Potential San Francisco Giants Free Agent Target Can Only Sign for $7 Million

The San Francisco Giants have been searching for a star and one might be available this offseason.

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-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants have already dipped their toes into the international world, signing Jung Hoo Lee in the offseason. Unfortunately, Lee was injured in the early stages of the season and won't play for the remainder of the campaign after undergoing surgery on his shoulder. 

It was a step in the right direction for the Giants, who need all the help they can get regarding free agents. Over the past few years, San Francisco has lost many of the top free agents in baseball.

It's uncertain why, but there have been plenty of missed opportunities for this organization. 

Moving forward, that can't be the case. As the Giants have found out, they need more talent on this roster. There are veterans on this team who can play at a high level and help the team win if they're clicking, but as a whole, they could use help. 

There might not be a better option in the world than potential free agent Roki Sasaki. The right-hander has some of the best stuff in baseball worldwide, and according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, he can only sign a contract up to $7 million.

It'll be similar to the Shohei Otani situation, as a team would essentially sign him for nothing while he's one of the better players in Major League Baseball. 

"If Sasaki comes over this winter, he would be limited to the international bonus pools, like Shohei Ohtani was when he signed for $2.3 million before the 2018 season. 

"That means the most Sasaki could get is around a $7 million bonus (and no guaranteed big league money). Since money likely wouldn't be the biggest factor in his choice of team, he might have to settle for as little as a few million, depending on which club he picks and how many deals they've already struck."

As San Francisco looks to navigate the offseason, they'll have plenty of their own tough decisions to deal with. However, if the Giants can sign a player of Sasaki's caliber for this cheap of a price, it feels like a no-brainer. Obviously, he'd have to want to play in San Francisco, too, but there should be some interest.

The Giants are a historic organization, so that should sell itself. They eventually have to turn the page regarding missing out on free agents, and there's no better way to do so than by adding the Japanese star.