Breaking Down Roki Sasaki’s MLB Free Agency Race

As we move into the month of January, Roki Sasaki remains unsigned.

The jewel of the international class, Sasaki is the latest import from Japan looking to make his mark in Major League Baseball.

The 23-year-old right-handed pitcher has reportedly met with a host of teams, and a decision on his future could come within the next couple of weeks. Let’s break down some of the involved parties at this point:

Chicago White Sox

Those who follow the sport were quite surprised when the White Sox were mentioned as one of the possible landing spots for Sasaki. Chicago just came off one of the worst seasons in the history of the sport, and there’s little evidence the team will want to spend in order to climb back into relevancy.

On the plus side for the South Siders, Sasaki would be the premier player on the team. There are some endorsement angles he should enjoy situated in the hub of the Midwest, and one of the more desirable cities to live in across the United States. There also will be next to no pressure on him to perform right away as a bonafide ace.

On the other hand, this team is miles away from being even merely competitive in the soft AL Central. I can’t see Sasaki signing with Chicago when decision day rolls around.

New York Mets

President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has long been an admirer of Sasaki. He’s visited Japan numerous times to watch Sasaki pitch in person.

Money won’t be an issue with the Mets eventually. Having said that, New York loses a bit of an advantage given Sasaki’s age and the fact he’s forced to sign essentially a pseudo Minor League deal. The endorsement side of things applies here as well given New York’s standing as the hub of entertainment perhaps in the world today.

The Mets would love to add another starter next to a projected group featuring fellow Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, and David Peterson. The group is deep, though not featuring much in the way of high-end talent. Hurting the Mets here could be the prestige of the ballclub relative to others Sasaki is considering.

New York Yankees

When the Yankees come calling, you listen.

New York is nearly always associated with every free agent deemed as an impact player. Sasaki is no different — and in many ways he’d be a great fit in pinstripes. The Yankees as a whole could use an injection of youth within its roster. The team is on the older end of things, and Sasaki in theory would be a perfect arm to lead the team into an era when Aaron Judge ages out of his prime.

It remains to be seen as to just how serious the Yankees would be in pursuing Sasaki. There’s a clear history of Japanese players having great success in the Bronx. Hideki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka are two examples of that premise. Having said that, the Yankees rotation is quite deep, and starting pitching isn’t the team’s top priority at the moment given the signing of Max Fried, and the availability of Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Carlos Rodon, and Gerrit Cole.

San Diego Padres

San Diego has long been rumored as one of the two frontrunners for Sasaki.

There’s a lot going for the Padres in this race. For one, being situated on the West Coast, the city is a comfortable direct flight from Japan. San Diego and its surrounding areas are among the nicest places to live in the entire world. The team itself has a great fanbase with a competitive team. Additionally, Sasaki’s mentor and favorite player growing up — Yu Darvish — is a member of the rotation.

If we’re playing Devil’s advocate, San Diego is in a far smaller market compared to Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and even Seattle. Marketing opportunities might not net him the money he’d make elsewhere, which could be an issue given the unique contract parameters he must abide by in the interim. Throw in this recent report over a lawsuit between the wife of late owner Peter Seidler and his brothers, and things in San Diego might become very volatile in a hurry.

Seattle Mariners

To this day, the best Japanese player to ever play stateside was Ichiro.

The Mariners legend is arguably up there with Ken Griffey Jr. as being the most iconic member in franchise history. Ichiro paved the way for position players to thrive across the pond, and the city of Seattle benefitted tremendously.

Sasaki would be living in another city on the West Coast only a direct flight away from home. A large Japanese community exists in Seattle, and the American League at this point appears far less daunting than the National League. However, the Mariners are starved for offense. The rotation already features a gifted grouping of Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller. Sasaki may be more of a luxury than a need at this point.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are the flagship ballclub in the city of Chicago. They’re also one of the more popular and most notable ballclubs in the sport given the history of Wrigley Field and the longstanding relationship the team has with its passionate fanbase.

Playing in Chicago certainly has its grouping of unique wrinkles. If you do well there, the often-tortured fanbase will love you unconditionally. Wrigley Field itself presents some challenges pitchers don’t necessarily love. At this point, the Cubs are also still in the midst of trying to navigate a route toward the top of the NL Central.

At the same time, it can’t hurt that the team went out and acquired Kyle Tucker this offseason. The presence of OF Seiya Suzuki can’t hurt, either.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On paper, this seems like a no-brainer.

The Dodgers have been printing money like it’s been going out of style for years even before Shohei Ohtani signed with the club a year ago.

A heavy investment in the Japanese market has essentially made the Dodgers the flagship team of the entire country of Japan at this point considering Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — not to mention the long history of ex-Dodgers (Hideo Nomo, Hiroki Kuroda, Takashi Saito, Kenta Maeda, Kaz Ishii, etc.) who hail from Japan.

Throw in the infrastructure of the team, the close proximity to Tokyo, the winning culture, Andrew Friedman’s relative obsession with acquiring Sasaki, and the cutting-edge impetus on pitching, and everything lines up for the Dodgers to be right in on the starlet until the very end.