The excitement over Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki coming to Major League Baseball should be tempered by the likelihood that his signing will produce unintended consequences: teenage Latin American prospects who will be abandoned by the team that signs him.
Sasaki, 23, might be a top-of-the-rotation starter as soon as next season. The current international signing period ends Dec. 15. If, as expected, he delays his choice until the next period, which opens Jan. 15, the team he picks almost certainly will expend its entire bonus pool on him, breaking preexisting verbal commitments with Latin American players who are further away from the majors.
Depriving those players of life-changing money isn’t right. And baseball should not allow it to happen.