Roki Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, talked at length Tuesday about the 23-year-old pitcher’s posting process as he comes over from Japan this offseason.
The Dodgers are expected to be a top contender for Sasaki, though Wolfe said he still has to talk more with Sasaki about exactly what he is looking for in an MLB team. But he added the pitcher has “paid attention to how teams have done” recently and Sasaki has also followed the MLB careers of his WBC teammates — Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto among them.
Wolfe said it “could be” an attraction for Sasaki to go somewhere with veteran Japanese players already on the team, but wouldn’t “necessarily need it to succeed.” Sasaki has also never mentioned having a preference for the West Coast, as other Japanese players have in the past.
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Also, Wolfe said the gap between the teams’ international bonus pools will be “so negligible” that he doesn’t believe it will have much effect on Sasaki’s decision. This is relevant because the Dodgers have the smallest bonus pool in the 2025 international class to try and sign him.
Sasaki will consider smaller market teams, too. Wolfe noted that could be beneficial for Sasaki, after his negative experience with the extreme media scrutiny he got in Japan. But, Wolfe reiterated, he and Sasaki need to talk more about what he values most before proceeding.
Check back for updates on this developing news story.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
