"1st smart decision by Pirates in forever"; "It f**king s*cks" - Fans react to Dodgers losing key player amid Roki Sasaki rumors

The MLB offseason is underway and the anticipation and excitement around the 2025 international signing period that will open on January 15 is at its peak. That said, the Los Angeles Dodgers recently lost a key player who was bound to sign with them in the form of Dominican shortstop prospect Darell Morel as an international signing.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will now be signing him after taking advantage of the bidding for Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki.

In the wake of this situation, fans have taken to Reddit to express their thoughts on the situation, showing a mix of reactions.

On Saturday, a Reddit user made a post regarding the ongoing Darell Morel-Roki Sasaki situation. The post read:

"[Badler] Roki Sasaki Chaos Has Already Begun In Advance Of International Signing Day: “Dominican shortstop Darell Morel was set to be one of the Dodgers’ top 2025 signings. With the uncertainty of the Dodgers’ situation given that they might land Sasaki, Morel now is set to sign with the Pirates.”"

This post led to various fans participating in the discussion and providing different takes.

"Super smart by teams not in the Sasaki race to start poaching players who had agreements with the teams that are competing for him," one fan said.

"This is the way. Everyone should be poaching these guys," one fan wrote.

"First smart decision by the Pirates FO in forever," one wrote.

Other than that, another group of fans had a different opinion regarding the ongoing situation.

"I always side with players getting paid what they can on the best deal they can, but it really f**king sucks as a fan when someone just sits all the way to the deadline, making teams that are offering money wait while other players are poached..." another fan remarked.

"Another tall, lanky shortstop with a huge power upside goes from the Dodgers to the Pirates?" one fan said.

Teams await Roki Sasaki's decision as 2025 international signing period approaches

Roki Sasaki, who is 23 years old, has already proved himself in the NPB. At such a young age, Sasaki has spent four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines. He had a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394.2 innings and is also known for his 102.5 mph fastball.

The few teams that have shown interest in Sasaki are the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres, according to MLB.com. Meanwhile, as per SNY, the New York Mets, New York Yankees and Padres are top contenders to sign Roki Sasaki.

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, on Friday's episode of Foul Territory, discussed the scope of Sasaki's signing with one of the MLB teams, hinting at the situation being delayed.