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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff WriterDec 10, 2024, 02:44 PM ET
- Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
DALLAS — Japanese free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki will begin meeting with MLB teams next week as he begins the process of choosing where he wants to play next season, agent Joel Wolfe said on Tuesday morning at the winter meetings.
Sasaki, 23, was posted by his Japanese team, Chiba Lotte, this week and is free to sign with an organization no earlier than Jan. 15. Because of his age, international rules only permit him to sign a minor league deal unlike last year’s top free agent arm, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed with the Dodgers for $325 million. Yamamoto is three years older. Players under 25 and with less than six years of experience can only sign minor league deals as an international amateur.
Sasaki was 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in the Japan Pacific League last season after posting a 1.78 ERA in 2023.
“Some of it is Japanese culture, some of it is just Roki Sasaki,” Wolfe said when asked why Sasaki didn’t want to wait until he turned 25 to make more immediate money in MLB. “There are no absolutes in baseball, there are no absolutes in life and through Roki Sasaki’s eyes — and if you look at some of the things that have happened in his life — some of the tragedies that have happened in his life, he does not take anything for granted.”
Sasaki lost his father in the aftermath of a 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
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He’ll first meet teams at a central location next week before beginning visits to individual cities. Upwards of half the league scouted him in Japan last season as Wolfe isn’t quite sure what his client’s desires are just yet.
“I’m not entirely sure yet because I’ve known Roki for a little over two years now and it’s been a little bit difficult to really ascertain what his decision making process would be for choosing a team because his focus has predominantly been on whether or not he’s going to be able to post,” Wolfe said. “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.”
There’s been industry speculation that the Los Angeles Dodgers were the predetermined, clear favorites to land Sasaki — a notion both the team and Wolfe denied.
“There were some accusations, allegations, all of them false made about predetermined deals, things like that,” Wolfe said.
Considering his price tag is just a minor league deal — teams can’t even talk about a potential extension until after he joins their organization — Wolfe indicated both big and small market teams have expressed interest. He was asked if Sasaki wants to join a team who already employs Japanese players. He has a good relationship with Padres star Yu Darvish as well as those who played on Team Japan in the WBC.
“Each player is unique in how they feel about it and I think it also matters on the player that is already on the team,” Wolfe answered. “He asks a lot of questions about weather, about comfortability, about pitching development, and just watching what other Japanese players in the major leagues are doing and how they’re doing.”
Wolfe dismissed any geography issues outside of the west coast, citing many cities have direct flights to and from Japan unlike a “decade ago.” Wolfe was also asked what his advice to Sasaki is as they begin a unique process which most resembles the one Shohei Ohtani went through before he signed with the Angels in 2017.
“My advice to him is don’t make a decision based on [the next contract] because the long-term arc of your career is where you’re going to earn your money,” Wolfe said. “So it’s probably not advisable to make a short-term decision in that regard, to take all of the factors into consideration.”
Wolfe is hopeful his client will sign close to when the new international window for spending opens on Jan.15. That would give Sasaki time to clear any visa issues in order to report to spring training on time. He’ll have to do so under the guidelines of a minor league deal but can quickly be promoted to the major league team whenever his employer wants.
“It’s always been his dream to come to the major leagues since he was in high school,” Wolfe said.
