Mystery Team Reportedly in Talks with Dodgers’ Top Target!

Mystery Team Reportedly in Talks with Dodgers’ Top Target!

The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes remain one of the biggest mysteries of the offseason. While the Los Angeles Dodgers are among the seven teams that have reportedly met with the Japanese sensation, there’s another mystery club that might still be in the hunt. MLB insider Jon Morosi suggests the Seattle Mariners could be that team, thanks to their strong track record with Japanese players and their stellar pitching development system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, recently shared that his client is focused on finding a team with a proven history of developing young pitchers. “Roki is looking for a long-term, global view,” Wolfe told Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. “He’s interested in how a team will help him improve both now and throughout his career.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seattle’s history with Japanese players like Ichiro Suzuki, Hisashi Iwakuma, and Yusei Kikuchi gives them an edge in this race, though Sasaki isn’t prioritizing the presence of other Japanese players in a team’s roster. “He doesn’t seem overly concerned about whether a team has Japanese players or not,” said Wolfe, noting that it’s something he’s seen impact past Japanese players but not Sasaki.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As teams await news about the second round of meetings, the Dodgers and the Mariners (if they’re indeed the mystery team) will soon find out if they make the cut. With the international signing period opening on January 15, the race for Sasaki is heating up and could go down to the wire.

“There’s no specific timeline for Round 2,” Wolfe added, “but it will lead right up until he signs.”