Many players remain on the free agency market this winter, but none are bigger than Roki Sasaki. Sasaki, a right-hander out of Japan, has met with a handful of teams, including the New York Yankees.
If the Yankees land the hard-throwing ace, their offseason should be considered a massive success. One could strongly argue that Sasaki will be the best signing for any team this winter, as he can only sign for up to $7.5 million due to international rules.
However, it might not be too easy for the Yankees. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the mix, too, and if history repeats itself, Japanese players want to stay closer to home and play in California. That’s without factoring in all the success the Dodgers have found in recent years.
Sasaki landing with any team besides the Dodgers almost feels unlikely, but his agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, has stated he doesn’t have a predetermined landing spot.
Despite those comments, R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports believes he’ll make his way to Los Angeles, predicting Sasaki to sign with the Dodgers.
“My free-agent rankings are based on expected average annual value, but I took some creative liberties with that methodology to slot in Sasaki as high as I did. Remember, he’s subject to MLB’s rules regarding international amateur free agents because of his youth and limited professional experience, meaning he can sign for only as much as a team has in international bonus pool money. In theory, Sasaki’s limited earning potential should make his free agency an open affair.
“I’m still sticking with my original guess. I may not know what, precisely, Sasaki values most in his employer, but the Dodgers seem to offer any and everything a player could want: excellent player development staff; prestige; championship aspirations; and even some familiar faces in Team Japan teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto,” Anderson wrote on December 31.
Yankees Among ‘Front-Runners’ for Sasaki
The New York Yankees have a chance, and that’s all they can ask for in this situation. Sasaki didn’t meet with every team in Major League Baseball, showing how selective he was during the process.
Meeting with the Yankees doesn’t come as much of a surprise for any free agent. Even if he wants to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, meeting with a franchise that’s found as much success as the Yankees have is common.
There seems to be some mutual interest despite many believing him signing with the Dodgers is a done deal.
According to Ken Rosenthal, on an episode of “Foul Territory,” the Yankees are among the favorites for the right-hander.
“As far as where we are now, yes there are teams that have been identified as the leaders, the ones that have met with Sasaki… I don’t know where this is going, I don’t know where he is going to end up. Anyone who tells you otherwise is kidding themselves.
“But it certainly seems like the teams that we’ve heard mentioned — the Dodgers, the Mets, the Yankees, the Padres, the Rangers, and some others — those are the obvious front-runners based on simply the fact that they have met with Sasaki and other teams have not,” Rosenthal said on January 3.
When Will Sasaki Sign?
Sasaki isn’t expected to sign until at least Jan. 15, when the new international signing period opens. His decision has to come before his posting window closes on Jan. 23, but by giving teams time between Jan. 15 and Jan. 23, he’d allow them to make trades to increase their international bonus pool.
The New York Yankees could make trades to increase their original bonus pool to offer him the most, but money isn’t expected to play a factor in the future superstars’ decision.
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