With Roki Sasaki looming, Orioles left $2.1 million unspent from allotment and Dodgers $1.9 million

By The Associated Press

FILE - Roki Sasaki, of Japan, pitches during their Pool B game against the Czech Republic at the World Baseball Classic at the Tokyo Dome in Japan Saturday, March 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Eugene Hoshiko]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles left about $2.1 million unspent from their 2024 international signing bonus pool allotment and the Los Angeles Dodgers around $1.9 million in a year there was speculation Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki would be available. Major League Baseball’s international amateur signing period runs from Jan. 15 to Dec. 15, and Sasaki was not posted until Dec. 8. The 2025 signing period starts Jan. 15 and the 45-day window to reach a deal with the touted 23-year-old runs until Jan. 23, meaning he’ll sign within the 2025 period. The 2025 bonus pools range from $7,555,500 for eight teams to $5,146,200 for the Dodgers and San Francisco. The Dodgers are among the many teams interested in Sasaki.