Philadelphia Phillies Have Reportedly Scouted Japanese Phenom Roki Sasaki

One of the best international prospects is set to be posted by his team this winter, and the Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly scouted him.

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

Another interesting element just got added to the mix for the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason.

Not only could this cycle bring some roster changes that alters how things might look for this club going forward, but now an international angle is now on the table that the front office could fully pursue.

Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki will officially be posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team this winter, and although it's not known exactly when that will happen, all 30 teams in Major League Baseball could gear up to go after one of the best talents in the world.

For the Phillies, this goes beyond just adding another elite starter.

They are significantly behind other teams when it comes to their footprint in Japan, having yet to sign a player from an NPB team at any point in the history of their franchise.

Philadelphia tried to change that last winter when they offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto a megadeal, and even though they came up just short in those sweepstakes, it was a clear signal they are looking to barge into that market head first.

As for Sasaki, this is someone who has reportedly been on their radar.

"But unlike most free agents, his market will include all 30 teams, notably the Phillies, who scouted Sasaki this season, according to two sources," reports Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

That is huge.

The Phillies are looking to break into the Japanese market, and landing someone this talented would be a huge way to do that.

Financially, Philadelphia would not have to offer a monster deal to sign him since he's coming over at 23 years old and can only sign a minor league deal as an international free agent, so that would still allow the front office to use their finances on other areas of need.

This could also be a situation where the Phillies get ultra-aggressive.

"Look at what is happening in Philadelphia. I'm sure we have globalized our brand. We'd love to compete in that market," assistant general manager Jorge Velandia said.

They might view this as an opportunity to make a splash with Japanese players, and since the team is fully aware of Sasaki after scouting him, then this could be the time they finally sign a player from Nippon Professional Baseball.