Roki Sasaki Gave Dodgers 'Homework Assignment' After Meeting

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jan 2, 2025

Jul 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten talks with Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Gomes on the field prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After Roki Sasaki was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines on Dec. 10, his agent, Joel Wolfe, reached out to all 30 Major League Baseball teams with a letter inviting them to submit "any type of information that they wanted Roki to review."

The response was substantial, with 20 teams showing interest.

Each team that met with Sasaki was given a "homework assignment," which allowed Sasaki to gauge how each organization would approach analyzing and communicating information with him. The specific details of this assignment were not revealed, but its purpose was clear: To provide Sasaki with insight into how the teams operate and how they would support his development.

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"Without giving the actual details of what that assignment was," Wolfe explained, "every team got that very same assignment, and it enabled them to show how they can analyze and communicate information with him, and really showed where he was coming from in analyzing and creating his selection criteria, in looking at different teams."

Though there has been significant speculation that the bidding for Sasaki could eventually narrow down to the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, Wolfe underscored that Sasaki prioritized fairness throughout the process. "A level playing field" was a key consideration for the young pitcher. In order to ensure this, the initial meetings were held under specific conditions: Each meeting was capped at two hours and took place at Wasserman's Los Angeles offices. This setup allowed Sasaki to meet with teams in a neutral, controlled environment.

Additionally, Sasaki made one other important request: No current players were to attend the meetings in person. This decision meant that any recruiting efforts from players like Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto would have to be presented through video rather than face-to-face interaction.

"There were a couple of teams that had a video from one or two players, but for the most part, it was the general manager, possibly an assistant GM, the manager, the pitching coach, and people from the bio-mechanics performance and training staff," Wolfe said.

Currently, Sasaki is back in Japan, but he is expected to return to the United States in January for a second round of meetings with a select group of teams. This will mark the next step in his highly anticipated decision-making process, with Sasaki set to make his final choice between Jan. 15, when the international signing period opens, and Jan. 23, when his posting window closes.

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