Blue Jays finally get Roki Sasaki revenge by beating Dodgers for international ace

The Toronto Blue Jays have officially introduced International Free Agent Seojun Moon as one of their own. The six-foot-four right-hander is the first Korean-born signing in team history. The 214-bound 18-year-old from South Korea became a star at Jangchung High School in Seoul over the past three years.

His numbers jump off the page, with a 2.18 ERA and 93 strikeouts in over 66 innings without allowing a home run, in 24 games. He's got a fastball that sits in the low-90s but can ramp up to hit 95 mph. Scouts say his ability to spin the ball is advanced for someone his age and they think he projects into a big league pitcher.

All that to say, this kid is a stud and can very easily be seen as a member of the Blue Jays starting rotation in the near future and while he doesn't come with the pedigree of someone like Shoei Ohtani or Roki Sasaki, this is finally a signing by the Blue Jays where they beat out the Dodgers.

Blue Jays finally beat out Dodgers for International Free Agent

The Blue Jays landed Moon for $1.5 million in international bonus pool money, something they were able to do thanks to, in part, of Sasaki. When the Blue Jays acquired Myles Straw from the Guardians this past offseason, he brought with him $2 million of international bonus pool money. The hope was that Toronto would use that extra cash to sign Sasaki.

It didn't work out that way and while the Straw move was loathed by Blue Jays fans, it worked out to being the better deal this season as Straw as provided 2.8 bWAR off the bench while Saski has battled injuries for most of the season, with a 0.3 bWAR in 35 innings pitched.

According to the English daily paper in South Korea, The Chosun Daily, Moon was being pursued by the Dodgers and the Mets as well as the Blue Jays. International signings of this magnitude carry some significance for the teams that sign them as it helps grow their fan base in these other markets.

When the Blue Jays signed Hyun-Jin Ryu in 2019, Ryu was widely regarded as the most popular Korean-born player in MLB. So much so, that the Blue Jays games were aired across South Korea during his four years in Toronto. Blue Jays merchandise became a hot seller in the Asian nation and many Koreans made the trip to Rogers Centre to seem him pitch.

While Moon will likely need some seasoning in the minors before he makes an impact with the big league club, the fact he chose the Blue Jays over the defending World Series champions is a big win for Toronto who have come up short several times in the market for marquee additions.