Early Friday, the Blue Jays swung a deal with the Guardians to add another $2 million in international bonus pool space, setting the stage for what felt like the final push for Japanese star Roki Sasaki.

The Blue Jays have been tied to Anthony Santander as much as any team in recent weeks. While there’s still no agreement in place, Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet report that the Jays’ talks with the free-agent slugger “picked up” on Friday.