Toronto acquired $2 million in international signing bonus pool allocation from the Cleveland Guardians that could be used in its pursuit of Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki as part of a trade that also brought underperforming outfielder Myles Straw to the Blue Jays.

This weekend, the Cleveland Guardians pulled off a jaw-dropping trade. They agreed to send outfielder Myles Straw, $2 million in international bonus slot money, and $3.75 million to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

The transaction, announced by the Guardians on X, also includes the transfer of international bonus pool space to Toronto.

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired outfielder Myles Straw from the Cleveland Guardians yesterday afternoon along with $3.75 million in cash and $2 million in international bonus pool money.

Cleveland agreed to a long-term deal in April 2022 with Straw, but he hit just .221 with no homers, 32 RBIs and 21 stolen bases that year, then batted .238 with one homer, 29 RBIs and 20 steals in 2023.

Perhaps it was an elaborate prank.For the second time this offseason, and the third time in two years, the Toronto Blue Jays managed to get close to landing a generational free agent, the kind of player who would transform the franchise,

The Cleveland Guardians have had a solid offseason. Still, they have holes to fill and positions and roles to address before the start of the season. Their biggest needs, however, are on the offensive side.

The Toronto Blue Jays finally turned the tables on the bridesmaid narrative with Anthony Santander, but the near-miss of Roki Sasaki still stings, Scott Mitchell writes.

After missing out on Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, the Blue Jays have pivoted to sign Dominican shortstop Christopher Polanco, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reported on Monday.

The Toronto Blue Jays' meeting with Japanese pitcher Rōki Sasaki included shortstop Bo Bichette, outfielder Daulton Varsho and reliever Chad Green,

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson's Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.