Roki Sasaki to be Posted

[CubinNY]

Explain how this works? It’s like signing a kid from the DR? Whoever has the most IFA money and good connections wins? 

[Jason Ross]

49 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

Explain how this works? It’s like signing a kid from the DR? Whoever has the most IFA money and good connections wins? 

Ish. Though I don't think money is going to  be the factor here. Sasaki will likely easily have tons of branding deals and should be easily marketable. With the lack of real difference in what a team can offer (like $1m or $1.5m extra) it's probably negligible. 

What will matter here the most is: 

1. How he fits into a team

2. How a team will transition him to the MLB game 

3. Geography(?) - Though this is an assumption in the past - Japanese players have preferred to live on the West Coast. With that said, just using Chicago as an example, Imanaga seems to adore Chicago and Darvish did too. So maybe it wont matter as much as we speculate.

[Rcal10]

4 hours ago, 1908_Cubs said:

Ish. Though I don't think money is going to  be the factor here. Sasaki will likely easily have tons of branding deals and should be easily marketable. With the lack of real difference in what a team can offer (like $1m or $1.5m extra) it's probably negligible. 

What will matter here the most is: 

1. How he fits into a team

2. How a team will transition him to the MLB game 

3. Geography(?) - Though this is an assumption in the past - Japanese players have preferred to live on the West Coast. With that said, just using Chicago as an example, Imanaga seems to adore Chicago and Darvish did too. So maybe it wont matter as much as we speculate.

I think geography gets overstated most times. I agree with you on factors like branding, marketability, team fit and team culture are imporrant. I also feel the cities Japanese population plays a large part in the decision making. I think that is why LA is so appealing to Japanese players. Plus they are a major market in Japan as well. I really don’t feel being a few hours closer, via plane, makes that big a difference. How often do players fly home during a season? Besides that all players start the season in either Arizona or Florida. I guess family traveling from Japan to see the player could mean something. However I think it is far lower in the level of importance than a players comfort day to day. 

[BKHoo]

Imanaga Needs to be his recruiting coordinator. 

[thawv]

On 11/10/2024 at 9:09 AM, 1908_Cubs said:

Ish. Though I don't think money is going to  be the factor here. Sasaki will likely easily have tons of branding deals and should be easily marketable. With the lack of real difference in what a team can offer (like $1m or $1.5m extra) it's probably negligible. 

What will matter here the most is: 

1. How he fits into a team

2. How a team will transition him to the MLB game 

3. Geography(?) - Though this is an assumption in the past - Japanese players have preferred to live on the West Coast. With that said, just using Chicago as an example, Imanaga seems to adore Chicago and Darvish did too. So maybe it wont matter as much as we speculate.

I also think that LA County is the place for him to make the most money in endorsements, as it's the largest Japanese population in America. 

[Jason Ross]

Just now, thawv said:

I also think that LA County is the place for him to make the most money in endorsements, as it's the largest Japanese population in America. 

Possibly. But I assume most of the branding deals are through Japanese markets and not necessarily through American markets. 

[Jason Ross]

Should be noted - the Cubs today hired a Japanese company designed to work with the concept of injury prevention. 

Does it have anything to do with Sasaki? Probably not. But I think it's important to notice the Cubs and their heavy Japanese investment. 

[JHBulls]

Looks like the Cubs are in with a chance since we tick the small market criteria. 

[Jason Ross]

1 hour ago, JHBulls said:

Looks like the Cubs are in with a chance since we tick the small market criteria. 

Interesting comment Allen made in a subtweet - apparently he's never even spoken to Sasaki because the team has an "authoritarian" handling when it comes to media. 

Might be one of these types of things where no one really knows him or what he wants. 

[Rcal10]

15 minutes ago, 1908_Cubs said:

Interesting comment Allen made in a subtweet - apparently he's never even spoken to Sasaki because the team has an "authoritarian" handling when it comes to media. 

Might be one of these types of things where no one really knows him or what he wants. 

Hoyer gets a lot of grief from the fanbase, mostly justified. But, tbh, he does a good job selling Chicago to the Japanese market. He may not get Sasaki, but I do have faith he will do a good job recruiting him. Cubs treat the Japanese players they do get very well. That goes a long way. And, again, Hoyer has something to do with that as well. 

[Stratos]

14 hours ago, JHBulls said:

Looks like the Cubs are in with a chance since we tick the small market criteria. 

One advantage we have is our defense will make his numbers look better.  At least with the current group of players.

[Jason Ross]

18 minutes ago, Stratos said:

One advantage we have is our defense will make his numbers look better.  At least with the current group of players.

It probably extends past that. It seems as though the Cubs have gotten very good at the transitioning portion of things for Japanese players as well. The soft stuff. Food, catering, the small little every day things. On top of having a pretty good pitching infrastructure. The team has done well with other Japanese pitchers like Shota Imanaga on tweaking his stuff to fit the western game, but also has tweaked and played with other pitchers who found success. 

Will this be the pitch Roki Sasaki wants to hear? Who knows? But the good news it that it's a pretty multifaceted argument that can be made.

[We Got The Whole 9]

If I were him the Brewers would be very high on my list then if that is the case

[Stratos]

14 hours ago, 1908_Cubs said:

It probably extends past that. It seems as though the Cubs have gotten very good at the transitioning portion of things for Japanese players as well. The soft stuff. Food, catering, the small little every day things. On top of having a pretty good pitching infrastructure. The team has done well with other Japanese pitchers like Shota Imanaga on tweaking his stuff to fit the western game, but also has tweaked and played with other pitchers who found success. 

Will this be the pitch Roki Sasaki wants to hear? Who knows? But the good news it that it's a pretty multifaceted argument that can be made.

Yeah if I were him my priority would be an environment to perform the best I could to get me to free agency and hit the jackpot.  Location and a winning team would be secondary.  Cubs have a real shot but a team like the Dodgers are no slouch either as an org, and Yamamoto and Ohtani can help recruit.  Can help that the Dodgers have 2 other Japanese pitchers in the rotation (whenever Ohtani gets throwing again)

[Tank]

I am cautiously optimistic about our chances here. 

[Bertz]

For what it's worth the guys at the Athletic threw some warm water on this this morning.  

More or less belief internally seems to be if he doesn't go with the Dodgers thr Cubs have as good of a chance as anyone.

[mul21]

3 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

I personally don’t get the Dodgers hype here either other than the media machine managing expectations (down, always down, ofc)  for the league. Almost literally every single major  prospect and rookie deal arm in that org has minimum one TJ with multiple at two in their 20s. The one guy who didn’t, Bobby Miller, is coming off an absolutely disastrous season that didn’t even see him make the postseason roster! 

 

Yeah, I think this is something that he'll absolutely consider.  The Dodgers track record with arms of late is really, really bad in terms of health.  

[Rcal10]

12 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

I personally don’t get the Dodgers hype here either other than the media machine managing expectations (down, always down, ofc)  for the league. Almost literally every single major  prospect and rookie deal arm in that org has minimum one TJ with multiple at two in their 20s. The one guy who didn’t, Bobby Miller, is coming off an absolutely disastrous season that didn’t even see him make the postseason roster! 

 

I think LA has an advantage because of a huge Japanese population there. Also, all the glamour and glitz of Hollywood. New York gets that same advantage IMO. That is what the players in Japan know best about the US. It also didn’t  hurt those two teams that they played in the World Series this year. And LA has Ohtani and Yamamoto being in the rotation next year. I can completely understand why the Dodger would be the favorites to land him. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

Hmm, 2 of the most famous players in my country went to the USA and won a World Series the first year they played with the Dodgers. Why would I want to go there? I mean, sure they have all the money in the world to keep adding talent, and they are in one of the greatest cities to live in for a person who has no money concerns, with a massive Japanese population, and the team is set up to be great in perpetuity. But other than that?

[Jason Ross]

2 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Hmm, 2 of the most famous players in my country went to the USA and won a World Series the first year they played with the Dodgers. Why would I want to go there? I mean, sure they have all the money in the world to keep adding talent, and they are in one of the greatest cities to live in for a person who has no money concerns, with a massive Japanese population, and the team is set up to be great in perpetuity. But other than that?

Just to play devil's advocate, and this isn't necessarily an argument for the Cubs, but that if you're Sasaki, going to the Dodgers could leave you in a position to be more easily over shadowed. The Dodgers have had multiple pitchers need major surgery recently, as well. Neither would help you maximize your next contact and recent report from Jim Allen who covers NPB suggests that Sasaki is heavily going to consider his second contract when signing his first.

I think there's arguments on both sides, why Sasaki may prefer the Dodgers (winning, market, geography) but also reasons to not prefer the Dodgers. Again, from Allen, it seems as though Sasaki's NPB team has had him on media lockdown, so what he truly wants...is pretty up in the air. 

[CubinNY]

There is no reason to speculate. We have to see how it plays out. Is there any evidence from the past that says he prefers one destination over another? Anywhere on the West Coast and most major cities have a large Japanese population. The Cubs are not exactly the market setters in keeping pitchers healthy either. 

[Bertz]

One blessing about this situation as opposed to something like Ohtani or Yamamoto last year is it shouldn't hold everything else up. 

Sasaki is probably not going to sign until January, but whoever signs him will presumably have to shift to a six man rotation, or at least a modified one.  Combined with his nonexistent salary and teams should be able to operate independently of his decision. 

Maybe a handful of trades involving low cost SPs might hold out for his decision?  But it's unlikely to be the industry pausing deal Ohtani was last winter, thank god.

[jersey cubs fan]

2 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

This is another angle that bores me. What 22 YO athlete cares so much for what people literally a half decade and decade older are doing or have done? Not only that but these guys don’t necessarily have like a western fan’s perspective on playing careers, only MLB exists, and would have a ton of respect for the work of Suzuki (basically the Mike Trout of NPB in his 20s), Imanaga, and whoever else is stateside

 

I think the vast majority of young players have idolized guys 5-10 years older than themselves 

[Bertz]

It would have been surprising for him to sign this year and leave an extra couple million on the table, but good to see confirmation.  Also if he was rushing to be part of this year's class it would have been a clear(er) sign he was planning to be a Dodger, since they currently have the most unspent pool space.