Recent Reports Indicate Washington Nationals Are Not Out for Big Name Pitcher
While the initial belief around baseball was that teams like the Washington Nationals who reside in a smaller market and are not currently contenders would not have a chance at signing international free agent Roki Sasaki this winter, recent reports may indicate otherwise.
When the Chiba Lotte Marines announced that they would be posting the pitcher, he instantly jumped up the leaderboard of best available free agents in this top-heavy class, joining Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes at the top. As is the case with every top free agent, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been viewed as the favorites to land the young phenom, Jim Allen, a writer who covers the NPB, tweeted recently that "the Dodgers are not a lock" to sign Sasaki.
The #Dodgers are not a lock to sign Roki Sasaki.
— Jim Allen (@JballAllen) November 11, 2024
He will go where he thinks it is in his best short-term and long-term interest to go. A source close to Sasaki said a small-market team with a solid development setup and plan could be the best destination.
As far as money is concerned, that will not be a factor until after his first year in Major League Baseball. With Sasaki being posted under the age of 25, teams are only allowed to offer the phenom a minor league deal, which is another factor playing into the Nationals' (as well as any other team with an aversion to spending) chances of signing the pitcher.
While Washington does not necessarily have an aversion to spending, being able to bring in a pitcher of Sasaki's caliber without needing to pay him hundreds of millions of dollars would be a major boon. The club is on the upswing of their rebuild, and they could bring in the phenom, and still have money to spend in upgrading at other positions, maybe even bringing in another big-name free-agent starting pitcher.
The Nationals ranked 23rd in baseball in combined starting pitcher's ERA with a 4.40 mark in that metric, with only three starters reaching enough innings to qualify for the ERA title (162; one inning for each team game played), MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, and Patrick Corbin. Gore led the trio in ERA at 3.90, and Corbin is now a free agent, though the team would be better suited letting him find a home on another team.
Adding Sasaki to the mix would instantly upgrade the poor rotation, and take some of the pressure off of Gore to be the ace, as Sasaki would fill that role. While the phenom is unproven in MLB, he is still a clear upgrade over any other option Washington currently employs.
It is an interesting development in the free agency of Roki Sasaki, and one that could pay off in spades for the Nationals or whatever team does end up signing the phenom. While it is still highly unlikely that Washington signs the pitcher, their chances are certainly non-zero.
