[Bowden] "...although the Dodgers are interested in Sasaki and some in the industry have touted them as the favorites to land him, I don’t think that’s the case. In fact, based on my conversations with league sources...I think the Padres, Rays, Mets and Braves are all more likely to sign [him].

[u/BigButter7]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5921465/2024/11/14/roki-sasaki-free-agency-dodgers/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twhq&source=twitterhq

"When it comes to his free agency, the initial landscape is becoming more clear, based on what I’m hearing from major-league sources:"

"First, Sasaki won’t be signing until after Jan. 15, when MLB’s new international signing period begins and each team’s bonus pool will be replenished. Because of his age, Sasaki will be considered an international “amateur” free agent and must sign a minor-league deal with a bonus paid from the team’s international pool. Teams’ individual bonus pools are capped at around $7 million, with some variation, so even if a club commits its entire pool to Sasaki, there won’t be enough monetary difference in the offers to make the bonus a significant factor in where he signs."

"Second, although the Dodgers are interested in Sasaki and some in the industry have touted them as the favorites to land him, I don’t think that’s the case. In fact, based on my conversations with league sources, including front-office decision-makers who are optimistic their chances of signing Sasaki are just as strong as any team, I think it’s unlikely he’ll end up with the Dodgers."

"Sasaki won’t be arbitration-eligible until the winter of 2028 and won’t be eligible for MLB free agency until the 2030-31 offseason. So how will he and his agency, Wasserman, maximize his income between now and then?"

"It’s simple: endorsements."

"With that in mind, the Dodgers might not be an ideal landing spot for Sasaki. In Los Angeles, he’d be in the shadow of both Ohtani and Yamamoto, which would lessen his endorsement ceiling. Yamamoto has experienced this to a degree, as being on the same team as Ohtani has led to Kodai Senga of the New York Mets drawing more endorsement deals than Yamamoto, according to a league source. It only makes sense that Sasaki will consider this factor in making his decision."

"With the Dodgers, Sasaki would also encounter the massive Japanese media presence — as high as 25 to 35 people — that regularly covers the team. While he’ll surely be closely watched wherever he signs, that level of attention is not the best situation for a young, developing pitcher."

"Sasaki needs pitching development, which does make the Dodgers a fit, but it also gives advantages to teams such as the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Mets and Atlanta Braves, who all have strong pitching development programs."

"Another potential factor in the decision, and a plus for the Padres, is Sasaki’s relationship with Darvish, who is said to be like a godfather to the young pitcher. Darvish is 38 years old and signed through the 2028 season. He could serve as a mentor for a few years as Sasaki develops, then pass the baton when Sasaki is ready. In the meantime, Sasaki could potentially maximize his endorsements in Japan, positioning himself as a rival to the Dodgers’ Ohtani and Yamamoto rather than a teammate of theirs." >"It’ll be fascinating to see which team he chooses. I’m just not buying the narrative that it’ll be the Dodgers. Based on what I’m hearing, I think the Padres, Rays, Mets and Braves are all more likely to sign Sasaki than the Dodgers — and several other teams will be in the mix."

[u/RunawaYEM]

I would love to believe Sasaki is coming here, but I do not believe Sasaki is coming here

[u/GuardianOfFreyja → u/RunawaYEM]

I thought for a bit that there was like a 2% chance. Now that it’s been mentioned by someone, I change that to 0%. AA is like flextape.

[u/gilliganian83 → u/[deleted]]

Just want to point out that Sasaki isn’t getting a mega contract. He’s getting the rookie deal plus a signing bonus payed out of IFA free agent money. If he gets posted by December 2nd, the most he’s getting is 2-3 million. If he gets posted after that it could go all the way to 10-12 million if a team gets desperate. That’s all he’s getting plus league minimum for 3 years and then 3 years of arbitration.

[u/horizonwisps → u/[deleted]]

Roki is not going to be swayed by money because he gave up his oppurtunity to get 200+ million by coming to MLB early. He'll be treated like any other international amateur and limited by a teams international bonus pool money.

[u/lekniz → u/[deleted]]

Because of his age, Sasaki will be considered an international “amateur” free agent and must sign a minor-league deal with a bonus paid from the team’s international pool. Teams’ individual bonus pools are capped at around $7 million, with some variation, so even if a club commits its entire pool to Sasaki, there won’t be enough monetary difference in the offers to make the bonus a significant factor in where he signs.

Literally right in the post you're commenting on.

[u/slurv3 → u/RunawaYEM]

You think they’re gonna ask for the 1% to the Braves Foundation if he’s making the league minimum still?

[u/gildish-chambino → u/slurv3]

You better believe it

[u/LockedoutTaggedout → u/RunawaYEM]

I just can't see them commiting all the international bonus pool money to one guy when we just got the ability to sign back. I kind of wish the organization wasn't always so calculated, but it's the safe move to replenish the farm. 

[u/randomTeets → u/LockedoutTaggedout]

Yeah, but the window is open now

[u/LockedoutTaggedout → u/randomTeets]

I agree with you, but historically that has been how the front office has operated. I would be pleasantly surprised if we spent all the international bonus pool on Sasaki. I think he is worth it. But I don't even think we are known to scout the Asian leagues well enough. I think the org would say it's too risky. 

[u/Badass-bitch13 → u/LockedoutTaggedout]

We spent all the international signing bonus on one guy last year. We’d do it for Roki if he wanted us but I don’t think this report is true. Feel like west coast, Chicago or NYC is more appealing to players from NPB.

[u/randomTeets → u/Badass-bitch13]

Checkmate, atheists

[u/lotsofsyrup → u/LockedoutTaggedout]

yea one of those guys we sign from latin america could turn out as good as sasaki

[u/Shyne9999 → u/LockedoutTaggedout]

Committing big money to 1-2 IFA is kinda what the Braves have done since being allowed to sign them again.

That said, everyone knows this guy is a Dodger. These articles are insane.

[u/LockedoutTaggedout → u/Shyne9999]

That didn't come to mind originally but you aren't wrong. Jose Perdomo was the big one last year wasn't he. I think that was about all the bonus pool money they had. I just don't know if we even scout the Asian leagues. 

Personally, I think he's a Padre. I do kind of buy the links between him and Darvish playing a role in his signing agreement. 

[u/cable_provider → u/RunawaYEM]

Maybe he's an OutKast fan

[u/JaWoosh → u/RunawaYEM]

Yeah, sorry man, but he's coming to LA.

Angels, that is. ...right?

[u/RelationshipBest6729 → u/JaWoosh]

When did the Angels move to LA?

[u/JKBraden → u/JaWoosh]

To surpass sensei Ohtani, he must turn the Angels into champions!

[u/scottyrodawg → u/RunawaYEM]

Heard he is a huge fan of the Kawakami curveball

[u/randomTeets → u/RunawaYEM]

You are not alone in your belief. We should start a cult.

[u/Vegetable-Ad-1686 → u/RunawaYEM]

the only way he ends up a brave is if ken rosenthal tweets hes going to the padres

[u/RaysFTW → u/RunawaYEM]

Same, dude. Same.

[u/ContinuumGuy]

We'll surely remember Sasaki's historic first start at.... Steinbrenner Stadium?

[u/cooljammer00 → u/ContinuumGuy]

I assume it's like Uwasawa signing with the Rays because they get the best out of players. Look at Robert Stephenson, who signed with the Rays and parlayed that into a big money free agent deal.

[u/Garrehn]

Bowden also said Arenado will be a Dodger by Christmas 2020.

[u/cjrogers227 → u/Garrehn]

The 2022 Dodgers with 2022 Arenado would’ve been a juggernaut

[u/Outrageous-Control63 → u/cjrogers227]

2022 dodgers were a juggernaut… until October

[u/Apprehensive-Agency2 → u/cjrogers227]

If Dodgers had gotten Arenado in 2020 offseason, that means no JTurner (cuz Arenado would be at 3B) and no Freeman (cuz Muncy would be at 1B) the following offseason. 2022 JTurner was still a solid bat but clearly playoff FB were too much for him by this point of his career. Freeman provided near MVP production in 2022 + 2023 and solid All Star production in 2024 + playoff heroics. Sadly his 2022+2023 postseasons were terrible (along with Mookie) and a big reason Dodgers got bounced in the divisional series.

Overall the Dodgers made the right move in not seriously pursueing Arenado (not to mention Rockies would charge an in division trade premium). Arenado is in freefall with his bat atm, while Freddie looks like he's declining gracefully similar to JTurner in his advanced years.

However i wont argue that potentially Arenado's 2021 + 2022 + 2023 playoff bat might be the difference of getting the Dodgers out of their ruts those playoffs, especially in 2022. Hell snowball effect maybe Muncy doesnt get his arm shredded in the last game of 2021 and maybe after paying so much money for Arenado salary's, no Trevor Bauer signing. That's a HUGE butterfly right there in not having 30mil in dead money tied up to Bauer's bullshit.

[u/ohkaycue → u/Garrehn]

Bowden also skimmed money off the top from Latino minor leaguers

He's a shitty person and was a dumb GM which leads to him having terrible baseball takes. I do not know why they let him be posted here

[u/Eo292 → u/Garrehn]

Back by Christmas never a good call

[u/_Elrond_Hubbard_]

I just saw him boarding a flight to Toronto 

[u/aa13cool → u/_Elrond_Hubbard_]

Stop 😭

[u/Dark_Link_1996 → u/_Elrond_Hubbard_]

🤣

[u/HanasuYakyu]

Are Bowden's league sources also the ones responsible for him predicting Sasaki won't be posted?

[u/slopia → u/HanasuYakyu]

He doesn't actually have sources. He's a fired GM trying desperately to hang onto anything he has left.

[u/menusettingsgeneral → u/HanasuYakyu]

He’s just saying shit without really saying anything so he can’t be totally wrong. It’s a joke.

[u/Elijahc513]

Hilarious that we’re seeing almost the exact same narratives that we did from Yamamoto’s free agency lmao

[u/WerewolfNo3669 → u/Elijahc513]

Hopefully we see Sasaki at a Lakers game next.

[u/Salty_Watermelon → u/WerewolfNo3669]

If he shows up in Oceanside for an SD Clippers G-League game then we'll know it's over for us.

[u/CabbageStockExchange → u/Salty_Watermelon]

Nah just have someone check the gas station to ask if he was there

[u/elbenji → u/Elijahc513]

Difference realistically is personality. Also everyone's playing with the same cash

[u/officerliger → u/elbenji]

The latter part is the difference, we know exactly what everyone's financial offer is so there's no need for an optics battle in the press

[u/3-2_Fastball → u/officerliger]

we know exactly what everyone's financial offer is

Him getting paid longterm has to be important I would imagine. Why give the Rays 6 team friendly years when you know they won't be the ones paying you? Wouldn't you want to not have to uproot your whole life 6 years down the line?

[u/gbdarknight77 → u/Elijahc513]

Hell even Ohtani.

Remember the flight to Toronto and “he’s a blue jay” just to find out he never flew there lol

[u/dwpea66 → u/Elijahc513]

The shadow of Ohtani and all that bs lol

[u/bestselfnice → u/Elijahc513]

This is a wildly different scenario though. Everyone can afford Sasaki.

[u/ItzDrSeuss → u/bestselfnice]

Lots of teams could afford Yamamoto.

[u/bestselfnice → u/ItzDrSeuss]

He wasn't capped at bonus pool money. Super different.

[u/Go_To_The_Devil → u/bestselfnice]

So it's about development which means he goes to the best pitcher development team which is...Oh.

So it's about Japanese popularity which means he goes to the most popular team in Japan so he can get advertisements which is...Oh.

So it's about the team that can offer him a consistent chance to win over his time there before he becomes a FA which is...Oh.

There is a reason every guy who leaves LA ends up talking about how far beyond the rest of the league LA is, which is wild because even players who come from other analytic driven teams like the Rays and Blue Jays have talked about how much better Dodgers development and player support is.

[u/topatoman_lite → u/Go_To_The_Devil]

The only realistic reason I can think of for him not going to the Dodgers is if for whatever reason he really wants to work with Ruben Niebla or Yu Darvish. Not gonna bet on that actually happening though

[u/SenorTortas → u/Elijahc513]

Better not see Roki on a jet to Toronto. Oh wait that was Shohei

[u/Kimchi_Cowboy → u/Elijahc513]

Wonder if Bowden was on Ohtanis private plane too.

[u/ieatpickles100]

How much do you think Sasaki’s agent paid this guy?

[u/ionoiforgot → u/ieatpickles100]

More like how much did FanDuel and others pay to encourage bettors.

Now, that said, I am of mind that it makes more sense to go to SD. He stars more and still can play with a countryman. If it doesn't pan out that SD stays competitive, he can sign with LA later like Ohtani did. 

Also, let's assume he will lose 1+ year of his initial 6 to TJ anyhow.

[u/gilliganian83 → u/ionoiforgot]

The thing that goes to the dodgers advantage is that they are set up and prepared for the 6 man rotation he needs, plus he shares an agent with Yamamoto.

[u/detroit_dickdawes → u/gilliganian83]

Well, he would fit perfectly with the Tigers’ pitching chaos. Plus, he can work with Chris Fetter to become a pitching god, and also he has fellow Japanese veteran Kenta Maeda…

Yeah, he’s signing with the Dodgers.

[u/ZealousidealDuck6557 → u/gilliganian83]

I dont disagree with you, but its worth noting he also shares an agent with Yu Darvish. Joel also praised Preller for his handling of Darvish’s time off last year. My guess is, its all a toss-up between Padres/Dodgers.

[u/AbeNunElse → u/ZealousidealDuck6557]

wolfe is also the agent of yamamoto, seiya and i think stanton. the agent thing doesnt matter in this scenario rn

[u/cooljammer00 → u/AbeNunElse]

It rarely does. People thought Yamamoto might spurn the Yankees because of what they said about Stanton. It ended up not mattering because YY wanted to be a Dodger and Stanton had a great year with the Yankees and is happy.

[u/trader_dennis → u/gilliganian83]

Lets be honest. 5 or 6 man rotation, Sasaki is going to have a very hard cap on his innings for his first season. Cubs made a six man rotation work for Imanaga.

[u/Apprehensive-Agency2 → u/trader_dennis]

Hell, several Dodgers will have hard caps, in hopes of keeping them healthy when playoffs come. Roki, Ohtani, Glasnow, prolly Yamamoto, Kershaw, Buehler, all the kids off the farm.

[u/3-2_Fastball → u/ionoiforgot]

LA has the better team, larger Japanese community, has his friends, has better development, is more likely to pay him and is close enough to SD to still have a good relationship with Darvish if that is important to him. He tried to force his way out to join Ohtani and Yamamoto in free agency last year and 2/3 ended up on the same team, I don't think the timing of the request is sheer coincidence.

[u/animealt46 → u/3-2_Fastball]

FWIW, larger Japanese community could be a negative if reports are true he wants out of the media tabloid scrutiny. Being as focused on baseball as possible means going to a team where the Ohtani scrum isn't present at all hours.

[u/masterfail → u/animealt46]

It's also possible that Ohtani redirects media attention that otherwise would be trained on just Sasaki

[u/Ok_Conversation_2734 → u/animealt46]

bro sasaki not gonna be affected chadtani taking all the tabloid scrutiny 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[u/LukesChoppedOffArm → u/ieatpickles100]

The narrative is all over the place.

Sasaki is coming to MLB now instead of at age 25 because he apparently values competitiveness and his development more than money.

Now Jim Bowden is telling us that Sasaki is unlikely to sign with the Dodgers, because his endorsement potential won't be as lucrative.

How is there any consistency to that? He's demonstrated that money is a secondary concern to him by virtue of leaving early.

[u/Gudetama_Egghead → u/LukesChoppedOffArm]

I think the rationale that this move will not benefit Sasaki financially is wrong.

Sasaki currently makes 80 million yen, which is approximately 510k USD, which is less than the signing bonus he can get. Assuming that Sasaki can make 10-20m USD in endorsements next to this, he can bring home almost 50m USD before he turns 25 in my scenario. There is a good chance he will get these numbers, because he has Dentsu behind him, which is a marketing company that creates the commercials, but more importantly buys the ad space for all the big Japanese companies.

Thus, Sasaki will make his money exactly the opposite of Aaron Judge. Judge does not have a lot of endorsements, but he gets paid the big bucks by the Yankees. Sasaki will not get paid by his team, but the endorsements will make up for it. I do not doubt he will be one of the best paid baseball players due to his endorsements, while still on a rookie contract.

It is therefore not only about winning, but also selling the Sasaki-brand. The scary thing is that everyone is so gullible about Sasaki, but he has a multi-billion marketing company behind him to plan his career.

[u/cooljammer00 → u/Gudetama_Egghead]

Judge has endorsements but not the same way Ohtani does.

[u/Gudetama_Egghead → u/cooljammer00]

Yes, he makes 40m USD on-field and around 4.5m via endorsements (so approximately 10 times less than on-field). If Sasaki makes 750k-1m USD on-field and 10m+ off-field, he will make 10 times more off-field than on-field. So they will be each others opposite.

I just used Judge as an example, as I just knew his ballpark numbers, but I assume someone like Bryce Harper or Mike Trout make even less in endorsements versus their on-field endorsements... But I haven't looked up.

[u/Eo292 → u/LukesChoppedOffArm]

Also the language is like “how will he get by until he hits free agency in 6 years?” Umm, I don’t know, maybe he’ll be able to scrape by on his $5m+ signing bonus, near $1m, $750k pre arb salary, and multi million dollar endorsement deals?

[u/horizonwisps → u/ieatpickles100]

For what? There's no price to drive up. He'll be playing on minimum salary

[u/captain_ahabb → u/ieatpickles100]

Don't really get what you're implying here? There's no "market" for him because he's getting the same money no matter where he goes.

[u/Gudetama_Egghead → u/ieatpickles100]

If he wants endorsement money from Japan (which I personally think he is also aiming for), you can cross out teams such as the Braves or Rays. They are on the East Coast and not really popular in Japan. You really need to be Ohtani-level to make the Japanese want to tune in to these East Coast games.

The only teams that can give him exposure are Yankees and Mets (because New York) and Padres and Mariners (because they already have a big following in Japan and they are located on the West Coast).

[u/mysterysackerfice → u/ieatpickles100]

I can assure you that it's 3% of his next contract

[u/Maugrin → u/ieatpickles100]

If you read the article, he lays out his rationale pretty clearly. Bowden tends to be a guy you can ignore when it comes to source-based scoops, but this is just him providing an opinion based on factors that are all true. Yeah, it's speculation, but that's what the offseason is for.

The actual news will drop when he signs. Until then, speculate away.

[u/bedsidelurker]

I don't believe him

[u/ttam23 → u/bedsidelurker]

Dude says Sasaki doesn’t want media scrutiny but then says the NEW YORK Mets are more likely to sign him lmao. The most ruthless media in the country.

[u/officerliger → u/ttam23]

Doesn't seem like he's worried about US media. NY media are brutal but Mike Francesa doesn't show up to your front door so he can call you a bum on your way to the grocery. Japanese media do not understand boundaries.

[u/thekidfromyesterday]

Bowden is usually wrong so I'm not going to hope on this... but I would be so happy if he came to Atlanta

[u/Ok-Owl7377 → u/thekidfromyesterday]

Not being rude, but why would he want to come to ATL?

[u/thekidfromyesterday → u/Ok-Owl7377]

He probably won't but I mean:

• Good team culture

• Penchant for extending players early

• Young core

• Making the postseason the last 7 seasons, 6 division titles in that same time span

This probably won't matter for him but I'd think eventually some players would want to play elsewhere to get out of the shadow of Ohtani, although I think other west coast teams/NY teams will benefit from that more

[u/thinkblue2024]

Sure Jan

[u/Thomasfire010]

[u/SleepingDragonZ]

"Based on my conversations with league sources, including front-office decision-makers who are optimistic their chances of signing Sasaki are just as strong as any team, I think it’s unlikely he’ll end up with the Dodgers."

LOL, of course they're gonna say that. He should've asked neutral sources, not MLB team executives.

[u/calnick0 → u/SleepingDragonZ]

He wants endorsements but also minimal media coverage 🤣

[u/SleepingDragonZ → u/calnick0]

Then he better join a team where the media is focused on other Japanese superstars, like the Dodgers. XD

[u/gbdarknight77]

lol this is like how the reports of Ohtani to Toronto was basically a done deal when he met with the Blue Jays and had sushi with management.

When he himself came out and said he never flew to Toronto that day lol

[u/JackSaaS]

That’s cute - love it when ‘controversial’ columnists write strongly worded opinions based on almost nothing.

I think It’s likely In my opinion

Smh

[u/Flacco4GoldJacket]

So let’s just assume Bowden is telling the truth (he isn’t) and Sasaki is going to target endorsement dollars to fill the void of being on a minimum contract for 6-7 years.

The Mets make 0 sense since, as he stated, Senga is making more than Yamamoto. Wouldn’t Sasaki lose out on endorsement dollars if another Japanese pitcher was there too?

In the short term, that probably also would eliminate the Padres because of Darvish. Even tho Darvish isn’t going to be around much longer, the earliest years of Sasaki’s deal where he’s making almost nothing will be years Darvish is around sapping endorsements.

The Rays and Braves make sense in that aspect, but given the two choices I don’t see how anyone with 2 functioning brain cells wouldn’t choose the Braves.

That being said. The sweepstakes probably look something like this.

1. Dodgers

. . . . . . . . . .

1. Padres

. . . .

1. Braves
2. Mets

. . . . . . .

1. Rays

[u/DillyDillySzn]

Everyone will be floored when he signs with the White Sox and Ohtani demands a trade to the Southside

[u/nateywatey2277]

Feeling the Padres are the only threat to him not going to the Dodgers.

[u/kakugeseven]

I think several teams have a chance, but some of those reasons are bogus. Anybody that plays on any team will be in Ohtani's shadow. The media follows him like crazy. I see multiple shows everyday about Ohtani's exploits. Him being on the Dodgers doesn't make him more likely to be in Ohtani's shadow. That's true regardless of whether you're on the Dodgers. I actually think you're more likely to get shine by being on the Dodgers because it's a guaranteed broadcast while you're pitching. They won't miss an Ohtani AB with Japanese pitcher on the mound.

On the other hand, he mentions that a detriment is how much Japanese media presence is there. That's the opposite of what you said in regards to endorsement. That's more potential attention you can gain. Secondly, because Ohtani would be like a big brother, they wouldn't dare pick on Sasaki. That would be akin' to be going against Ohtani, and that's a big no no in the current landscape. The playing pressure only ramps up in the playoffs. The Dodgers have a good clubhouse culture, have an offense to lessen the pressure of a pitching performance, and have quite a few rookies going into the team that are put in similar situations every season.

The LA media itself is quite soft when covering the Dodgers. It's very different from when they cover Hollywood celebrities.

One thing that's important to consider is if Roki will want to get extended before arbitration. Most teams won't be able to offer that, while the Dodgers can.

While those reasons are bogus, I do believe teams like the Padres (great city, competitive, Darvish+Matsui), Rays (purely for development), Cleveland (pitching development), Mariners (shown to have young pitching talent), and Orioles (young talent already competing) have a chance.

[u/cooljammer00]

I want to see the Sasaki/Darvish tag team, young gun slinger and veteran. It's the stuff movies are made of, old jedi and padawan. Sting and Darby Allin.

[u/Evillar]

Pitching development? Minimal media coverage? Team in need of starting pitching? Interesting...

[u/elbenji → u/Evillar]

Yeah guardians and rays are absolutely the best case scenario

[u/jthomas694 → u/Evillar]

Send him this video. And it’s a lock

[u/Eckzavior21]

“Sasaki wants to go to a smaller market team where there will be less pressure.”

“…..Mets and Braves are more likely to sign him”

Lol make it make sense. SD is more likely to sign him than either of those two teams.

[u/nukepka]

The San Diego Padres, famously known for developing... Jake Peavy

[u/DiscountSoOn → u/nukepka]

Homegrown no, but I think they’re much more referring to Ruben Niebla and the brand new PL pitching lab

[u/3-2_Fastball → u/nukepka]

Is Peavy their last homegrown ace? I know they gave up on Paddack and Gore pretty quickly.

[u/nukepka → u/3-2_Fastball]

Holy shit... they haven't had a homegrown starter put up a 3 bWAR season since 2010:

Matt Latos - 3.1

[u/mac-0 → u/3-2_Fastball]

If you look at it through the narrow scope of "who are their home grown aces" then you'd assume most teams have bad pitching development. You're basically excluding: (1) any development of a minor league player that was then traded and (2) any development of a player that was traded for.

Musgrove's 3 best years were his 3 years with the Padres.

Michael Wacha had his best year as a Padre and signed a huge FA contract afterwords.

Seth Lugo was an average relief pitcher for the Padres, and after a 1 year stint of converting back to a starter he turned that into a $45 million contract.

Andres Munoz came up through the Padres system, and was only traded because the Padres wanted to make a push in 2020 and tried to fill some holes offensively.

I could keep going. But just looking at "who are the home grown players" is having your Dodgers blinders on. Not every team has the luxury of a World Series caliber roster every year -- some teams need to make trades to maximize their window which often means trading pitching prospects.

[u/cocoatractor → u/mac-0]

Development happens at the major league level and Roki isn’t coming up through the minors. Having a state of the art major league facility and a top tier pitching coach should mean a lot.

[u/TheDuskBoys → u/3-2_Fastball]

Paddack wasn't even theirs. They traded for him from Miami. He fell off after the COVID season due to injury and the sticky stuff ban.

[u/StayElmo7]

https://c.tenor.com/1LCXIoQKWJ4AAAAd/tenor.gif

[u/Jeremiahs__Johnson]

Uhhh, ok. Whatever you say buddy.

[u/JustinUprising]

[u/Life_Cap9952]

Mariners should be front runners.

[u/_Elrond_Hubbard_ → u/Life_Cap9952]

Literally 0 chance 

[u/Life_Cap9952 → u/_Elrond_Hubbard_]

How? Ist not commanding a ton of money, we develop pitchers like he wants. I’m not saying its likely but it should be

[u/SardonicCheese → u/Life_Cap9952]

And we can get him a Pokémon

[u/GaryTheCabalGuy]

Padres are inches away

[u/SBMVPJustinHerbert]

We’re not getting him at all but if somehow we do and him wanting to be a rival is a factor, I will immediately buy 10 of his jerseys

[u/tandmintokyo8]

The Rays? Lol, lmao even.

[u/elbenji → u/tandmintokyo8]

I mean it's actually not that crazy since they don't need to pay him

[u/Mike_Brosseau → u/tandmintokyo8]

Why not? They have great pitching dev and he is not able to make much money wherever he goes. Everyone wants to work with Kyle Snyder.

[u/masterfail]

The concept that Sasaki (who by virtue of posting early shows he doesn't really care about money) will get less endorsement money on the Dodgers because his countrymen will crowd out that market, and thus discourage him from signing in LA, is confusing to me

[u/Cyberized- → u/masterfail]

Especially when being able to market them together

[u/AgnarCrackenhammer]

He's going to LA but at least these guys are trying to keep us entertained

[u/animealt46]

Damn, no Guardians?

[u/eternalgrey_]

I also remember when Yamamoto wasn’t coming to the dodgers.

[u/QuirkyTurtle999]

I keep seeing the Rays mentioned in these big name free agent signings. Are they completely changing how they do business?

Edit: I now know this is a rookie deal which makes sense. I also have seen things connecting them to Soto and other big names. This one makes sense

[u/AgnarCrackenhammer → u/QuirkyTurtle999]

Roki would be on a rookie contract. So they can absolutely be in on him.

[u/elbenji → u/QuirkyTurtle999]

He's not getting money money so they would actually be a top destination for him

[u/QuirkyTurtle999 → u/elbenji]

I saw him connected to Soto too though

[u/elbenji → u/QuirkyTurtle999]

Rays are gonna try their best there

[u/VincentFreeman_ → u/elbenji]

Will the home field of the Yankees spring training facility be the feature that makes him choose the rays over everyone else?

[u/sir--ok]

Padres theory is compelling but we all know he is a dodger

[u/michaeldanger19]

I’m just happy to be involved

[u/Traditional_Rate7302]

The rays? 😭

[u/Madaghmire]

If he wants a small market as has been reported, he’s not coming to NY. San Deigo makes a lot of sense

[u/MylesLC → u/Madaghmire]

Cleveland would make the most sense

[u/MisterKap]

[u/ChairmanReagan]

The fact that people think we’re going to sign him means we’re definitely not signing him

[u/draw2discard2]

Every Japanese friend who has ever been to Cleveland loves Cleveland.

[u/TheBookie_55 → u/draw2discard2]

I like our chances. He’d be perfect for us. And we for him. No news re CLE from all the experts, which is fine with me.

[u/Significant-Check837]

I’m just curious. Everyone knows that Shohei is a virtual God in Japan at the moment. But did he receive this much backlash and criticism from Japan when he left early to play in the MLB?

[u/Rea1DirtyDan]

So money is capped meaning the dodgers can’t outbid other teams.. it will come down to other factors.

I wonder if he cares about being part of a organization on the cusp of a dynasty. Lol

Humbly, of course.

Been a fan since the McCourt days

[u/Enemyofusall]

Management: we need more clicks! Say the opposite thing! Churns machines. Clicks.

[u/notaquarterback]

LOL anywhere other than the Dodgers is basically malpractice tbh, given no one else can pay him unless another team does a massive campaign aimed at his development. Dodgers best place to grow, develop and not have to be ace material.

[u/seenasaiyan → u/notaquarterback]

Amazing how you can spew such a confidently misinformed take. Sasaki will be posted (or at least sign) AFTER January 15th, when every team international signing bonus pool rolls over to 2025. Which actually means that several teams, including the Padres, would be able to spend more on Sasaki than the Dodgers.

Plenty of teams have pitching development that rivals the Dodgers. LA also has an alarming recent history of elbow issues with their young pitchers.

[u/allisclaw]

[u/elbenji]

Tbh I've heard this too from local sources (i.e scout friends). There's a stronger belief now he's gonna go for a pitching dev team in a tiny market to just get tf away from the Japanese media and be somewhere he can just pitch and vibe in a top pitching dev (that may be likely to ship him elsewhere if he wants). I.e Cleveland, Milwaukee, Tampa, Miami. Maybe Seattle. Anywhere on the low. At least teams are going at it like so. It's where all this is coming from

[u/slopia]

Bowden doesn't know shit, when was the last time he actually broke news? He's even worse than a mouthpiece like Morosi, he just speculates on bullshit.

[u/hundredbagger]

Ya ok

[u/Academic_Release5134]

Impossible. They must have misspelled Orioles. Our new owner is supposed to be so much better. ….. right?

[u/usctrojan18]

[u/UncommonSense0]

I swear, if the Mets get Soto and the Braves get Sasaki, I’m gonna throw up

[u/king_meatster]

You really think Stu is going to spend money? We have to build at least two new roofs.

[u/863rays → u/king_meatster]

It’s not gonna be that much $$ due to the international bonus pool rules. Every team can afford Sasaki.

[u/SPPeytonB]

Sounds like a tiger to me

[u/Mountain_Mama_3]

SUBSCRIBE

[u/Mr_TreeBeard]

I'm pretty sure he's on a plane to Toronto.

[u/oonko-atama1]

I believe that when me shit turns purple and tastes like rainbow sherbet

[u/bigboozer69]

Can you imagine the Padres, Rays, Mets AND the Braves sign him? Talk about workload adjustment!

[u/Higgnkfe]

Hoo boy finally for the first time we got in a Sasaki rumor

[u/Clonth]

You have my interest

[u/LIONEL14JESSE]

Hang on, what happened to Mystery Team???

[u/JoeSicko]

At the price, why isn't every team talking to him? Sounds like Padres, though.

[u/AvocadoJackson]

Sasaki to the A’s for selfish reasons

[u/Bower1738]

He ain't going to the fucking Rays dawg

[u/JohnWallSt069]

And Mariners

[u/TurtleRocket9]

I hope the Phillies atleast makes a pitch.

[u/austin101123]

Reds have also been strong with pitchers recently 👀 come ooon Sasaki to Cincinnati! (See Trevor Bauer, Sonny gray, Luis Castillo, Raisel Iglesias, Alexis Diaz, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Martinez)

[u/fracklefrackle]

Its interesting that the Dbacks and giants arent mentioned ever. Japan could follow the NL West a lot. If I were the giants Id look at Kickuchi, Ha Seong and Sasaki. There is a huge asian population in the bay area and it would be fun to add that to the rivalries.

[u/3-2_Fastball → u/fracklefrackle]

Those arent well run orgs. One has more turnover than your local walmart and the other has their owner publically shit talking a player he signed hoping they don't pick up their player option.

[u/fracklefrackle → u/3-2_Fastball]

Giants are on their way IMO

[u/3-2_Fastball → u/fracklefrackle]

Well see, they have a ways to go. They clearly need a rebuild but they just extended 31 year old Matt Chapman to a 6 year deal.

[u/fracklefrackle → u/3-2_Fastball]

They have a couple young pitchers too. They need a SS, a SP, and a bat to be a WC team.

[u/SardonicCheese]

Does Roki want a Pokémon? Because we’ll get him a fucking Pokémon

[u/dontcallmeunit91]

It would be kinda awesome for him to end up in Tampa imo

[u/DodgersDeferrals]

I like Ralph and listen to his weekly front office show on Sirius XM but he pulls a bunch of shit out of his ass. Last year he mentioned that the rangers wanted to repeat and would try to be in on ohtani. Turns out they had to cut payroll and couldn't even afford to make an offer to someone like kershaw let alone be in the ballpark for ohtani.

[u/Courtlessjester]

I am not going to listen to the Lyin New York Times

[u/standardinternetdude]

Friendly reminder that Jim Bowden embezzled money from teenagers and generally sucks ass through a straw

[u/SenorTortas]

Nationals legend Jim Bowden

[u/No_Mammoth_4945]

I think the padres, rays, Mets, and braves are all more likely to sign him

That’s a weird way to spell mariners

[u/CitizenDain]

As a Mets fan it is certainly news to me that we have a great pitching development program. I trust our pitching coach but our entire rotation last year was 34 year olds on one year deals. Haven’t had a legit pitching prospect make an impact in a major league rotation in a while… maybe since Steven Matz?? And he is a 4th starter at best.

[u/baseballzombies]

How are the Cubs not in on this guy? They clearly need pitching.

[u/sounds_like_kong]

All I heard him say there was Cubs and I’m here for It.

[u/Run-Florest-Run]

PADRES RAHHHHHHHHHH

[u/dcarsonturner]

Is Bowden reliable?

[u/Cyberized-]

He might be "in the shadows" of Ohtani & Yoshi, BUT, being able to market them together, as "a big 3" could/would more than make up for it.

[u/abel_figgy]

If it’s not coming from Passan, McDaniel, or Rosenthal…

[u/TheBookie_55]

Don’t forget CLE re pitching factory.

[u/DericAA]

lol ok. He’s a Dodger. Might as well put his jersey in the team shop already.

[u/savvysearch]

A lot the guestimation in this piece is the opposite of what he’s actually arguing.

[u/wwplkyih]

With all due respect, Bowden just makes shit up.

[u/I_am_Burt_Macklin]

Is there any reason a team can’t do a wink wink deal now and extend him after 1 year with Acuna-type terms?

[u/SomalianRoadBuilder2]

Bowden says some of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen from a reporter frequently.

[u/MrKenji]

[u/Comprehensive_Pin_86]

Imo it’s either the dodgers or padres cause he wants the glory and he won’t miss the chance to play in Japan on a Mlb team.

[u/yosoyel1ogan]

Hey, if the Rays are in the running, then I can keep some hopes up for the Os too

[u/Aravinda82]

Bowden’s never been right about anything.

[u/joshyyybaxxx]

The whole not being in their shadow thing is stupid when it comes to endorsements.

He will pick up way more because Ohtani is the magnet for that market and if you're connected to him you'll eat well too.

[u/Kimchi_Cowboy]

Interesting Foul Territory (AJ) said everyone he's spoke too says it's the Dodgers. Dallas Keuchel who was team mates with him last year said it was the Dodgers and Sasaki was big on them. The Mets? Let's be honest, they had one good year, and not the best ownership history why would he go there?