Rōki Sasaki Calling Own Shots In Free Agency Saga

Joel Wolfe, the agent for the Japanese stud free-agent starting pitcher Rōki Sasaki, held a press conference call Monday, informing the media that Sasaki has received presentations from 20 MLB teams. Wolfe did not name each team.

“It was like the Rōki Film Festival,” Wolfe said. Sasaki gave teams he met with an unspecified homework assignment to test their communication and analysis skills. Sasaki, who is now back in Japan, can sign with an MLB team as soon as January 15, when the international signing period opens. However, Wolfe believes that his client will sign sometime between then and his January 23 deadline (45 days from being officially posted).

“He is driving the ship and calling the shots,” Wolfe said, noting Sasaki might “want to visit one or two cities as he tries to finalize the decision-making process.” So far, the 23-year-old pitcher has only met teams in his agent’s offices in Los Angeles.

Both the Mets and the Yankees have already met with Sasaki. The Dodgers are seen as the favorites to land the phenom pitcher, partially with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the roster. Wolfe said Sasaki requested that no team include any of their players in the recruiting visits.

Sasaki is looking “long-term” with a “global” outlook, valuing teams he believes develop pitchers well. The Mets and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner have been complimented industry-wide for their ability to do just that.

SNY’s Andy Martino spoke with Wolfe after his presser and reported that market size is not a factor in the decision-making process.

Sasaki made news earlier this offseason when he decided to pitch in America in 2025, as opposed to 2027 (his age-25 season), when he could earn a contract north of $200 million. Ohtani was in a similar situation when he signed with the Angels in 2017.

“He’s a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here just to be rich,” Wolfe said. “He wants to be one of the greatest ever.”

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