Roki Sasaki's Agent Reveals Timeline for Dodgers Target to Complete Process

01/02/2025 04:03 PM

The Los Angeles Dodgers met with Roki Sasaki last month, but the second round of additional meetings will be closer to when the 23-year-old pitcher signs. Sasaki is expected to sign during the next international signing period which opens Jan. 15.

There is no specific timeline of when Sasaki’s signing will unfold, but his agent, Joel Wolfe, provided the latest update on his client.

"The timeline for Round 2 is going to lead right up until he signs," Wolfe said, via Will Sammon of The Athletic. "We're still talking and having Zoom calls. So I don't have a precise timeline for that, like we did for the meetings. Teams will be notified at some point if there's going to be additional meetings or travel or something like that. But other than that, I don't believe there's going to be any specific timeline."

It’s unknown how many teams Sasaki has met with, but the Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Texas Rangers have all reportedly received an in-person meeting with the star.

Because of his affordability, Sasaki is a rare commodity since starting pitchers don’t typically come for such a bargain. However, Sasaki is joining stateside baseball as an international amateur free agent, meaning he can only be offered money from a team’s international bonus pool.

The Sasaki sweepstakes have been one of the most popular storylines of the winter. While the Dodgers had been linked to Sasaki from the start of the offseason, there has been some aspect of drama involved. There was the impression around the industry the Dodgers and Sasaki already had an unwritten agreement in place, according to some MLB executives.

But Wolfe immediately shut down rumors and speculations surrounding an unwritten agreement between his client and the Dodgers. Sasaki also emphasized a level playing field for all 20 teams interested in signing him by placing parameters throughout the process.

As Sasaki met with teams, he requested no players be present at the meetings. Therefore, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto did not attend the Dodgers’ in-person meeting with Sasaki.

Sasaki is considering location, market size, and team success before coming to a final decision. He also wants to land with a team that has the reputation of strong pitching development since his ultimate goal is becoming one of the greatest pitchers in MLB.