Roki Sasaki Evaluating Next Step In Japan Following Initial Round Of Team Meetings

Now that Blake Snell, Max Fried and Corbin Burnes have all signed, the list of starting pitchers available in free agency now unequivocally is headlined by Roki Sasaki.

The Chiba Lotte Marines posted Sasaki at the beginning of MLB’s Winter Meetings, which began a process that must conclude before late January. Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media Group, represents Sasaki and sent teams a guideline on what type of information to submit in order to be vetted before in-person meetings.

According to multiple reports, the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers met with Sasaki and Wolfe in a Wasserman office.

While providing an update to reporters on Monday, Wolfe said Sasaki has since returned to Japan as he evaluates what’s to come, per Will Sammon of The Athletic:

Roki Sasaki recently traveled back to Japan as he decides the next steps of his unusual free agency after meeting with teams in Los Angeles during an initial round of talks, his agent Joel Wolfe said Monday.

It’s possible Sasaki’s camp will request additional information from teams they have already spoken to, or began paring down the field to reach finalists. That theoretically could then be followed by visiting teams and their respective stadiums.

While the Dodgers already bolstered their starting rotation by signing Snell, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team is going to prioritize Sasaki.

The Dodgers are widely considered the frontrunners to sign the 23-year-old, with the San Diego Padres another strong favorite.

Roki Sasaki’s timeline

Given that Sasaki is waiting for the 2025 international signing period, he won’t join a team until Jan. 15 at the earliest. Sasaki doesn’t need to sign that day — which most amateur international prospects do — but will have to make a decision before a Jan. 23 deadline.