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One of the biggest stories of this MLB offseason is where Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki will choose to sign. While teams around the league get their starting rotations sorted out for next season, some of the league's most iconic organizations are waiting to see if Sasaki chooses to join their club.
Now, those teams may have to wait even longer. Sasaki may not be ready to make his decision right at the start of the next international signing period for financial reasons, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“Joel Wolfe, the representative for free-agent right-hander Roki Sasaki, said on Monday he does not anticipate the pitcher signing precisely on Jan. 15, the day the international signing period opens,” Rosenthal reported. “Sasaki, 23, might know which club he is selecting by then. But by waiting, he will allow his chosen team to build up its bonus pool through trades.
“A team can acquire up to 60 percent of its original pool that way. Those deals, however, are not allowed before Jan. 15. Each also can yield an increment of only $250,000 in pool space, unless a team parts with its entire remaining pool in a single transaction.”
Of course, the difference in the team's bonus pools likely isn't large enough in the first place to sway Sasaki's decision in any significant way, and he is still probably going to choose the organization and the destination that he is drawn to the most regardless of the money. However, it still makes sense for him to try to extract every dollar possible from this first contract.
The usual suspects have been battling it out for Sasaki's services this offseason: the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants have all been in touch with the young star about picking him up. Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers seem to be the favorite, but all of those other clubs are still in the mix for the right-hander.
No matter how long his free agent process goes on, one fanbase around the league will be thrilled that their team was able to reel in one of the biggest names on the market this winter.
