Former MLB Executive Views Texas Rangers As 'Long Shot' in Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes

While the Texas Rangers are looking to sign Roki Sasaki, a former MLB executive thinks they are long shots to land 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

Coming off a disappointing campaign where they didn't make the playoffs to defend their World Series championship, the Texas Rangers have been busy this offseason.

They re-signed Nathan Eovaldi, traded for Jake Burger, signed Joc Pederson, and upgraded their bullpen by handing Hoby Milner a contract and shipping Nathaniel Lowe out of town for Robert Garcia.

Other moves have been made and could still be coming.

The Rangers have been aggressive recently, and with the Houston Astros looking more vulnerable than ever following their own questionable moves this winter, the front office could be looking for one final addition that puts a stamp on things before the upcoming campaign begins.

One way for them to do that is by winning the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes.

The Japanese phenom is doing his due diligence in free agency right now, and since he's only able to be signed from the international pool of money based on his age, a plethora of teams had interest in him before he narrowed his options.

Texas is one of them.

Who the front-runners are right now isn't clear, but the Rangers certainly have a chance to land the future star.

Unfortunately, former MLB exectutive Jim Bowden views them as a long shot to get this done.

"I view the Rangers as a long shot, though they would be a good fit because of their strong pitching room and leadership group," he wrote for The Athletic.

The last part is what could push things into their favor.

Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, has shared what his client is looking for when it comes to his first team in Major League Baseball, and the opportunity to be developed at a high level is something he's heavily weighing when it comes to his decision.

Texas would provide that, especially with all the veterans they have on their roster currently.

Whether or not that's something that makes Sasaki pick them will be seen, especially since many people out there expect him to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bowden doesn't think that will happen, though.

"... I'm not in that camp because I think endorsement deals with Japanese companies are going to be important for him financially since he won't be eligible for arbitration for three years or eligible for free agency for at least six years. In Los Angeles, he'd be in the shadow of both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, lessening his endorsement ceiling," he writes.

If that is truly something he and Wolfe are factoring into this process, then that is huge for the Rangers since Yu Darvish signed with this franchise when he came to the MLB, meaning there is already a solid fan base overseas because of that.

It will be interesting to see what happens here, but Texas could make a late push and land one of the most coveted international free agents of all time.