Toronto Blue Jays acquire OF Myles Straw, international signing bonus pool money from Guardians

The Toronto Blue Jays completed a deal with the Cleveland Guardians on Friday to acquire outfielder Myles Straw, cash considerations, and international signing bonus pool space for the 2025 period from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Straw, 30, appeared in seven games for the Guardians a season ago, going 1-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.

In 562 career MLB games with the Houston Astros and Guardians, Straw has hit .244 with six home runs and 125 runs batted in. Primarily a defensive substitute and pinch runner, Straw hit .240 in 123 games with the AAA Columbus Clippers last season.

Of potentially greater interest in the deal is the acquisition of international signing bonus pool money, as the Blue Jays are reportedly one of two finalists to land coveted free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki.

A report from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Wednesday indicated the Padres, who have since reportedly fallen out of the running to sign Sasaki, and Los Angeles Dodgers were each looking to add international bonus pool money via trade, which would increase what they’d be able to offer Sasaki as a signing bonus under MLB’s international free agent rules.

As of Wednesday, the Blue Jays had $6,261,600 in their international pool, while the Dodgers were a bit behind at $5,146,200.

Teams are allowed to trade for up to 60 per cent of their international bonus pool, meaning Toronto could accumulate as much as $10,018,560 compared to Los Angeles’ maximum total of $8,233,920.

Sasaki’s posting ends next Thursday on Jan. 23, meaning he has to sign an MLB contract before then. His team in Japan, the Chiba Lotte Marines, posted him on Dec. 9, opening a 45-day window for him to reach an MLB agreement.

As TSN’s Scott Mitchell reports, the Blue Jays have still not been informed that a decision has been made by Sasaki.

Sasaki is the No. 2 ranked player on TSN’s Top 75 MLB Free Agents list released in November. The 23-year-old went 10-5 last season for Chiba, recording a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111.0 innings.