The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays are the three finalists to sign 23-year-old Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, according to multiple reports Monday.
Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reported the Chicago Cubs, who had been among the four finalists, were informed that Sasaki will not be signing with them in advance of his Jan. 23 deadline.
Source says Cubs have been informed they are out on Roki Sasaki
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) January 13, 2025That left three teams as the known finalists — which Jeff Passan of ESPN subsequently confirmed via Twitter/X:
The finalists for Japanese star right-hander Roki Sasaki are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, sources tell ESPN. Sasaki will decide on his team by the closing of his posting window Jan. 23.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2025For weeks, the "news" around Sasaki's free agency consisted of rumored presentations, meetings, and rumblings of unrequited love among major league executives. Monday's news is relatively seismic and suggests Sasaki is actively narrowing his list of possible destinations as his deadline nears.
Monday was Sasaki's unofficial "cut-down day." When the day began, the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants were also still reportedly involved in his market. One by one, word spread that each team had dropped out.
More news: Roki Sasaki Eliminates Another American League West Team From Consideration: Reports
Sasaki, 23, is the top international amateur in the 2025 signing period, which begins Wednesday.
When he was 20, Sasaki threw a 19-strikeout perfect game for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2022. In his next start, he threw eight more perfect innings in a row. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, his fastball sat at 100 mph.
Last season, Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts for Chiba Lotte, with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. The Marines formally posted him in December.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
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