Sasaki has started meeting with teams in person
MLB.com is keeping track of the latest news and rumors surrounding Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, who is seeking an MLB opportunity via the posting system.
At 23 years old, Sasaki is subject to international bonus pool money restrictions, which are placed on foreign-born players unless they are at least 25 years of age and have played as a professional in a foreign league recognized by Major League Baseball for a minimum of six seasons.
Sasaki is not expected to sign until the 2025 international amateur signing period begins on Jan. 15. His negotiating window runs through Jan. 23. If he doesn't have a deal in place by then, he will return to the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball for the 2025 season.
Dec. 20: Mets, Yanks meet with Sasaki; Cubs meeting with him soon (reports)
The Sasaki sweepstakes have advanced to their next stage: in-person meetings. The Japanese phenom met with the Yankees and the Mets on Thursday, according to a report in the New York Post. The Cubs are expected to have an in-person meeting with Sasaki in Los Angeles on Friday, according to a report from Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made it known during the Winter Meetings that the Cubs had already submitted their initial presentation to Sasaki and his agent, Joel Wolfe.
Wolfe said at the Winter Meetings that MLB teams' meetings with Sasaki would likely begin this week and continue after the holidays in the teams' respective cities.
Sasaki, 23, is the latest Japanese star pitcher to seek to make the jump to MLB, following Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga last year. Sasaki posted a 2.02 ERA and struck out 32% of the batters he faced as a member of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball from 2021-24. The Dodgers and Padres have been considered favorites to sign Sasaki, but many other teams will be making their pitch.
Dec. 10: Sasaki setting up plans to meet with suitors
Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, met with reporters at the Winter Meetings in Dallas on Tuesday, outlining the process for Sasaki’s forthcoming decision and offering up some details about what he might be looking for in a potential suitor.
Sasaki and Wolfe are set to map out a schedule to begin meeting with teams "hopefully next week," Wolfe said. More >
Dec. 9: Padres planning ‘full-court press’ to recruit Sasaki
After being posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki can begin negotiating with MLB teams on Tuesday. The San Diego Padres are expected to be in the mix to sign Sasaki, and manager Mike Shildt didn’t mince words on Monday when asked about the team’s chances of landing the 23-year-old pitcher.
“We should be very legitimate contenders [for Sasaki],” Shildt said in an interview on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM. “We fully expect to be right in the mix and actually, at the end of the day, have Sasaki a Padre.
Sasaki is reportedly close with Padres starter Yu Darvish, one of two Japanese players on the club, along with reliever Yuki Matsui. Shildt cited the Padres’ strong connection to the Asian market as a reason why he thinks the Padres are well positioned in the Sasaki sweepstakes.
“[General manager] A.J. [Preller has] done a tremendous job, the organization has done a tremendous job of making sure that we’re very relevant internationally. Our roster speaks to it. We’ve got, obviously Darvish and we’ve got Yuki from Japan. We had [Ha-Seong Kim] from Korea. We’re a multicultural club that is open to that. Heck, A.J. speaks Japanese. They worked to learn Japanese to work to recruit [Shohei] Ohtani years ago. I know they got really close there. We got [former pitcher Hideo] Nomo in the organization that clearly is well respected, rightfully, in Japan. So we’ve got a lot of inroads to get to Sasaki and make that happen. I know we’re going to put the full-court press to make it happen and we’re very optimistic.”
The Padres will likely face fierce competition for Sasaki's services from the rival Dodgers, another team with strong ties to Japan. The Dodgers have employed many Japanese stars over the years, from Nomo and Hiroki Kuroda in the past to Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the present. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was also born in Japan.
Dec. 4: Are Padres leading the Sasaki sweepstakes?
Padres or Dodgers? Dodgers or Padres? Those are reportedly the top suitors for Sasaki. However, it seems like there is buzz building toward San Diego ending up with the Japanese right-hander.
During his Wednesday chat on Bleacher Report, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reiterated what he has reported in recent days: The Padres "have a real shot" at signing Sasaki. Furthermore, baseball reporter Francys Romero wrote Wednesday on social media that several industry sources believe the Padres "are in a strong position" to land the 23-year-old ace.
Of course, it is expected that Sasaki will wait until at least Jan. 15, the start of the 2025 international signing period, to sign with any MLB club. Before that occurs, Sasaki must be posted by his NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. That hasn't happened yet, but Chiba Lotte announced last month that it would post Sasaki this offseason.