Roki Sasaki's agent gives timeline for MLB signing

DALLAS — With Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki officially being posted, the countdown is on to when he will sign with an MLB team. On Tuesday at the MLB winter meetings, Sasaki's agent Joel Wolfe gave a timeline of when he expects Sasaki to give his final decision on which franchise he will join.

"The incentive to sign as early as possible is to get the visa process going so that he would be on time for spring training," Wolfe said. "So the earlier we make a decision, the better. Nobody would want him showing up late to spring training."

However, while signing early is a priority, MLB fans shouldn't expect that final decision to come until later in the 45-day signing window that closes on Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. Eastern time.

"The signing, it will take place sometime between the 15th and 23rd (of January), sometime in that time," Wolfe said.

During his nearly 30-minute conversation with reporters in Dallas, Wolfe touched on a wide range of topics regarding Sasaki, from describing his personality to the impact that current or former Japanese players may have on Sasaki's decision. However, a big focus on Wolfe's question-and-answer session was about the signing process and what it might look like for Sasaki over the next few weeks.

Wolfe detailed that some teams have already sent presentations and information to be shared with Sasaki, although he wouldn't share which teams or exactly how many. Also, Sasaki is expected to meet with teams at a central location for the first round of talks, with the potential that the 23-year-old right-hander would pay visits to respective teams for second round of discussions.

All of those meetings would be in person, with Wolfe telling reporters that Sasaki was "en route" and Wolfe would be meeting with him this week to being the selection process.

"Technically, he could sign immediately, but we don't anticipate that happening," Wolfe said.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.