Recent Report is Interesting For Seattle Mariners Odds to Sign Roki Sasaki
Despite an unusually quiet offseason for the Seattle Mariners, there was some excitement coming out of Winter Meetings. Even though no moves were made, there was a hope that some momentum was building.
Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto confirmed during the event in Dallas that the team would be pursuing Japanese starting pitcher, and potential ace, Roki Sasaki.
Sasaki, just 23 years-old, isn't eligible for a major league contract like his countryman and fellow pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto received from the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.
Sasaki is only eligible for a minor league deal and any signing bonus attached to the contract will count towards the 2025 international signing pool. That makes money a almost a complete non-factor with every team in the league having an opportunity to make a pitch for him.
Rōki Sasaki, 92mph Splitter and 102mph Fastball, Individual Pitches + Overlay pic.twitter.com/pSu8cvaW9n
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 5, 2024
Several reports have said that Seattle's pitch for Sasaki includes highlighting the team's elite pitching development. There were also reports that Mariners hit king, Japanese legend and likely 2025 Baseball Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki would be included in the pitch.
It's become known through various articles and reports that several teams, including the Dodgers, Mets, Cubs and Texas Rangers, have met with Sasaki. Seattle still hasn't been reported to have met with the former World Baseball Classic gold medalist. There was a subsequent rumor that said that Sasaki wouldn't meet with every team that had a pitch prepared for him.
The lack of confirmation that the Mariners had met with Sasaki, and the last report that he wouldn't meet with every team interested in signing him, certainly isn't favorable for the M's.
But the most recent information about Sasaki's priorities in free agency makes it harder to pin down Seattle's odds at landing him.
Per a tweet on "X" (formerly known as Twitter) from ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Sasaki's agent said that he won't say how many teams the young pitcher has met with so far and who he'll meet with next. The report also said Sasaki might visit cities soon, that he's not concerned whether or not a club has Japanese-born players and that he's asked current players not to attend meetings.
Sasaki's agent says he won't relay how many teams he met with nor who he'll meet with next. He may visit cities soon. (He's back in Japan now). Sasaki is not concerned with whether a team has Japenese players on it or not. He asked that no current players attend the meetings.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) December 31, 2024
This report is interesting for a number of reasons. For one, Los Angeles and the San Diego Padres have been viewed as the favorites to land Sasaki since the first news he could be posted. The perception was that the Dodgers' recent World Series success and Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani being on the team could entice Sasaki to sign. If Sasaki really isn't concerned about a potential suitor having Japanese players, then the defending World Series champions will have to rely on their pedigree.
The Padres' pitch also becomes interesting. A big reason they were considered the second-most likely team to land Sasaki was because starting pitcher Yu Darvish has been something of a mentor to him.
The note of "current" players is also encouraging to the Mariners. If the disinterest is truly limited to just current players, then Seattle can still ask Suzuki to help sell Sasaki on the team.
Los Angeles and San Diego are still thought as the two favorites to sign Sasaki. But if his agent and recent reports are to be believed, the race to sign him might be a more even playing field than initially thought.
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