Roki Sasaki Might Be Down To Three Teams, With Deadline Looming

With spring training somehow just over a month away, Roki Sasaki remains the most highly coveted free agent on the market. As an international amateur free agent, he’ll receive just a fraction of his true value on the open market, making him accessible to all 30 teams. 

And nearly all 30 have either met with Sasaki and his agent Joel Wolfe, or expressed interest in signing him. Still, there’s been precious little reported about what he’s looking for in his new team. But with his posting window closing January 23, his decision is rapidly approaching. A few new reports have suggested he may have narrowed his list down to just three.

This week, ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez reported that Sasaki had returned to Japan to mull over his decision, with Wolfe confirming he’d met with “a set few number of teams.” Wolfe also said that Sasaki is most focused on becoming the best pitcher he can be. 

“He doesn’t seem to look at it in the typical way that other players do,” Wolfe said. “He has a more long-term, global view of things. I believe Roki is also very interested in the pitching development and how a team is going to help him get better, both in the near future and over the course of his career. He didn’t seem overly concerned about whether a team had Japanese players on their team or not, which, in the past, when I represented Japanese players, that was sometimes an issue. That was never a topic of discussion.

“Roki is by no means a finished product,” Wolfe continued. “He knows it, and the teams know it. He’s incredibly talented; we all know that. But he is a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here just to be rich or get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever. I see that now, and he’s articulated it. And to be that, he knows he has to challenge himself.”

MIAMI – Roki Sasaki of Team Japan pitches in the first inning against Team Mexico during the World Baseball Classic Semifinals at loanDepot park on March 20, 2023. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Roki Sasaki Has A Few Weeks Left To Pick His New Team

Sasaki is expected to make his decision between Jan. 15, when the 2025 international signing window opens, and the posting window closing on Jan. 23. Francys Romero posted on X that Sasaki is set to make his choice around January 20. 

And that the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are viewed as the favorites to land him. 

While this is hardly official, it’s also not surprising. Most Japanese players, with some exceptions, have preferred to play on the West Coast, making return trips to Japan easier. The Padres and Dodgers have also been two of baseball’s most successful organizations in the past five years and have a track record of developing top-level talent. 

Both also have Japanese players on the roster or in the organization, though Wolfe did say Sasaki isn’t considering that a priority. 

The Giants have struggled since a stunning 107-win 2021, but there’s new leadership in the front office, a commitment to spending more money, and arguably the best park in baseball to pitch in.

At least we’ll find out what really matters to Sasaki in just a few weeks.