The San Francisco Giants have officially added a future Hall of Famer to their starting rotation in Justin Verlander, but they will not be adding an up-and-coming pitcher with a Hall of Fame ceiling.
General manager Zack Minasian told reporters on Monday morning that the Giants met with Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, but Sasaki’s camp informed the team that he will not be signing with San Francisco.
“We met with Roki in person and as of now we were recently told that we would not be his destination,” Minasian said.
Sasaki, who had a 2.02 ERA with 524 strikeouts across four seasons in Japan, can sign as early as Wednesday when the 2025 international signing period opens, but the right-hander is expected to take several days before making his decision.
While Sasaki, 23, will not be signing with the Giants, it’s still very possible that Sasaki joins the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are reportedly among the teams who have met with Sasaki. Given the Padres’ current ownership situation — the widow of the late Peter Seidler sued Seidler’s brothers last week — the Dodgers would offer a much more stable landing spot for Sasaki.
Los Angeles, the defending World Series champions, already boast a plethora of talented starters, a list that includes former Giant Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw (still a free agent but likely to re-sign).
“Obviously, like probably all the other 29 teams, it would be a dream for us to get this guy. Just tremendous upside. Not too many arms in the world like his,” said president of baseball operations Buster Posey at the Winter Meetings in December. “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.”
With the Giants out of the running for Sasaki, San Francisco’s rotation options include Verlander, Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, Hayden Birdsong, Landen Roupp, Keaton Winn and Mason Black. It is currently unclear if the Giants would potentially roll out a six-man rotation.