:22","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T03:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18830"},"modified":"2025-01-13T03:43:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T03:43:22","slug":"pittsburgh-pirates-expected-to-sign-international-player-tied-to-los-angeles-dodgers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18830","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh Pirates Expected to Sign International Player Tied to Los Angeles Dodgers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to be the favorites to land Roki Sasaki and other international prospects tied to the team like Darrell Morel are expected to find new homes as a result.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Pittsburgh<\/picture><\/figure>\n
Pittsburgh Pirates hats and gloves are pictured in the dugout during a game against the New York Yankees on Sept. 16, 2023, at PNC Park. \/ Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Ever since the news broke that young Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki would be posted by Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have expected to be the favorite to sign him. And one team has already reaped the benefits of that assumption.<\/p>\n

Sasaki’s posting from Japan came with the caveat that he would only be eligible to sign on a minor league deal with the bonus money counting toward the 2025 international signing pool due to his age (23 years-old).<\/p>\n

This extra wrinkle would put many international players in precarious spots.<\/p>\n

The typical rule is that players can only sign if they’re 16 years-old between when the international signing period opens (Jan. 15) or if they turn that age by Sept. 1 of that same window.<\/p>\n

And even though teams aren’t technically allowed to negotiate with international players or promise deals before they’re eligible to sign, it’s general knowledge that almost all teams don’t abide by that.<\/p>\n

This blanket rule-breaking leads to many international players being committed to a team years before they can actually be signed.<\/p>\n

And the Dodgers, in anticipation of offering the biggest signing bonus they possibly can to Sasaki, have seemed to inform their potential 2025 signees they can sign elsewhere.<\/p>\n

And the Pittsburgh Pirates seem have taken advantage. Ben Badler of Baseball America\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0that the Pirates are expected to ink 6-foot-5 shortstop Darrell Morel out of the Dominican Republic. Morel was one of the international players previously expected to sign with Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

According to an additional report from Francys Romero, Morel is expected to sign for around $1.7 million.<\/p>\n

\n