Will Dodgers sign Roki Sasaki? Agent details posting process for star Japanese pitcher

Like the rest of Major League Baseball, the Dodgers have closely monitored Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki over the last couple of years, anxiously waiting for the hard-throwing phenom to come to MLB. It was such an uncommon move that, as rumors about Sasaki’s interest in leaving Japan for MLB early circulated over the last couple of years, Wolfe said the “media in Japan has been very tough on him” because “that’s considered in Japan to be very disrespectful and sort of swimming upstream.” Yet last month, Sasaki’s Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, finally announced they would post him this winter — setting the stage for what will be one of the most intriguing subplots to follow this offseason. Wolfe said Sasaki “could be” attracted to a team with veteran Japanese players but wouldn’t “necessarily need it to succeed.” If Sasaki does want to play with other Japanese players, the Dodgers should be well positioned. “And just watching what other Japanese players in the major leagues are doing and how they are doing.” Sasaki also has “paid attention to how teams have done, as far as overall success, both this year and years past,” Wolfe said, another potentially positive sign given the Dodgers’ World Series title and recent dominance of the National League West. Furthermore, while Sasaki isn’t opposed to playing in a big media market, smaller and mid-market teams could offer “a soft landing coming from Japan,” Wolfe said, “given what he’s been through and not having an enjoyable experience with the media.” Wolfe said he plans to meet with Sasaki in the coming days to begin discussing the player’s preferences and to review early proposals teams already have begun to submit.