Roki Sasaki gained’t be eligible to formally signal with an MLB group till mid-January, however that hasn’t stopped him from making headlines in December. Final week, it was reported that the NPB phenom had met with at the least three MLB groups: the Yankees, Mets, and Cubs. Immediately, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Younger confirmed that representatives from his membership with Sasaki final week (per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning Information). In the meantime, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reviews the Giants are “believed to have met” with Sasaki and his representatives.
It comes as no shock that each groups are concerned about Sasaki. The Giants might use extra beginning pitching, and so they’re doubtless so as to add at the least one starter this offseason, whether or not it’s Sasaki or another person. The Rangers, however, have already got a full rotation, however regardless, Sasaki is the type of participant any group would make room for. The 2-time NPB All-Star is broadly thought-about one of the vital promising younger pitchers on the planet, and his incomes potential is capped by the foundations of worldwide novice free company. As of proper now, Texas can’t pay him any greater than a $6,261,600 bonus, whereas San Francisco can’t provide him greater than a $5,146,200 bonus.
The Rangers have lengthy had a watch on Sasaki. Initially of the 2024 season, they had been one among eight groups that reportedly despatched representatives to look at Sasaki pitch in Japan. One may also perceive why Sasaki can be concerned about becoming a member of their membership. Not solely are the Rangers latest World Sequence winners, however they’ve been one of the vital energetic groups this offseason on each the commerce and free agent markets. Moreover, Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe just lately talked about that Sasaki grew up “idolizing” quite a few Japanese pitchers who made the bounce from NPB to MLB. The primary instance Wolfe named was Yu Darvish, who signed with the Rangers when he first arrived stateside in 2012. Evan Grant factors out {that a} pair of entrance workplace executives who had been “key” in signing Darvish, assistant basic supervisor Josh Boyd and Pacific Rim Operations Director Joe Furukawa, are nonetheless working within the group.
As for the Giants, POBO Buster Posey has been significantly vocal about his curiosity in Sasaki. Talking on the Winter Conferences, he instructed reporters (together with Maria Guardado of MLB.com), “We’d be over the moon so as to add a man like that.” Whereas Posey solely spoke of Sasaki’s expertise, one has to presume he’s additionally captivated by the value tag. The Giants have been intently linked to free agent Corbin Burnes this winter. However Burnes is presumably trying to signal a contract value properly over $200MM. In response to Susan Slusser, there are questions on whether or not or not possession might be prepared to foot that invoice. In Sasaki, the Giants might add a top-of-the-rotation starter for a fraction of the market worth.
From Sasaki’s viewpoint, it’s value noting that San Francisco is way nearer to Japan (and has a much bigger Japanese inhabitants) than New York, Chicago, or Dallas-Fort Value-Arlington. Neither Sasaki nor Wolfe has prompt the pitcher has a geographic choice for the place he indicators, however Giants basic supervisor Zack Minasian has expressed hope that San Francisco’s relative proximity to Japan will make “an enormous distinction” (per Guardado). Minasian additionally talked about the pitcher-friendly confines of Oracle Park as a possible draw. In spite of everything, Sasaki is used to pitching in a really totally different offensive atmosphere – runs are tougher to come back by in NPB. What’s extra, he’s presumably trying to put up numbers which are as spectacular as attainable. Six years sooner or later, these numbers will assist him money in massive as an unrestricted free agent.
In the end, we nonetheless know little or no about what Sasaki’s pondering or the place he would possibly find yourself. The Dodgers and, to a lesser extent, the Padres are regularly cited because the front-runners to signal him, but it surely’s not for nothing that he has met with so many different groups. (Neither is it clear if he has met with both the Dodgers or Padres but.) Slusser identifies the Diamondbacks as one other NL West suitor for his companies, although it’s unclear if he has met with anybody from the group. In the meantime, the Phillies are the one membership we all know for sure has not met with Sasaki. Final week, POBO Dave Dombrowski revealed that though the Phillies would love to talk with Sasaki, they haven’t been invited to take action.
