Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki has begun the process of choosing a team for his Major League Baseball debut, which he will be able to do from January 15, when the international signing period opens.
The first teams to be ruled out were the two from New York. The Mets can console themselves with having landed the jewel of the winter market, after signing Juan Soto, who in turn is along with Sasaki, the second big stumble of the Yankees in the offseason.
The San Francisco Giants were also informed that Sasaki would not sign with them, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres as favorites to be chosen by the Japanese pitcher.
Because Sasaki is under 25 years old and has not played six seasons in NPB, he is classified as an international amateur and limited to a minor league contract subject to international signing bonus funds, ranging from $7,555,500 to $5,146,200. As of Wednesday, teams can make trades to increase their signing bonus allocation by up to 60% of their initial figure, according to AP.
Dodgers and Padres have international prospects on hold
The Dodgers and Padres have halted their international signings until they know Sasaki’s decision. The 22-year-old met with the Toronto Blue Jays and also with San Diego, which revived their options after they had been called into question by the internal problems facing the team’s owners.
Another team that is among the contenders is the Chicago Cubs, after Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, pointed out that his client would do well to choose a small market, because he did not have pleasant experiences with the Japanese media, which puts the Cubs in the fight, competing in popularity in Japan, for having on their roster the Japanese Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga.
In addition, Jon Heyman revealed in Bleacher Report that he has information that Sasaki is friends with Shota Imanaga, which could tip the balance in Chicago’s favor.