Roki Sasaki has been officially posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team for over a month.
After the initial 20 teams that showed interest, it reportedly comes down to seven teams that have had contact with Sasaki in at least one in-person meeting where the 23-year-old was present.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers are those teams.
A new dark-horse has reportedly appeared in the sweepstakes according to MLB Network Insider Jon Paul Morosi.
While it's unknown which other team was granted the opportunity to speak with Sasaki, Morosi said Wednesday that he's keeping an eye on the Seattle Mariners, who have a long history with Japanese players as well as a proven track record developing young pitchers.
The Mariners are not a bad fit by any means. They are synonymous with MLB's first Japanese-born position player in Ichiro Suzuki.
Suzuki, the third Major Leaguer overall from Japan, was a 10-time All Star, AL MVP, and 10-time Gold Glove award winner.
Not to mention, Seattle has also developed Hall of Famers (and soon-to-be Hall of Famers) Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., and Suzuki from very early on in their careers.
Álex Rodriguez is another Mariners-draftee who enjoyed seven years in Seattle. Rodriguez has never posted a higher WAR or a season with more hits then when he was wearing a Mariners uniform.
The question still remains if Seattle, present-day, would be a better fit than the other candidates for Sasaki.
Pitching development, as Sasaki's agent Joel Wolfe explained, is a key factor in his client's process.
"I believe Roki is also very interested in the pitching development and how a team is going to help him get better, both in the near future and over the course of his career.”
Once again, that is a place where Los Angeles has the edge.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior has an undisputed history of developing pitchers since 2018 when he joined the team.
Current L.A. bullpen staples like Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips and other arms can all thank Prior for their recent successes. Dodger fans can thank Prior for this group, despite countless pitching injuries, paving the way to an eighth World Series ring.
Sasaki is going to make a long-time impact on whichever team is lucky enough to sign him.
Last season in NPB, the 23-year-old went 10-5 with an ERA of 2.35 in 18 games. These 111 innings saw 129 strikeouts to only 32 walks.
