Signing Japanese star Sasaki would be ‘dream' for Posey, Giants

DALLAS -- The Giants knew the odds were long seven years ago when they flew down to Los Angeles to meet with Shohei Ohtani and his representatives. They felt certain Ohtani was going to pick the American League as he came over from Japan but he was such a uniquely talented player that they had to try. As they looked for small glimmers of hope, they centered on their own superstar. 

Buster Posey, then the face of the franchise as a catcher, joined executives and clubhouse staffers to make the pitch to Ohtani, and team officials said in the aftermath that they felt the two hit it off. It didn't lead to a deal, but the Giants at least felt good about that part of their effort. 

This winter, Posey will again be involved in the pursuit of a Japanese superstar, but this time he'll be the one deciding who gets to sit in the room if the Giants secure an invite. The president of baseball operations made it clear Tuesday that the Giants intend to pursue right-hander Roki Sasaki, who was posted this week. 

"Obviously like probably all other 29 teams it would be a dream for us to get this guy," Posey said. "It's just tremendous upside and there are not too many arms in the world like his. He's a tremendous talent. He's 23 years old. It's fun to dream on, it's fun to think about him at Oracle Park and pitching deep into a game late in the year with the place rocking. We'd be over the moon to add a guy like him."

Posey is off to a good start, having convinced Willy Adames to make San Francisco his home for the next seven years. But the Sasaki chase will be significantly more complicated. 

Giants officials have long had a close eye on the right-hander who used a 100 mph fastball to post a 2.02 ERA in four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines, and former general manager Pete Putila and current GM Zack Minasian are among those who flew to Japan to see him in person. The front office has always had one reservation, though. 

The Giants have felt for over a year that Sasaki's mind is made up, believing he'll be a Los Angeles Dodger. It's a source of frustration for the organization, although it did not impact the way they handled their pursuit this summer.

Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, tried to at least keep the door open Tuesday, holding a press conference at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas to insist that his client is open to joining all 30 teams. Wolfe is one of the sport's top agents but does not traditionally address large groups of reporters, as Scott Boras does every year at the Winter Meetings. Wolfe said Tuesday that any accusations that Sasaki's destination is predetermined are false. 

The press conference could have simply been a way to make it seem like the field is wide open given the frustration throughout the industry that Sasaki seems headed to join Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Los Angeles, but Wolfe gave several reasons why the Giants and others should have at least a little bit of optimism. 

He said Sasaki is open to small- and medium-market teams and hypothesized that those might even be preferable, given that the pitcher was unhappy with the way the media in Japan treated him as he tried to get out of his contract early and play in MLB. The glare would certainly be a lot softer in San Francisco as opposed to Los Angeles, where Ohtani's presence brings dozens of additional reporters to every game. 

Wolfe also said Sasaki has never mentioned a coastal bias and he's not sure whether having Japanese teammates would be a plus or a minus. Perhaps most importantly, Wolfe said signing bonuses won't be a determining factor. 

Because Sasaki was posted at the age of 23, he is subject to international bonus pool restrictions. Ohtani was under the same restriction and got just $2.3 million from the Los Angeles Angels initially, and Sasaki figures to end up somewhere in the $5-7 million range. 

The Giants have about $5.1 million to spend on their 2025 class but much of that will go to Dominican shortstop Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who is just about a lock to sign with the Giants when eligible in mid-January. Gonzalez's signing bonus is unknown, but sources familiar with that pursuit believe there is enough left over to at least make an offer to Sasaki.

Wolfe said the gap in the bonus pools for all 30 teams is so small that it will be "negligible" anyway. 

"My advice to him is don't make a decision based on that because the long-term arc of your career is where you're going to earn your money," he said. 

Given that they already had a small pool and much of it is accounted for, the Giants will be at or near the bottom in terms of what they can offer. But if Sasaki wants to play the long game and make up the difference in endorsements, it will help Posey's pursuit. Ohtani, of course, did just fine in the end. 

Posey said there's nothing in particular from that first Ohtani experience that he'll take into this one, noting that he'll do what he does with other targets. 

"I think the best thing I can sell is my authenticity and how I feel about San Francisco and the Bay Area," Posey said. "Hopefully it means something to these guys. How much it means, I don't know. I mean, this is our home ... myself and my wife grew up in Georgia and this is our home now. I hope that that means something to them to know how I feel about the area, how I feel about the community, what baseball means to San Francisco. "I think it's different than other cities that have Major League Baseball teams, as well. Ultimately I think that's the best you can do, is just be real in how you feel about what's in front of them, the possibility of what's in front of them."

What's in front of Sasaki is endless possibilities, and he was so eager to fulfill his dream of pitching in MLB that he's foregoing the possibility of waiting a couple of years and cashing in as Yamamoto did last year, when he had multiple offers over $300 million. 

Yamamoto ultimately chose the Dodgers, and the belief within the industry is that Sasaki will do the same. If there's a team that can unseat them, it's believed to be the San Diego Padres, who can pair Sasaki with Yu Darvish, his childhood idol. Like the Dodgers and Giants, they have made it clear this week that Sasaki is a priority. 

Wolfe did his best to keep the field open, though. He said some teams have already sent presentations and Sasaki will start meeting with interested executives next week. The pitcher plans to return to Japan for the holiday season and then come back to the United States in January and possibly visit the ballparks of the finalists. 

The Giants already know they'll have a strong 2025 international class. Gonzalez has long been the top player on their board and MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 2 prospect available, behind only Sasaki.

Ending up with both would be shocking, but on Tuesday, Posey sure sounded like someone who is willing to see if he can come away with the upset.