With Juan Soto off the board, Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki is arguably the most polarizing free agent remaining in this offseason’s class. His combination of otherworldly Japanese stats, affordability given his posting this offseason, and being 23 years old makes him an appealing target for every team in MLB. Scott Merkin, the White Sox beat writer for MLB.com, confirmed that the team has a presentation planned for him.
People immediately became skeptical once the news broke that the White Sox plan to meet with Sasaki. It is fair to wonder why he would even consider a team coming off the worst season in modern MLB history. He will have a wide variety of suitors all across the league. If winning is a priority, it isn’t an exaggeration to say that any other MLB team would be a better landing spot for him than the White Sox.
Under most circumstances, the White Sox would never have a chance to sign a free agent as talented and sought-after as Sasaki is. However, Sasaki would not have agreed to a meeting if he wasn’t at least somewhat intrigued by the organization. The contents of said presentation are unknown, but the White Sox can offer Sasaki more selling points than one would think.
Tadahito Iguchi is a name with which all White Sox fans are familiar. The former Japanese infielder was the starting second baseman on the 2005 White Sox and played an integral role in the team winning the World Series that season. It turns out he has a direct link to Sasaki. Following his playing career, Iguchi became the manager for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japan Pacific League in 2018. Sasaki began his professional career in Japan as a pitcher for the Marines in 2021, and Iguchi managed him in his first two professional seasons in Japan.
There is plenty of familiarity between Iguchi and Sasaki. Iguchi was once in Sasaki’s current situation, as he also had a decorated career in Japan and looked to play in MLB. He ended up signing with the White Sox straight from Japan, and the rest is history. Iguchi and the White Sox organization are also still on good terms. He has made several appearances at the White Sox spring training facility in recent years. It is fair to assume that the White Sox will use Sasaki’s connection and relationship with Iguchi as part of the presentation.
Joel Wolfe, Sasaki’s agent, recently spoke to the media about Sasaki and gave further insight into Sasaki’s thought process regarding choosing an MLB team. According to Wolfe, “a smaller market with a smaller media pool might be more to Sasaki’s liking.” Wolfe also mentioned how the Japanese media has been very tough on Sasaki to the point of “affecting him mentally.”
If media size is a concern, it would seemingly rule out huge markets like the Dodgers, Yankees, and Red Sox. If Sasaki had thought the media in Japan was harsh, the media in the big MLB markets could be even more mentally draining. The White Sox are uniquely positioned in this scenario. Chicago is a big market, but the White Sox have always been in the Cubs’ shadow. The White Sox media pool pales compared to big market teams. Signing with the White Sox would give Sasaki a unique opportunity to play in a big market but not have to deal with anywhere near the amount of media he would face elsewhere.
Wolfe also mentioned how geography is not a factor for Sasaki, nor is having a Japanese mentor on the team. A wide variety of Japanese stars are already in MLB on big market teams. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are on the Dodgers. Seiya Suzuki and Shōta Imanaga are on the Cubs. Kodai Senga is on the Mets, Masataka Yoshida is on the Red Sox, and Yu Darvish is on the Padres. If teaming up with one of these players is not a consideration for Sasaki, that also works in the White Sox favor. The team has no Japanese players and has not had one in some time. Signing with the White Sox represents a prime opportunity for Sasaki to become the focal point and not live in the shadow of another Japanese star. The team can sell him on that.
Garrett Crochet is gone, and Luis Robert Jr. could also head out shortly as the team continues its youth movement. If Robert Jr. is traded, the White Sox will have no feature attraction or reason for fans to come to games. Sasaki would change that. Should he sign here, he would instantly become the ace in the rotation, the face of the franchise, and the centerpiece of what the White Sox want to achieve moving forward. He would be the undisputed best player on the team. The team also represents a “soft landing spot” for Sasaki in that there will be virtually no expectations for the team for at least the next year or two. If he wants to make himself the main attraction of an MLB team, there is no better team to choose than the White Sox.
As bad as the White Sox are, that might not be the case for much longer. Following the Garrett Crochet trade, the organization has six prospects in the top 60 of MLB.com’s prospect rankings. Two of those prospects are left-handed pitchers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, former first-round picks with extraordinarily high ceilings. The White Sox can sell Sasaki on him being the ace of a future rotation featuring those potential two star left-handers.
For all their other faults, the White Sox have historically been good at developing pitching. The addition of pitching guru Brian Bannister furthers those efforts moving forward. It is only a matter of time before the White Sox start trending upward again. Should Sasaki sign with the Sox, he would be the leader and face of an ascending team.
Cost is always a concern for a team like the White Sox, as they have never given more than $75 million to a free agent. Thankfully, Sasaki is not a typical MLB free agent. Because he was posted this offseason, he is subject to the international bonus pool. It is not the type of situation where a team like the Dodgers or Mets can back us the Brinks truck at Sasaki and give him whatever dollar amount he wants.
Per Scott Merkin of MLB.com, the White Sox currently have $6,261,600 in international bonus money. While other teams can offer slightly more than the White Sox, it is not a significant difference. The level playing field works in the White Sox favor regarding their Sasaki pursuit as they can’t be significantly outbid for him like they are for regular free agents.
The White Sox have many more aspects working in their favor in their Roki Sasaki pursuit than they normally would for a free agent of his caliber. That said, the odds of them signing him seem very slim. Sox fans should not expect Sasaki to be on the south side next season. However, the fact that they are meeting with him and have a planned presentation can only be a good thing. There is nothing to lose by meeting with him. The organization has several selling points working in their favor as they attempt to land a generational talent.
