White Sox to Pursue Japanese Free Agent Roki Sasaki in Wake of Garrett Crochet Trade

Chris Getz confirmed to reporters that the Chicago White Sox are putting together a pitch for Japanese free agent Roki Sasaki immediately after trading Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox.

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Right after the Chicago White Sox shipped their young ace out of town, the front office has its eyes set on another.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz spoke with reporters at the Winter Meetings on Wednesday, shortly after the team officially announced it had traded left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox. While most of the questions were centered around the decision to pull the trigger on a Crochet deal, as well as the four prospects Chicago got in return, Getz was also asked if he planned to pursue Japanese free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki.

"Yeah, we plan on putting (together) a presentation for Sasaki," Getz said. "He's going to be a very sought-after pitcher, but we're gonna get a crack at it and see if we can convert."

Sasaki, 23, was officially posted to MLB free agency by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, this week. The right-hander immediately became one of the top arms available on the open market, only he won't get paid like one.

Because he isn't 25 years old, Sasaki has been designated as an international amateur free agent and will be subject to bonus pool restrictions. That has placed a hard cap on what he will sign for, evening the playing field between the high-rollers and the small market clubs.

The White Sox have a Crochet-sized hole in their rotation, meaning Sasaki could step in and serve as their ace right away. Jonathan Cannon, Davis Burks, Drew Thorpe, Nick Nastrini and Sean Burke are currently projected to serve as Chicago's top-five starters, while Rule 5 Draft pick Shane Smith could compete for a starting job as well.

For as intriguing as some of those young pitchers are, though, none of them carry the hype that Sasaki does.

Sasaki turned pro in 2019 and finished his NPB career with a 30-15 record, 2.02 ERA, 0.883 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He also went 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA, 1.174 WHIP and 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, winning a Gold Medal with Japan while showing off his 102 mile-per-hour fastball.

The 6-foot-4 righty was a two-time NPB All-Star, having pitched a perfect game and broken NPB's single-game strikeout record in 2022. While he dealt with shoulder soreness this season, Sasaki still went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA, 1.036 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings across 18 starts.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have long been tied to Sasaki, while the Colorado Rockies were revealed to be one of the first teams to contact his agent, Joel Wolfe.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.