Roki Sasaki Makes One Special Request to Teams Before He Begins Meetings With Them

The pitcher has a decision to make.

Roki Sasaki pitches during Japan's 6–5 win over Mexico on March 20, 2023. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

One of the most sought-after players in free agency this year did not play in MLB last year.

Twenty-three-year-old Roki Sasaki plied his trade in 2024 for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball, winning 10 of 15 decisions with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. These numbers have stateside executives salivating—and allow Sasaki to express considerable discretion in how his free agency plays out.

On Monday evening, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Sasaki has a special request for the teams he's meeting with: he does not want them to bring any of their players to the meetings.

Roki Sasaki requested that no team include any of their own players in the recruiting visits.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 31, 2024

That tracks with Sasaki's unconventional approach to free agency, which agent Joel Wolfe said via Nightengale is driven by his desire to be great.

"‘He's a guy that wants to be great. He's not coming here just to be rich. He wants to be one of the greatest, ever," Wolfe said.

Per the rules governing player transfers between NPB and MLB, Sasaki is required to sign between Jan. 15 and 23 if he wants to play this season.

---

More of the Latest Around MLB

feed