Blue Jays one of three finalists for Roki Sasaki as Japanese phenom starts eliminating teams

Roki Sasaki, the Japanese superstar pitcher who is expected to be posted when International Free Agent signing period opens on Wednesday, has reportedly started to eliminate teams competing for his services.

According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, Sasaki has told the Yankees that they are out of the running. San Francisco Giants GM Zack Minasian has said that his club has also been told they have eliminated. Sources say the Mets and Cubs are also out.

According to a report from MLB and NY Post baseball writer Jon Heyman, that leaves a trio of teams - the Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Padres.

As always, there will be a healthy dose of skepticism among Jays fans, especially with a team like the Dodgers still in the mix. But there are a couple of important factors to remember when it comes to Sasaki.

The first thing is that money is not the number one factor, at least according to Sasaki's agent. If it was, then he would have waited until he turned 25 and cashed in a huge payday a la Yoshinobu Yamamato.

Secondly, Sasaki may want to go to a city where there is less media attention, which would seem to eliminate a team such as Los Angeles. In the past, many Japanese players have been reluctant to sign with teams that employ their fellow countrymen. As Ken Rosenthal wrote in 2023:

However, Sasaki's agent Joel Wolfe has downplayed this idea, either positively or negatively, saying it never arose in discussions.

The posting window for IFA's opens on Wednesday and concludes on January 23rd. Sasaki has said he will make his decision by then.

SOURCE - MLB, MLB Trade Rumours