The Los Angeles Dodgers have been considered the front runners to sign Japanese right-hand starting pitcher Roki Sasaki. One of the big reasons for that is their long history with Japanese players, recently and namely with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Dodgers’ Connection To Japanese Players Never Topic Of Discussion For Roki Sasaki
But in a conference call with the media Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Group, downplayed exactly that aspect of his client’s criteria.
“He doesn’t seem to look at it in the typical way that other players do,” Wolfe said. “He has a more long-term, global view of things. I believe Roki is also very interested in the pitching development and how a team is going to help him get better, both in the near future and over the course of his career. He didn’t seem overly concerned about whether a team had Japanese players on their team or not, which, in the past, when I represented Japanese players, that was sometimes an issue. That was never a topic of discussion.”
According to multiple reports, the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and San Francisco Giants have been granted initial meetings with Roki Sasaki. While these reports have not been officially confirmed by Sasaki’s camp, it highlights the intense competition for the young pitcher’s services.
Wolfe, emphasized the importance of a level playing field for all interested teams, implementing specific guidelines for the initial meetings. These meetings were limited to two hours and conducted at Wasserman’s Los Angeles offices. Sasaki requested that current players not attend the meetings, although some teams submitted video presentations.
“Roki is by no means a finished product,” Wolfe said. “He knows it, and the teams know it. He’s incredibly talented; we all know that. But he is a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here just to be rich or get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever. I see that now, and he’s articulated it. And to be that, he knows he has to challenge himself.”