Cody Snavely
The 2025 offseason is full steam ahead. This week, the annual Major League Baseball Winter Meetings start, and multiple insiders are predicting a flurry of moves in the free agent and trade market. Juan Soto is the biggest domino set to fall, possibly as early as tomorrow.
However, another big fish is set to enter the market. Multiple insiders confirmed that young rookie sensation Rōki Sasaki will officially be posted sometime during the Winter Meetings.
It was reported last month that the 23-year-old right-hander would make the switch from the NPB to the MLB rather than wait another two years. This would force him to sign as an international amateur free agent, which means all thirty Major League teams have a chance to sign him as they can only use their international pool money.
The timing of the posting is noteworthy, as Sasaki’s 45-day negotiating window will stretch beyond January 15th and the opening of the 2025 international signing period. Since the 2024 period ends on December 15th and teams have already basically spent everything in their budgets, it was widely expected that Sasaki would wait until after January 15th to sign so he could land at least a bit more money.
Regarding the international pool money for the 2025 signing period, which opens on January 15th, the Los Angeles Dodgers are one of four teams with the least money to spend, with an estimated $5.46 million.
Still, the Dodgers are the heavy favorites to sign the righty due to geographic location, the potential for offfield Revuen through endorsements, and the ability to join World Baseball Classic teammates two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
That sentiment was even shared by Buster Olney of ESPN, stating in his column this past week that despite other teams set to do their due diligence, the industry essentially believes that Sasaki has already picked a team, and that is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Per Olney, “Teams don’t know the player, and don’t know what he really wants. But there is widespread industry belief — correct or not — that Sasaki has probably already picked a team, and it’s most likely the Dodgers. All of these clubs will go through the process, however, and at the end, a lot of execs are going to complain that it was a waste of their time.”
Although, with Sasaki getting posted this week, don’t expect him to sign until after the start of the New Year, over the next several weeks, we should get more insight on the potential clubs rather than speculation as Sasaki and his reps meet with Major League clubs.
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