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Japanese Phenom Roki Saski Posted, Where Will He Sign?

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Jeremy Nygaard

By Jeremy Nygaard

Roki Sasaki will be the most sought-after international free agent this off-season and his 30-day window to negotiate and make a deal with teams is now open. Who are the favorites to pursue Sasaki and could any team make a surprise offer that brings Sasaki to their rotation.
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drewski6

drewski6 345

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    If Im sasaki , Im looking to get paid since Im locked into six years (standard minor league contract). Best avenue to making bucks is commercials.  Id ask Ohtani if hed do one with me but take less than his going rate for such commercial (allowing the company to spend more on me, Sasaki)

    mvp 78

    mvp 78 1,774

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    https://www.mlb.com/news/roki-sasaki-free-agent-favorites?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

    Execs believe Dodgers or Padres. Mariners are the darkhorse West Coast team. Giants and Rangers may also be a fit. Cubs? Sox are another "very interested" AL team based on Breslow's push of the history of successful Japanese pitchers in this market. Mets and Yankees may or may not be ruled out based on the agent's comments on market size. 

    moonslav59

    moonslav59 1,361

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    In the AL, the Red Sox are very serious about making a pitch to the Sasaki team. The main selling point might be the history of Japanese pitchers having success and positive experiences playing in Boston: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Uehara and Junichi Tazawa. They have an impressive pitching development program and it certainly doesn’t hurt when the general manager, Craig Breslow, can speak directly to it (as opposed to just handing it off to “the experts”). Breslow also personally scouted Sasaki for one of his starts in Japan in September.

    mvp 78

    mvp 78 1,774

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    59 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

    Internet reports Roki's entourage is already scouting out apartments in key neighborhoods... Mission Beach, La Jolla, Beverly Hills, Venice... (are we still on the internet?)

    Venice would be a bad commute IMO. 

    vjcsmoke

    vjcsmoke 66

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    He throws the baseball 100mph and is from Japan so of course the Red Sox won't sign him.

    Skip to 1:23 mark to see his 102 mph fastball.

     

    They haven't gone for a Japanese pitcher since Uehara in 2013.

    The Yankees and Padres are reportedly interested. West Coast teams generally have the best chance of signing top Japan talents for some reason.

    Posting expenses have gone down significantly but salary demands have risen to compensate.

    Can't see the cheapskate Red Sox even making a competitive bid.

     

    vjcsmoke

    vjcsmoke 66

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    5 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

    In the AL, the Red Sox are very serious about making a pitch to the Sasaki team. The main selling point might be the history of Japanese pitchers having success and positive experiences playing in Boston: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Uehara and Junichi Tazawa. They have an impressive pitching development program and it certainly doesn’t hurt when the general manager, Craig Breslow, can speak directly to it (as opposed to just handing it off to “the experts”). Breslow also personally scouted Sasaki for one of his starts in Japan in September.

    The Red Sox have been very serious about coming in 2nd or 3rd place in bidding for all the premier free agents. "Look fans, we TRIED. But Free agents cost too much money!"

    moonslav59

    moonslav59 1,361

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    25 minutes ago, vjcsmoke said:

    The Red Sox have been very serious about coming in 2nd or 3rd place in bidding for all the premier free agents. "Look fans, we TRIED. But Free agents cost too much money!"

    Until we win a significant bid, the sham continues.

    5GoldGlovesOF,75

    5GoldGlovesOF,75 591

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    12 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

    Venice would be a bad commute IMO. 

    Agreed - those gondola boats could be dangerous for a pitcher; Roki could hurt his rotator cuff manning the long-handled oar... unless, he hires a gondolier to do the rowing.

    mvp 78

    mvp 78 1,774

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    11 hours ago, vjcsmoke said:

    He throws the baseball 100mph and is from Japan so of course the Red Sox won't sign him.

    Skip to 1:23 mark to see his 102 mph fastball.

     

    They haven't gone for a Japanese pitcher since Uehara in 2013.

    The Yankees and Padres are reportedly interested. West Coast teams generally have the best chance of signing top Japan talents for some reason.

    Posting expenses have gone down significantly but salary demands have risen to compensate.

    Can't see the cheapskate Red Sox even making a competitive bid.

     

    https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sawamhi01.shtml

    mvp 78

    mvp 78 1,774

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    5 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

    It seems like we lead the league in Bronze Medals.

    They are in the lead on the "We Tried Tracker." 

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rOPYSEkIppeiOv7PECMgvCgdaYwr8WwAFP4dUKXIhd8/edit?gid=1794412195#gid=1794412195

    drewski6

    drewski6 345

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    17 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

    They are in the lead on the "We Tried Tracker." 

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rOPYSEkIppeiOv7PECMgvCgdaYwr8WwAFP4dUKXIhd8/edit?gid=1794412195#gid=1794412195

    More to come too. For example they may sign one of TH and Santander, but they certainly arent getting both and one is winding up on this list for at least a couple points.

    mvp 78

    mvp 78 1,774

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    7 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

    More to come too. For example they may sign one of TH and Santander, but they certainly arent getting both and one is winding up on this list for at least a couple points.

    I don't believe they are going to sign either. For some reason, they are trying to be in on everyone rather than coming up with a plan and sticking to it. I think it's probably because they are assigning values to players and aren't wanting to go over said value I doubt they sign Teoscar and believe his camp is just using the Sox to up the offer from the Dodgers. 

    moonslav59

    moonslav59 1,361

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    19 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

    I don't believe they are going to sign either. For some reason, they are trying to be in on everyone rather than coming up with a plan and sticking to it. I think it's probably because they are assigning values to players and aren't wanting to go over said value I doubt they sign Teoscar and believe his camp is just using the Sox to up the offer from the Dodgers. 

    If our biggest outlay, this winter is Teoscar at about $70M/3 or $80M/4, that falls far short of the tax line, it's not even funny.

    It would make the $700M offer to Soto look more like part of the continuing sham.

    drewski6

    drewski6 345

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    25 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

    I don't believe they are going to sign either. For some reason, they are trying to be in on everyone rather than coming up with a plan and sticking to it. I think it's probably because they are assigning values to players and aren't wanting to go over said value I doubt they sign Teoscar and believe his camp is just using the Sox to up the offer from the Dodgers. 

    Im not comfortable with the notion that because they are lining up plans b,c,d they arent truly trying for plan A. I think this may have become the case with Soto (started focusing more on secondary options, when the bidding reached uncomfortable levels), but wasnt the case from the onset.

    Im not conspiratorial enough to think its pretend interest. Line in the sand, I can believe.

    But the numbers for TH arent crazy. 3 yrs / 70m sounds reasonable.

    mvp 78

    mvp 78 1,774

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    15 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

    Im not comfortable with the notion that because they are lining up plans b,c,d they arent truly trying for plan A. I think this may have become the case with Soto (started focusing more on secondary options, when the bidding reached uncomfortable levels), but wasnt the case from the onset.

    Im not conspiratorial enough to think its pretend interest. Line in the sand, I can believe.

    But the numbers for TH arent crazy. 3 yrs / 70m sounds reasonable.

    I'm not saying the Sox are faking interest, just that Teoscar is MORE interested in the Dodgers and wants to stay there. He's going to try to squeeze more money out of them by bringing more bidders into the process. 



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