The Boston Red Sox have done a lot of work on their pitching staff this offseason, making a blockbuster trade for Garrett Crochet with the Chicago White Sox, and signing former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler to a one-year, $21.05 million contract, but the organization is hoping to land 23-year-old Japanese right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki as well. The problem is that all 30 teams would welcome him, and the Red Sox reportedly do not currently have a meeting scheduled with the pitcher.
“Right now, we do not [have a meeting scheduled]. But, I don’t know that there’s any finality to that,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said, via Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “We’ve obviously been engaged and would welcome the opportunity to participate in the process, and hope that we’ll have the chance to do that.”
It has been confirmed that Sasaki has taken meetings with at least a couple of teams, with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers among that group. It is unknown how many teams he will meet with, but the expectation is that he will sign with a team between the start of the 2025 international signing period (Jan. 15) and the end of his 45-day posting period (Jan. 23). Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have been viewed as the favorites to land him, but no one truly knows what he desires.
Why do Red Sox, other teams badly want to sign Roki Sasaki?
Sasaki is an overpowering pitcher who throws in the upper-90s with his fastball while also featuring a slider and splitter. During his time in Japan, he posted a 30-15 record with a 2.02 ERA, 524 strikeouts and just 91 walks, according to Baseball Reference.
In addition to Sasaki’s clear upside that is displayed by his numbers in Japan, he is just 23 years old. It is rare for teams to get an opportunity to sign a pitcher who has this type of ability at that age. Due to being under 25 years old, Sasaki is considered an international amateur, so MLB teams can only offer him money that is available as part o their international amateur bonus pool. The Red Sox have a bonus pool of just under $6.3 million, according to Speier. Other teams have varying amounts, depending on the trades they have executed in the past. That money will be in Sasaki’s signing bonus.
Sasaki will not cost much money, so there is not much risk for teams if he does not succeed in MLB, and if he does, that team will have him for six seasons — three years of minimum salary and three years of arbitration before he becomes a free agent.
It is easy to see why the Red Sox and other teams are lining up in hopes of landing Sasaki’s services.
