It's on: Sasaki setting up plans to meet with suitors

DALLAS -- The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are officially underway.

Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, met with reporters at the Winter Meetings in Dallas on Tuesday, outlining the process for Sasaki’s forthcoming decision. That process has already begun, with Sasaki and Wolfe set to map out a schedule to begin meeting with teams "hopefully next week," Wolfe said.

The 23-year-old Japanese right-hander is perhaps the most coveted free agent on the market following Juan Soto's decision to sign with the Mets earlier this week. He was formally posted by his club, the Chiba Lotte Marines, on Monday, and his 45-day window to negotiate with teams began on Tuesday.

• Sasaki is the No. 1 international prospect for 2024 AND '25. Here's why.

Wolfe detailed what he expects to be a wide-open process in which Sasaki could be open to anything -- small markets and big markets, West Coast and East Coast. Sasaki's situation is a unique one in that he will receive only international bonus-pool money, plus a rookie salary -- making him available to a wide range of bidders.

"We're going to leave it open-ended, depending on how the first round of meetings go, how many total meetings he plans to have,” Wolfe said. "Teams have already begun sending presentations."

What’s the timeline?

There is no predetermined number of teams Sasaki will meet with, Wolfe said, but he expects those meetings to begin in earnest next week. Sasaki will then return to Japan for the holidays, Wolfe added, before a potential round of in-person meetings with teams in their respective cities in early January.

Beyond that, Wolfe didn’t delve too deeply into specifics of a timeline. But the overlap between the 45-day negotiating window and the start of the 2025 international signing period offers a clear view.

Wolfe acknowledged the likelihood that Sasaki would prefer to sign once the 2025 signing window opens (rather than the ’24 window, which closes on Sunday). The ‘25 window formally opens on Jan. 15, while Sasaki’s negotiating window closes on Jan. 23.

That would leave a nine-day period for Sasaki to sign, though he can still meet and negotiate with teams throughout the entire process.

What, exactly, is Sasaki looking for in a potential suitor?

Wolfe was asked that question directly on Tuesday:

"The best I can say is he has paid attention to how teams have done as far as overall success, both this year and in years past," Wolfe said. "He does watch a lot of Major League Baseball. He's paid attention to what his [World Baseball Classic] teammates have done. He's talked to a lot of foreign players that have been on his team in Chiba Lotte.

"He asks a lot of questions -- about weather, about comfortability, about pitching development. He's just watching what other Japanese players in the Major Leagues are doing and how they are doing."

That would seem to leave a variety of suitors available; Wolfe estimated that well more than half the league had scouted Sasaki within the past year. Essentially, Wolfe steered clear of setting any parameters for a potential landing spot.

Who are the favorites?

The Padres and Dodgers have been mentioned externally as early favorites, for any number of reasons -- their competitiveness, their location on the West Coast, the Japanese presence in their organizations.

But Wolfe steered clear of naming any names. If anything, he seemed to open the board to all bidders:

• Small- and mid-market teams would be in the mix -- and perhaps even preferred by Sasaki, who "has had a tough go of it" at the center of attention amid rumors of his desire to be posted. Said Wolfe: “There’s an argument to be made that a small- or mid-market team might be more beneficial for him as a soft landing for him coming from Japan.”

• It’s possible geography could have an impact, but “he’s never brought that up,” Wolfe said, pointing to the prevalence of direct flights to Japan. Playing on the East Coast, Wolfe said, wouldn't seem to be an issue.

• Although Sasaki has paid close attention to current Japanese players in the big leagues, particularly former teammates, the presence of those players wouldn’t necessarily sway Sasaki, who is open to playing on a team without a recent history of signing Japanese stars, Wolfe said.

“My advice to Roki,” Wolfe added, “is to go in with an open mind.”

When will he make a decision?

“Technically,” Wolfe said, “he could sign immediately, but we don't anticipate that happening.”

Teams have already spent much of their 2024 international-bonus pool money, and so Sasaki plans to push his decision into the ’25 signing period, when bonus pools will reset. That would allow Chiba Lotte to recoup a greater value for posting him, because of his presumed larger bonus.

But Wolfe also made it clear that Sasaki would prioritize fit over the dollars and cents of each bonus offer. The difference between the top available bonus pool ($7.55 million) and the smallest ($5.15 million) is about $2.4 million -- a number that won’t sway Sasaki’s decision, Wolfe said.

As for a specific date for a decision, well, there isn’t one. That’s what the next 45 days are for -- a fact-finding mission for Sasaki about each of his prospective suitors. There will be many.

“His dream is to come here to the Major Leagues,” Wolfe said. “I think he hasn't really wrapped his head around the individual teams and the individual cities. He just doesn't really know much about them.”

Yet.

Those teams now have 45 days to make their pitch to one of the sport’s brightest international stars.