Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki may visit teams -- including the Cubs -- as he narrows down signing choices

Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune on Dec 31, 2024

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — Within the next three weeks, Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki will know where he is beginning his major league career.

Sasaki’s process for determining which team he will join during the international signing period remains ongoing. The 23-year-old right-hander must sign between Jan. 15 and Jan. 23, when his posting window ends. Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, who provided an update on the process during a Zoom call with media Monday night, does not anticipate the pitcher will be ready to sign on the first day.

Sasaki is currently in Japan after meeting with some teams in person and is determining the next steps. That could include meeting with one or two additional teams or narrowing the field, which Wolfe believes is likelier. Sasaki then would determine if he wants to visit a city or two as he finalizes his decision. Teams were not instructed to avoid speaking about the process, Wolfe said.

“He is definitely driving the ship and calling the shots,” Wolfe said. “Roki is a very driven and intelligent and particular person.”

Wolfe met with Sasaki in Los Angeles after the MLB winter meetings in early December to discuss how to handle the process. Ultimately, 20 teams submitted presentations for Sasaki that featured PowerPoints, short films and even books.

“One thing that was very important to Roki was he wanted to make sure that everything was a fair and level playing field, both for his own decision-making process and for the teams,” Wolfe said.

Although Wolfe wouldn’t provide a specific number, Sasaki met with some of the interested teams in person at the Los Angeles office of the Wasserman talent management company. The Chicago Cubs were among those teams, a source confirmed to the Chicago Tribune.

Sasaki set parameters for all teams: Meetings did not exceed two hours, and no current players were allowed to be part of the teams’ presentations. He also gave each team the same homework assignment ahead of meeting in person. Wolfe didn’t want to delve into the details but said its purpose was to show Sasaki how they can analyze and communicate information with him.

“It really showed where he was coming from in analyzing and creating his selection criteria in looking at different teams,” Wolfe said.

As Sasaki continues to evaluate what he wants from an organization, he is taking a global view when it comes to location, market and organizational success, Wolfe said. He is very interested in pitching development and how a team would help him get better in the short and long term. Sasaki also doesn’t seem overly concerned about whether Japanese players have been on the team.

A big motivation for Sasaki in leaving Japan is the desire to challenge himself. Wolfe believes that after Sasaki’s experience at the World Baseball Classic — where he spent time around Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish — and then seeing Shota Imanaga dominate for the Cubs in the first half of his first major league season in 2024, the right-hander wants to tap into all the resources big league teams possess to help him become one of the best pitchers in the majors.

“Roki is by no means a finished product,” Wolfe said. “He knows it and the teams know it. He’s incredibly talented. We all know that, but he is a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here just to be rich or to get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever.”