Astros’ Dana Brown makes attention-catching Roki Sasaki admission

The Houston Astros are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2024 season that saw them get bounced in the AL Wild Card round. To that end, they were looking for a way, like many other teams in the MLB, to improve the roster in free agency by signing 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki on the international free agent market — making him subject to international bonus pool money rules and six years of team control.

But in the end, Sasaki decided to join his fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving the reigning World Series champion yet another potential star for the long haul. The Astros weren’t really a serious contender for Sasaki, as they failed to make to Sasaki’s top three preferred landing spots (Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays), but general manager Dana Brown, at least for one moment, held out hope regarding their chances of landing Sasaki thanks to their connection with their current stadium sponsor, Daikin, as per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston.

Back in mid-November, the Astros announced that the former Minute Maid Park will be renamed to Daikin Park after Japan-based company Daikin Industries, Ltd. agreed to a 15-year exclusive naming-rights partnership with the team. Alas, this partnership with a Japanese HVAC giant did not factor in too much into Sasaki’s decision.

Starting pitching remains a bit of a sore spot for the Astros; they still need depth to fortify the rotation behind Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, and it’s unclear if Ronel Blanco could sustain his solid 2024 season moving forward. The offseason is far from over, however, although it’s not quite clear too how much room there is left in their budget to make an impact addition.

Astros look to return to World Series ways in 2025