The wait for Roki Sasaki may be almost over.
According to Sponichi, a major Japanese sports daily, Roki Sasaki should make his decision on Thursday January 16 (Friday January 17 in Japan).
Sponichi published the front page of his newspaper with a caption that translates from Japanese to English as follows: “It was reported in today’s Tokyo edition, dated the 17th, that pitcher Roki Sasaki (23 years old), who aims to move to the Lotte majors via the posting system will decide his transfer destination on the 16th (17th Japan time).
That would mean Sasaki’s decision would come on Thursday.
More news: Tyler Glasnow spoke to Roki Sasaki on the phone to try to recruit him to the Dodgers
Although Dodgers Nation is unable to confirm the validity of the report, Sponichi was the first daily sports newspaper in Japan, founded in 1948. It is also important to note that the cover features several Dodgers logos, but none of the Padres or Blue Jays.
The Dodgers have long been considered the favorite for Sasaki, the 23-year-old pitching phenom who must decide his MLB team by Jan. 23.
The Dodgers – with their winning methods, incredible pitching development and two of Japan’s biggest stars, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto – always made sense to Sasaki.
More news: The Dodgers are operating with confidence that they will sign Roki Sasaki
However, other reports suggest that Sasaki might prefer to be in a smaller market, or potentially not be in the shadow of Ohtani and Yamamoto in an effort to secure sponsorship deals.
Additionally, his relationship with Padres right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish has kept them as potential favorites alongside the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays are clearly the dark horse in the race, but the fact that they had a second meeting with Sasaki means they did a great job impressing him with their presentation.
Toronto also reportedly left the second meeting confident in its chances of landing the prize in this year’s free agent class.
Although Sasaki still has a week to make his decision, according to reports out of Japan, it appears that this announcement could come sooner rather than later.
More news on Roki Sasaki:
When will Roki Sasaki sign with the Dodgers, Padres or Blue Jays? Everything we know about its timeline
Dodgers discussing multiple trades to add money to international bonus pool for Roki Sasaki: report
Dodgers ‘optimistic’ about chances of signing Roki Sasaki: report
MLB Analyst Says There’s ‘0 Percent Chance’ Dodgers Don’t Sign Roki Sasaki
Photo credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
