“We have interest,” Twins President Derek Falvey admits team has sights set on Roki Sasaki
Minnesota Twins' Derek Falvey has expressed interest in Roki Sasaki after his agent claimed that he could move to a small market team.
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Roki Sasaki (Image via Over The Monster)
While the Juan Soto sweepstakes may be over, there are some top players still available on the market. One of them is Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki who is attracting a lot of eyes. The Minnesota Twins also have their sights set on as per team President Derek Falvey.
The 23-year-old ace pitcher has been one name on the tongue of several people. After having another impressive season with the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the youngster admired a move to the MLB.
A few days ago, he was officially posted to the league, meaning teams can try to sign him now. Given his age, every team has an equal chance of signing him. If he was 25 years or older, he could have landed a contract worth around $300 million.
Due to this, the Twins, a small market team, have expressed their interest in him. At the Winters Meeting in Dallas, Falvey pointed out that they want to learn and understand what the Japanese star is looking for.
We have interest. If you’re in one of the rooms in this building and they don’t say that, that would be shocking to me. Obviously, we just want to understand what he’s looking for.
David Falvey said as per Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune
In the 2024 season, Sasaki took part in 18 games. During this, he picked up 128 strikeouts and had a low ERA of 2.35. These performances have thus made him one of the most sought-out names in the MLB industry.
Roki Sasaki’s agent claims small market team would be beneficial for Japanese ace pitcher
At the current moment, Roki Sasaki is one talent many teams want to land. Some of the big franchises are viewed as favorites to sign him. However, his agent Joel Wolfe claims that a small market team could be more beneficial for Sasaki than a big team.
Speaking at the Winters Meetings in Dallas, Wolfe expressed that a midmarket team would be more beneficial for him due to him (Sasaki) not having an enjoyable experience with the media.
Wolfe commented on how the media in Japan had affected his mentality. A move to a big market will generate more buzz which could mount more pressure on the young shoulders of Sasaki.
I think that there’s an argument to be made that a smaller, midmarket team might be more beneficial for him as a soft landing coming from Japan, given what he’s been through and not having an enjoyable experience with the media. I don’t know how he’s going to view it, but it might be beneficial for him to be in a smaller market.
Joel Wolfe said in the Winters Meetings
Roki Saski's agent Joel Wolfe:
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) December 10, 2024
"I think that there's an argument to be made that a smaller, mid-market team might be more beneficial for him as a soft landing." pic.twitter.com/KgVz8245gk
So will Sasaki move to a small market team? That remains to be seen for now. One thing for sure is that no team will feel like they had been left out due to the finances if they miss out on landing him in this offseason.
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Vinay Dave
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