Roki Sasaki became one of the most coveted free agents of the offseason when he was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) this past December.
The right-hander has drawn interest from a slew of teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. The Toronto Blue Jays are also said to have hosted Sasaki, which was different from his in-person meetings with teams in Southern California last month.
However, a recent report suggested that it would come as a surprise if Sasaki doesn’t sign with a West Coast team. The Dodgers and Padres have been mentioned as the two most likely landing spots for Sasaki.
While that may prove to be true, there are still at least six teams that believe they have a chance to sign Sasaki, via Ben Badler of Baseball America:
As of now, there are at least half a dozen teams that think they are still in the running to sign Sasaki.
The team that signs Sasaki will be getting a frontline caliber starter and one who is only 23 years old. He posted a 2.10 ERA with 505 strikeouts across 394.2 innings in four seasons for the Marines.
There is currently a freeze on international signings, which began on Dec. 16 and lasts until Jan. 15, 2025. Sasaki will only have until Jan. 23 to sign a contract because international free agents are given 45 days from their posting date to reach a deal with an MLB team.
Dave Roberts makes pitch to Roki Sasaki & free agents from Japan
Manager Dave Roberts, who was born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan, believes the Dodgers have some unique advantages when it comes to signing players from the country.
“I think the infrastructure of Japanese speakers on the staff, Minor League staff, training staff, front office, baseball operations side of things. We really have that covered,” Roberts began.
“I think our relationship with the country itself; we’ve built a lot of relationships with Japanese players in the last 30 years. Obviously, you talk about Los Angeles, there’s little Tokyo, there’s a very good Asian — specifically Japanese — community.
“I think the weather is very conducive to sort of, not necessarily Hokkaido and northern Japan, but Tokyo and down south, the West Coast being closer to Japan. The fanbase. I think that players that come over want to win. I think we’re built to win now and for a long time.”
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