San Francisco Giants Target Roki Sasaki Expected to Pick Between Two Teams

The San Francisco Giants target could stay in California, but it might be with teams other than the Giants.

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

The San Francisco Giants have made their interest in Roki Sasaki know. Sasaki, who can only sign for up to $7.5 million due to international rules, will have until January 23 to decide on his Major League team. 

The Giants should feel somewhat confident in potentially getting a deal done. Japanese stars have been interested in playing on the West Coast due to its proximity to Japan. But it isn't as easy as it sounds.

There are other teams in California, so at the least, San Francisco will have some challenges in that department. 

For Sasaki, there's reason to believe he'd want to pitch at Oracle Park. Not only would he have an opportunity to put up impressive numbers, but he'd also set himself up nicely to get paid when the time comes.

Oracle Park is considered one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in Major League Baseball, and with the stuff he has on the mound, it could be a dream pairing. 

However, according to Brian Murphy of MLB.com, executives around the league view this sweepstakes as a two-man race. 

"With dollars not a determining factor, you can't really rule out any team for Sasaki, who has an electric repertoire of pitches. The Yankees have been granted a meeting with him. The Mets reportedly met with him on Thursday. But team executives across the league believe there are two favorites to land the right-hander: the Dodgers and the Padres."

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres can offer Sasaki many of the same things the Giants can, with better weather. As currently constructed, too, the Dodgers and Padres are in a better position than San Francisco to compete for a World Series, especially Los Angeles.

Sasaki is also considered Major League ready right now. He throws a triple-digit fastball and, like Dodgers pitcher and countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, has an array of pitches.

Last year he went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA, 129 strikeouts and 32 walks in 111 innings. For his four-year career he is 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts against 88 walks in 394.2 innings.

He's only available through international free agency because he is not yet 25 years old and has not played enough seasons professionally to go through the process Yamamoto went through last year, which yielded an enormous payday.

Whoever lands him, he is automatically a candidate for the Opening-Day roster.