If there's a mystery team lurking in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes, it isn't the Boston Red Sox.
Sasaki, 23, is considered one of the best international pitching prospects in recent memory. And all signs point toward the hard-throwing Japanese phenom announcing his free agency decision by the end of the week.
On Monday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Sasaki had eliminated candidates, including the Chicago Cubs, while leaving three finalists: the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. Chris Cotillo of MassLive then shared an update that will disappoint Red Sox fans clamoring for Boston to enter the Sasaki sweepstakes.
"FWIW: There are no indications the Red Sox were a late entrant into the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes, from what I can tell," Cotillo wrote on the X platform.
Sasaki is a unique prospect.
Under normal circumstances, he'd be in line for a lucrative long-term contract. Many evaluators believe Sasaki has ace potential and will land atop most national prospect rankings upon signing.
However, under MLB's current rules, Sasaki is considered an amateur and subject to the international bonus pool system, meaning teams can offer contracts worth just $5-8 million. So, there's no bidding war.
As for the Red Sox, they haven't been viewed as serious players for Sasaki since the start of the offseason. In fact, Sasaki never even granted them an in-person meeting.
The good news for Boston fans: Sasaki reportedly ruled out the New York Yankees as potential suitors.
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