Moments after news that Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki was set to be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines, the Nippon Professional Baseball team he has played for in Japan, the World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers quickly emerged as the favorites to land the ace righthander.
So much so that ESPN's Buster Olney, after speaking with all 30 MLB general managers, said on an episode of Baseball Tonight earlier in November that "thirty out of thirty teams believe he's going to the Dodgers." Sasaki's agent Joel Wolfe, did not take kindly to such a stance from the league's executives, which has some believing the Dodgers already have a handshake agreement with Sasaki.
Wolfe, insulted by the consensus belief of baseball's executives, strongly denied that any such agreement exists.
"While a bunch of executives who should know me better and do a lot of business with me insult my integrity by insinuating that I would be a part of some type of nefarious agreement," Wolfe told Evan Drellich of The Athletic. "In reality, this is just poor sportsmanship."
Because Sasaki, 23, is not yet 25 years old, he will be considered an international amateur free agent, which means that MLB teams can only use international bonus pool money to sign him. After the Marines' announced on Nov. 9 their intention to post the Japanese ace, it was initially expected that he would be considered a member of the 2024 international class.
The Dodgers, with $2.5 million left, currently possess the most remaining international bonus pool money of any MLB team for the 2024 signing period, which ends on Dec.15. This is likely why many believed he was headed to Los Angeles.
But speaking to reporters on Wednesday following the owners meetings, commissioner Rob Manfred said that the timing of Sasaki's posting will likely now make him a member of the 2025 class.
"It kind of looks like the way it’s going to shake out, that the signing there, just because the timing, will happen in the new pool period," Manfred said.
According to Baseball America, the Dodgers, who last December signed two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to a record $700 million contract after he turned down a qualifying offer, lost $1 million from their 2025 bonus pool money for exceeding the competitive balance tax.
Los Angeles, along with the San Francisco Giants, has just $5,146,200—the lowest pool amount in MLB—to spend during the 2025 signing period, which begins on January 15.
In theory, this will give more small-market teams a real shot at Sasaki. Considered one of the best pitchers in the world, Sasaki pitched to a 2.10 ERA in 394 2/3 career innings in NPB.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Roki Sasaki's Agent Blasts MLB Executives for Floating Rumors of Dodgers Agreement.
