The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly are among the Major League Baseball teams to have met with Japanese star Roki Sasaki.
News of the meeting between the former Chiba Lotte Marines right-hander — posted to MLB teams by the club earlier this month at baseball’s winter meetings — was reported by The Orange County Register on Saturday.
Twenty U.S. Major League Baseball teams have expressed hopes of interviewing Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who aims to play in the United States using the posting system, his agent, Joel Wolfe, told reporters online on Monday.
Wolfe stopped short of disclosing details. U.S. media reports have said that the 23-year-old right-hander from the Chiba Lotte Marines, a Japanese professional baseball team, met with officials from such MLB teams as the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
Sasaki, well known for his fastball and forkball, has held interviews in Los Angeles with some teams since around mid-December. Each team gave Sasaki explanations within two hours using tools including videos and the PowerPoint presentation program. Sasaki asked some questions.
The player wanted to meet with representatives from MLB teams at the same place and under the same conditions, Wolfe said, adding that he treated all teams he met equally. All teams must have felt that they have a chance to sign a deal with him, Wolfe also said.
Sasaki returned to Japan after ending the series of meetings in the United States.
He may fly to the United States again and visit the home cities of candidate teams. The deadline for negotiations is Jan. 23.
Sasaki joined the Marines, a team in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, or NPB, as the team’s first draft pick for 2019. Until the 2024 season, he notched 29 wins and 15 losses, with an earned run average of 2.10. Sasaki pitched a perfect game in 2022, becoming the first NPB pitcher to achieve the feat in 28 yea
The Dodgers join a list of suitors to have met with Sasaki that is believed to include both New York teams, the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. The San Diego Padres also are thought to be in pursuit of the 23-year-old Sasaki.
