How teams are interpreting Roki Sasaki’s ‘very serious’ demeanor
Where Roki Sasaki is leaning might be indicated simply by observing his demeanor.
The 23-year-old Japanese right hander, who has produced great interest around the league as a potential generational talent, has approached his free-agency period in a rather serious manner.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, interested teams are correlating his personality to a smaller market or one with veteran mentors.
“In Roki Sasaki’s past meetings with teams, he has come across as a very quiet, very serious person,” Olney wrote on X.
“This is being interpreted by some teams as a sign that he might prefer to be in a place where he isn’t the center of attention — in a smaller market, or among more established stars.”
One X user responded with, “And yet he’s meeting with the Dodgers… it’s all about $$.”
Olney responded by saying, “If it was about the money, he would’ve and could’ve waited for free agency.”
Since Sasaki isn’t 25-years-old yet, he is considered by the league as an international amateur.
Thus, interested teams are limited to their international bonus pool in what they can offer Sasaki, which falls generally around $6 million — similar to Ohtani’s path to the Angels in 2017.
If Sasaki’s personality is one that doesn’t like the spotlight, then it may point to why he eliminated the Yankees and Mets from his list of prospective teams Monday.
With the signing period for international free agents set to begin Wednesday, the remaining teams on his list include the Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays, per The Post’s Jon Heyman.
The Japanese phenom idolized Yu Darvish since a young age and would welcome the chance to play with him in San Diego.
The 38-year-old five-time All-Star pitched 16 games last season, holding a 3.31 ERA, and would be around as a mentor to Sasaki.
Similarly, Sasaki could join the Dodgers to be included in a rotation with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
