The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are underway, with the Japanese ace reportedly beginning to meet with teams in Los Angeles this week.
The Giants are expected to be among the clubs vying for Sasaki’s services and may have already had a chance to make their pitch to the 23-year-old right-hander, as president of baseball operations Buster Posey appeared to be photographed at LAX earlier this week alongside Major League quality control coach Taira Uematsu, the first Japanese-born coach in the Majors.
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Posey has made no secret of the Giants’ desire to land Sasaki, who is expected to sign between the start of the 2025 international signing period (Jan. 15) and the end of his 45-day posting period (Jan. 23).
“Obviously, like probably all the other 29 teams, it would be a dream for us to get this guy,” Posey said earlier this month. “Just tremendous upside. Not too many arms in the world like his. He’s a tremendous talent. He’s 23 years old. It’s fun to dream on. It’s fun to think about him at Oracle Park and him pitching deep into a game late in the year, the place rocking. We’d be over the moon to add a guy like that.”
Two of the Giants’ division rivals — the Dodgers and Padres — are viewed as the frontrunners for Sasaki, but he should draw widespread interest after recording a 2.02 ERA over four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball. Because he’s under 25, Sasaki is considered an amateur free agent and will be subject to international bonus pool money restrictions, putting him within reach for virtually all 30 clubs.
MLB Tonight on Roki Sasaki being posted to MLB
Dec 9, 2024 · 1:17
MLB Tonight on Roki Sasaki being posted to MLB
The Giants forfeited $1 million from their 2025 international bonus pool after signing two qualified free agents — Matt Chapman and Blake Snell — last offseason, leaving them with $5.1 million for next year, which is tied with the Dodgers for the smallest pool in the Majors. Still, Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said he doesn’t expect the signing bonus to be the determining factor in his client’s decision.
“My advice to him is, don’t make a decision based on that, because the long-term arc of your career is where you’re going to earn your money,” Wolfe said.
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While the Dodgers loom as an obvious fit for Sasaki given his relationship with fellow Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Wolfe suggested Sasaki could prefer to join small- or midmarket teams after struggling with the intense media glare in Japan. San Francisco is still regarded as a big market, but the spotlight wouldn’t be nearly as big as in Los Angeles, where dozens of reporters are on hand to document Ohtani’s exploits on a daily basis.
General manager Zack Minasian, who’s made several trips to Japan to scout Sasaki over the years, pointed to a few other factors that could make the Giants an attractive landing spot, including a pitcher-friendly ballpark and their position on the West Coast.
“I think our ballpark is just a fantastic place to pitch,” Minasian said. “I think our fan base is hungry for the star player, someone who can be here for a long time. I think the culture of our city, our organization, fits him to a tee. I think there’s a lot of positives there. Obviously, the geography. Having traveled to [Japan] to scout, there’s direct flights from SFO to Tokyo. There’s direct flights from SFO to Osaka. Hopefully the proximity for people that are close to him in his life would make a big difference.
“Obviously, with the rules, we haven’t gotten to know him personally, but we’ve certainly done a lot of homework. We feel like we have a good sense of what makes him tick. We feel like it’s a situation we can make very comfortable for him and just give him the best chance to have success as a big league pitcher.”
