How San Francisco Giants Might Have Upper Hand in Pursuit of Japanese Star

A recent report is a great sign for the San Francisco Giants in their pursuit of the Japanese right-handed free agent.

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

Every team around Major League Baseball wants to sign Roki Sasaki. Unfortunately, it isn't as easy as it sounds. There's a reason why nearly every team will be in the mix.

Factoring that in with his age and his ability to sign for less than $10 million, he is expected to have one of the heaviest markets in baseball history. That's a good indication of the player he is, and it should give the San Francisco Giants all the more reason to do everything they can to land him. 

Teams in California seem to have the upper hand when it comes to Japanese free agents, even if its a minimal one. The west coast is closest to Japan geographically.

There's a chance he ends up with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as many have suggested. But the Giants shouldn't allow those rumors stop them from trying. 

San Francisco could offer him the top spot in their rotation, a promising sign for a guy coming to a new country who might want to be a star. 

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, San Francisco could offer him something better than many other teams:

I'm told that the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants have the next-biggest pools in the current international period, respectively (those totals aren't publicly available). It could help the case for Baltimore and San Francisco if Sasaki is posted soon, but it seems more logical that Sasaki would be posted after Dec. 15. By simply waiting an extra month or two, he can make himself (and Chiba Lotte) more money and will have more viable options.

While that's a big piece of the puzzle, it's also important to note that the Dodgers have the most international money available.

As the numbers aren't public, it's uncertain how much everyone has. The chances of it being a significant difference aren't high.

The Dodgers having more money won't help San Francisco, but if the Giants only has Los Angeles to worry about, they could still be competitive.

Sasaki has yet to be posted. If the Marines wait until Dec. 15, they'll get more money, so expect that to be the case.

Whenever it happens, the stove will get hot. There's a real chance the Dodgers and Giants will battle it out for him, which would be exciting to watch.