Roki Sasaki to be Posted

[soccer10k]

Congrats in advance to the Dodgers for signing Roki Sasaki this offseason.

[WhyCantWeWin]

Yeah hes going to look great on the dodgers. Will be fun to watch Sasaki, Yamamoto, and Ohtani on the same team

[Jason Ross]

While it's hard to bet against the Dodgers with the stars they have and their geographic location...being posted now give the Cubs their best shot here. Money will not be a factor because of the posting rules. Every team is going to be offer the same monetary contract. 

It puts the Cubs on very equal footing. Cleary, the Cubs have a pathway for pitching success and do well transitioning Japanese players to the MLB. It's not Ohtani and Yamamoto but Imanaga and Suzuki are not nothing and Darvish has always been a champion of the Cubs after being here. 

Do I expect the Cubs to win this? No. But taking the $200m out of the question, it makes the Cubs one of the best options on the table and probably gives them a real punchers' chance here. Roki Sasaki choosing the North Side probably isn't a very crazy outcome and is realistic.

[NorthsideAvenger]

Can we just send the Dodgers to Japan and leave them there?

[BKHoo]

Guys it’s not a done deal. The Cubs could be a player! SASAKI! SASAKI! 

[LBiittner]

1 hour ago, 1908_Cubs said:

While it's hard to bet against the Dodgers with the stars they have and their geographic location...being posted now give the Cubs their best shot here. Money will not be a factor because of the posting rules. Every team is going to be offer the same monetary contract. 

It puts the Cubs on very equal footing. Cleary, the Cubs have a pathway for pitching success and do well transitioning Japanese players to the MLB. It's not Ohtani and Yamamoto but Imanaga and Suzuki are not nothing and Darvish has always been a champion of the Cubs after being here. 

Do I expect the Cubs to win this? No. But taking the $200m out of the question, it makes the Cubs one of the best options on the table and probably gives them a real punchers' chance here. Roki Sasaki choosing the North Side probably isn't a very crazy outcome and is realistic.

Frazier vs Ali?

[Rcal10]

59 minutes ago, BKHoo said:

Guys it’s not a done deal. The Cubs could be a player! SASAKI! SASAKI! 

It not a done deal. But IMO the Dodgers have better than a 50/50 chance of getting him. Cubs are probably the second most likely (they have done a good job with recruiting Japanese players), but that still probably gives them about a 20% chance. This is not a signing that money will factor in. Cubs do have a chance, but I wouldn’t count on it. 

[Bertz]

Dodgers have to be considered the favorite, though you do have to wonder if the idea of going somewhere that he'd be 3rd billing would work against them.

Padres feel like the next most likely.  West Coast, gets to hang with his idol, continue building that Yankees/Red Sox style deal they've got over there.

Beyond that I think you have to always assume West Coast by default.

The Darvish stuff does give us more of a chance than I thought.  Imanaga mentioned that Darvish recommended Chicago pretty profusely.  And I think having Imanaga and Suzuki here already obviously helps.

Edited November 9, 2024 by Bertz

[LBiittner]

C'mon jed

Edited November 9, 2024 by LBiittner

[Outshined_One]

If memory serves, the Yankees made a few moves for international signing bonus money in anticipation of Sasaki being posted.

[BigbadB]

Weather and travel ease will definitely factor into the decision. Probably best to assume he'll be elsewhere and be surprised and happy if he chooses Chicago.

[BKHoo]

Less pressure in Chicago. Less second fiddle and we have two Japanese players. We can do this. 

[Bertz]

I wish I could find it, but there was an article earlier this year talking about Imanaga’s transition, and it mentioned that with experience the Cubs have gotten really good at all the soft  hospitality type things with their Japanese players.  I remember an anecdote about the post game food.  A lot of teams don't provide anything Japanese, and even some teams that do it might be like a couple pre-packed sushi rolls from the case at Whole Foods.  The Cubs have like actual meals for Shota and Seiya and the interpreters.

If you're placing odds it should be like 30-40% Dodgers, 40-50% anywhere else on the West Coast.  But I think you could make an argument for the Cubs being the top option among markets that don't touch the Pacific.  Seiya seems to like it here, Darvish liked it here, seems like Shota frigging LOVES it here.

[UMFan83]

Jed has gone to Japan multiple times this year I believe. Hopefully he did more then fill up on sake bombs and built a relationship with Sasaki. 

[BKHoo]

This guy has electric stuff. A 100 MPH fastball that moves and a legit splitter. 

[Chicago Al]

4 hours ago, BKHoo said:

Guys it’s not a done deal. The Cubs could be a player! SASAKI! SASAKI! 

Roki! Roki! Roki! 🥊🥊🥊

Edited November 9, 2024 by Chicago Al

[Petrey10]

Idk why he’d want to come here but I hope he does

[WhyCantWeWin]

Yeah any hope of him landing here is copium. Him being limited via international rules is more of a detriment id say. Hes trying to maximize his earning potential for his first actual MLB contract. Im pretty sure he will prioritize teams that have a track record of handing those big time contracts out like the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets. Also all three of those teams have been wildly more successful playoffs wise than the Cubs as of late while not crying broke after every other year. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

27 minutes ago, WhyCantWeWin said:

Hes trying to maximize his earning potential for his first actual MLB contract. Im pretty sure he will prioritize teams that have a track record of handing those big time contracts out like the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets.

This doesn't make any sense, and also isn't what has happened when past IFA bound by pools have come to MLB.

[Jason Ross]

35 minutes ago, WhyCantWeWin said:

Yeah any hope of him landing here is copium. Him being limited via international rules is more of a detriment id say. Hes trying to maximize his earning potential for his first actual MLB contract. Im pretty sure he will prioritize teams that have a track record of handing those big time contracts out like the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets. Also all three of those teams have been wildly more successful playoffs wise than the Cubs as of late while not crying broke after every other year. 

That doesn't really make much sense, though. His next big contract will be when he hits FA regardless. Look at Juan Soto. Guy is already on the team who is the presumptive favorite to sign him...but he's going to hit the market anyways. Why? That's where the money is. Signing with LAD or NYY now isn't going to change that math. 

This first contract is about his transition. A team who's able to manage workload, work through some initial tweaks to the western game, and comfortability. He will make hundreds of millions in his next deal as long as these first years go well no matter what. 

I get that you're downplaying the Cubs as an option here...I'm guessing partially just to not get bummed when he inevitablely doesn't end up here. But the Cubs have had great success with Japanese players in recent years. They stand a real chance if West Coast isn't a must.

[BKHoo]

Soto to the Dodgers would be unfair. 

[Stratos]

8 hours ago, BKHoo said:

Less pressure in Chicago. Less second fiddle and we have two Japanese players. We can do this. 

Jed will sign the best value for dollar SP most likely, like every year.   We need Ricketts to up the total payroll.

[Rex Buckingham]

The Cubs can realistically offer him the chance to start Opening Day in Japan next year, against Ohtani. 

[JHBulls]

Roki Sasaki will either sign with the Angels, to play with the great Mike Trout 6 times a year. Or the Dodgers. 

[JBears79]

Im not counting out the Cubs but I find it hard to believe he doesnt sign with the Dodgers.