When the MLB international signing period opens on Jan. 15, clubs will be coming out of the woodwork to try and lure flamethrowing amateur free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki to sign.
The 23-year-old righty represents a rare opportunity for small-market clubs to compete to sign an elite free agent since he’s only eligible for a minor-league deal. Still, mostly larger-market teams have secured an in-person meeting with Sasaki, including the Dodgers, Padres, Cubs, Mets, Yankees, Giants, Rangers and the Blue Jays, who were recently revealed as the “mystery team” that has met with the future ace.
Despite their plans to make a serious push to sign Sasaki, the Boston Red Sox have not been fortunate enough to earn an in-person meeting with him. They haven’t been told they’re out of the running to sign him, though, and some eliminations have already begun. San Francisco’s general manager Zack Minasian on Jan. 13 reported that the Giants have been removed from consideration in the Sasaki sweepstakes. The Yankees, Mets, Cubs and Rangers have also been officially ruled out.
Since the Sox haven’t been officially ruled out in the Sasaki race but don’t appear to be a serious contender, they’ll remain in limbo until he signs. Rumors have it that he hopes to go to a club with a well-established pitcher development program, which doesn’t bode well for Boston — drafting and developing pitchers hasn’t been the Red Sox’s strong suit.
Blue Jays revealed as ‘mystery team’ in Roki Sasaki’s market, Red Sox still haven’t met with the young ace
“This is very likely the week when we will learn where Roki Sasaki will pitch in Major League Baseball.” – @jonmorosi pic.twitter.com/pPShFqYrEt
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 13, 2025
Sasaki has also had a contentious relationship with certain Japanese media from his time in Nippon Professional Baseball, and his agent mentioned that he’d be willing to play for a small market team with a less aggressive media presence. Boston, with its gritty, knowledgeable fans and thorough media coverage, doesn’t fit that criterion, either.
But fans are still left wondering why the Red Sox, one of the biggest markets with the largest fanbases around the baseball world, couldn’t land a meeting with Sasaki. Maybe Boston’s six-year reluctance to sign capable players is coming back to bite it in the eyes of top-tier free agents. That could also be one of the reasons the Sox couldn’t land Juan Soto or Max Fried.
At least with the Yankees out of the running, the odds of Sasaki joining an American League East squad have lessened. If the Red Sox aren’t eliminated from contention to sign Sasaki (or if they’re being considered in the first place), they should put the short time remaining in his signing window to good use with a compelling contract offer.
