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Roki Sasaki is one of the most sought-after free-agent pitchers of this year's offseason; from the moment that his posting was announced, many teams have expressed their desire to sign the 23-year-old right-handed starting pitcher — with the Seattle Mariners being among the talented Japanese international's most prominent suitors.
The Mariners may not be the team with the biggest financial capability on the free-agent market, and they may not be the biggest team that Sasaki could join in terms of the marketing opportunities that will be afforded him as well as the spotlight that would be cast on him. But the Mariners franchise has something going for them that other teams do not — the influence of the legendary Ichiro Suzuki.
According to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, the Mariners are “planning a full-fledged recruiting pitch that is expected to include Ichiro” — the Japanese baseball legend who started blazing his trail in the MLB in the Pacific Northwest.
Ichiro has been a major ambassador for the Mariners for a long time, and there's no surprise that he is once again going to bat for the beloved franchise that he spent the first 11.5 seasons of his career with. And given how well he hit for average during his time, he could once again net Seattle a base hit in the form of a commitment from Sasaki.
At the very least, the Mariners won't be financially outmuscled for Sasaki; the 23-year-old is subject to the amateur signing rules due to his age, which means that every MLB team can do their due diligence in pursuing the Japanese international.
Thus, the nuances in the recruitment process could prove to make a world of difference, and there may not be something as moving to a young Japanese baseball player looking to chart a stellar career for himself in the big leagues as seeing Ichiro and hearing how good of a move it will be for him to join the Mariners.
Will the Mariners find their next Japanese sensation in Roki Sasaki?
The future is bright for Roki Sasaki; only 22 this past season, he put up a sterling 2.35 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched through 16 games. There is also a pattern of strong performance in the Nippon Professional Baseball League translating to the MLB, which will only serve to make the pursuit of Sasaki that much more heated.
The Mariners, however, may have a leg up; in addition to having Ichiro sing the praises of the franchise, the likes of Hisashi Iwakuma and Yusei Kikuchi should show Sasaki that signing with Seattle is far from being the worst idea in the world.
