Decision day is approaching for Roki Sasaki, and the Japanese right-hander’s group of suitors has been narrowed down to three finalists, a league source confirmed to AthleticsKen Rosenthal: Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.
Sasaki will be able to sign once the new international signing window opens on Wednesday, although he would have to wait until closer to the end of his 45-day assignment process which ends on January 23.
The Dodgers were the presumptive favorites for Sasaki’s services long before the Chiba Lotte Marines announced they were sending the 23-year-old right-hander to potential clubs, and are among the teams to have met with him at least once with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs at Wasserman’s Los Angeles offices in December.
Athletics first reported Monday that Sasaki and his representatives had traveled last week to meet with officials of the Toronto Blue Jays, a seemingly late entrant after recent unsuccessful pursuits for high-profile free agents such as Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. Athletics was also first to report Monday that Sasaki followed his visit to Toronto to visit the San Diego Padres, long considered the Dodgers’ biggest competition to lure Sasaki with their need for cheap starting pitchers and previous relationship of Padres right-hander Yu Darvish with Sasaki. . Both trips were multi-day visits, according to a source.
A group that largely fits the preconceived idea of what Sasaki Market would look like in early winter. At least 20 teams have submitted documents to Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, the agent said last month. When Sasaki met with potential teams, they were asked not to have active players present to encourage a level playing field – several clubs in the process including the Dodgers (Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto), Padres (Darvish) and the Cubs (Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki) already has stars of Japanese descent and former teammates of Sasaki in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Roki Sasaki, left, Shohei Ohtani, center, and Yu Darvish, right, pose for a team photo on March 8, 2023. (Shuji Kajiyama/Associated Press)
Los Angeles appears to be a particularly attractive landing spot. The reigning World Series champions have established themselves in the Japanese market not only through their history of recruiting Japanese stars such as Hideo Nomo, Hiroki Kuroda and Kenta Maeda, but also through their billion-dollar commitment to Ohtani and Yamamoto last winter. Their first season in the Southland was transformational not only in how the season ended, but how the franchise exploited that market in real dollars. That, along with the signing of Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim, has seemingly given oxygen to manager Dave Roberts’ aspirations of transforming the continent into a hub for the franchise.
The pairing was obvious enough that Wolfe repeatedly dismissed any idea that a handshake deal was already in place. They remained coy about their status, with general manager Brandon Gomes saying, “We hope so” when asked if the Dodgers would have a second meeting with Sasaki earlier this month. Nonetheless, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called the club’s pursuit of Sasaki a “major priority.”
Money probably won’t be the deciding factor, with Sasaki opting to come to the United States two years before he can fully cash out. Nonetheless, Sasaki’s free agency has sent teams into a frenzy, with the Dodgers and Padres already among those changing their initial plans for it. signing period to free up space for Sasaki’s potential arrival, as Athletics broken down Monday morning.
(Photo: Yosuke Hayasaka/Associated Press)
