Phillies in Contention for Roki Sasaki During His Open Minded Free Agency

The Philadelphia Phillies could have a shot to land Roki Sasaki this offseason as he goes through his free agency with an open mind.

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) celebrates with teammates after the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies need to make a splash.

They have been uncharacteristically quiet, and after their longtime target Garrett Crochet was shipped to the Boston Red Sox, there aren't a whole lot of pieces left on the board that would make this fan base feel excited about what the front office was able to accomplish.

Roki Sasaki would change things, though.

Not only would the Phillies land one of the best pitching talents in the world by bringing in the 23-year-old Japanese phenom, but it would also be a landmark signing for this franchise that could help them get more talent from the Asian markets going forward.

Philadelphia is way behind when it comes to that aspect, and while they came up just short of signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason, Sasaki gives them a chance to make a statement just one year later.

It's long been surmised that he'll end up with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He's close friends with Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto, and considering that market and proximity to Japan, it's a match made in heaven.

However, former MLB executive Jim Bowden stated Sasaki won't wind up with the Dodgers when it's all said and done, and considering every team can sign him with their international pool of money, there are more suitors for him than there otherwise would be.

The Phillies are interested, and Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, is advising his client to go through this process "with an open mind."

That could loom large for Philadelphia as they get ready to put together sales pitch.

Per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, they'll have to be ready soon since Wolfe and Sasaki are getting prepared to meet with teams.

"Wolfe and his agency will spend the next month or so helping Sasaki map out his options and narrow down suitors. Currently, Sasaki is traveling to the United States, and he will he will begin meeting with teams next week before going home just before Christmas. Rather than travel to perhaps more than a dozen cities, Wolfe plans to have teams meet with Sasaki at a central location during the first round of meetings," she writes.

After that, he'll return to the United States in January after narrowing down his options. He'll then begin to travel and take more in-person meetings.

It was reported previously the Phillies have interest in Sasaki, and Dave Dombrowski doubled down on that notion.

"We're just like everybody else, we're very interested ... We're prepared to make a presentation. Our people have been working on it for an extended time ...," he said per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

That's a great sign, but it's also not a given Philadelphia will get a meeting.

"But they have to tell us that you're one of the so-many clubs that he's willing to go to. We hope we're in that group, but we don't know," Dombrowski added.

It would be surprising if the Phillies didn't at least get an initial meeting considering the state of their franchise and that Sasaki would carve out a legacy for himself - something it's been reported he wants to do - by signing with the club.

Wolfe also shared some more details about what will push Sasaki's decision over the finish line.

"He's talked to a lot of players, foreign players, that have been on his team with (his Nippon Professional Baseball team) Chiba Lotte. He asked a lot of questions about weather, about comfortability, about pitching development. And just watching what other Japanese players in the major leagues are doing and how they are doing," he said per McCaffrey.

All interesting stuff to consider.

But, amidst all the speculation and perceived notion that he'll just end up in Los Angeles, Wolfe did drop another nugget of information that should make fans in Philadelphia perk up.

"I'm interested to see how he feels about whether he would want to be first or one of the first in a place that hasn't had a Japanese player in some time."

That could get the Phillies in the door, and unlike last winter, it could be what allows them to land a player coming from Japan for the first time in franchise history.