The Rangers met with Roki Sasaki, the Giants also “believed they had met” with Sasaki

Roki Sasaki He won’t be able to officially sign with an MLB organization until mid-January, but that hasn’t stopped him from making headlines in December. Last week, it was reported that the NPB phenom had met with at least three MLB teams: Yankees, Mets and Cubs. Today, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young confirmed that representatives from his club met with Sasaki last week (per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). Meanwhile, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Giants are believed to have “met” with Sasaki and his representatives.

It’s no surprise that both teams are interested in Sasaki. The Giants could use more starting pitching, and are likely to add at least one starter this offseason, whether it’s Sasaki or someone else. The Rangers, on the other hand, already have a full rotation, but regardless, Sasaki is the type of player any team would make room for. The two-time NPB All-Star is widely considered one of the most promising young pitchers in the world, and his earning potential is limited by the rules of international amateur free agency. Currently, Texas can’t pay him more than a $6,261,600 bonus, while San Francisco can’t offer him more than a $5,146,200 bonus.

The Rangers have been keeping an eye on Sasaki for some time. At the start of the 2024 season, they were one of eight teams that reportedly sent representatives to watch Sasaki’s camp in Japan. You can also see why Sasaki would be interested in joining their club. Not only were the Rangers recent World Series winners, but they were one of the most active teams this offseason on both the trade and free agent markets. Additionally, Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, recently said that Sasaki grew up “idolizing” numerous Japanese pitchers who made the jump from NPB to MLB. The first example cited by Wolfe was Yu Darvishwho signed with the Rangers when he first came to the United States in 2012. Evan Grant points out that a pair of front office executives who were “key” in signing Darvish, assistant general manager Josh Boyd and manager of Pacific Rim operations Joe Furukawa, are still working in the organization.

As for the Giants, POBO Buster Posey has been particularly vocal about his interest in Sasaki. Speaking at the Winter Meetings, he told reporters (including MLB.com’s Maria Guardado), “We would be over the moon if we added a guy like that.” While Posey only talked about Sasaki’s talent, one has to assume he’s fascinated by the price as well. The Giants have been closely linked to free agency Corbin Burnes this winter. But Burnes is allegedly looking to sign a contract worth more than $200 million. According to Susan Slusser, the question is whether or not ownership will be willing to pay this bill. In Sasaki, the Giants could add a star starter for a fraction of the market price.

From Sasaki’s perspective, it’s worth noting that San Francisco is much closer to Japan (and has a larger Japanese population) than New York, Chicago, or Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington. Neither Sasaki nor Wolfe have suggested that the pitcher has a geographic preference for where to sign, but Giants general manager Zack Minasian has expressed hope that San Francisco’s relative proximity to Japan will make “a big difference” (per Guardado). Minasian also mentioned Oracle Park’s pitcher-friendly confines as a potential draw. After all, Sasaki is used to pitching in a much different offensive environment: Runs are harder to come by in NPB. Plus, he’s presumably trying to put up as impressive numbers as possible. Six years into the future, those numbers will help him cash in big as an unrestricted free agent.

Ultimately, we still know very little about what Sasaki is thinking or where he might end up. The Dodgers and, to a lesser extent, the Padres are often cited as the favorites to sign him, but it’s not for nothing that he’s gone through so many other teams. (Nor is it clear whether he has already met with the Dodgers or Padres.) Slusser identifies the Diamondbacks as another NL West suitor for his services, though it’s unclear whether he has met with anyone from the team. Meanwhile, the Phillies are the only club we know for sure Not I met Sasaki. Last week, POBO Dave Dombrowski revealed that while the Phillies would have liked to talk to Sasaki, they were not invited to do so.