Fourth Reported MLB Team to Meet With Roki Sasaki is a Huge Underdog

The Chicago White Sox set a modern record in 2024 by losing 121 games. Their second straight 100-loss campaign saw the team fire their manager, trade several of their best players, and hire rookie manager Will Venable on the cusp of what promises to be another losing season.

At least they are in the running for the offseason's most sought-after free agent.

More news: One NL Contender Appears Out of Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes

Saturday, James Fox of Future Sox reported the White Sox "will have or have had a meeting" with free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki and his representatives.

"Tadahito Iguchi has played a role in the connection," Fox reported. "It still remains highly unlikely that they will sign the Japanese sensation, however."

The White Sox join three other teams — the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs — confirmed to have been granted an in-person audience with the talented 23-year-old pitcher in Southern California, where Sasaki's agent is based.

Last season, Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts for the Chiba Lotte Marines, with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. He wowed fans and industry observers at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when his fastball sat 100 mph and Japan stunned the United States to win the championship.

More news: Yankees Will Meet With Roki Sasaki in California

In November, Sasaki announced his intention to forego millions of dollars by seeking a contract in Major League Baseball for the 2025 season. Because Sasaki is 23 years old and lacks the requisite experience pitching at the highest level in Japan, he is limited to a signing bonus within a team's international amateur spending pool limits.

Although money is unlikely to be an issue for general manager Chris Getz in signing Sasaki, the White Sox figure to have an uphill battle selling the pitcher on their vision for the next six years of his career.

According to Fox, Getz will have help from Iguchi, who was Sasaki's manager in Japan until he resigned from the Marines in Oct. 2022. As a member of the White Sox in 2005, Iguchi became the first Japanese-born position player to win the World Series.

Iguchi also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres in four major league seasons before heading back to Japan for the 2009 season.

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Sasaki's meeting with the White Sox is at least a mild surprise, considering he has so far declined to meet with the defending National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Agent Joel Wolfe candidly told reporters at the Winter Meetings earlier this month that a large-market team might not be the best for his client based on his experience with the media in Japan.

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"I think there's an argument to be made that a small- or mid-market team might be more beneficial to him as a soft landing coming from Japan, given what he's been through and not having an enjoyable experience with the media (in Japan)," Wolfe told reporters last week in Dallas.

Sasaki was officially posted by the Marines on Dec. 11. He has 45 days from that date to negotiate a contract with major league teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are the industry favorites to sign him.

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