The Toronto Blue Jays, a silver medalist for one free agent after another the past two offseasons, are trying again.
Club officials last week hosted prized Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki in Toronto, sources briefed on the meetings told The Athletic.
Sasaki, 23, can sign with a major-league club starting Wednesday, when the international signing period opens. He is not expected to decide immediately, but must choose by Jan. 23, the deadline for him to sign under the posting process. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs are among the teams believed to be pursuing him.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, declined comment.
The Blue Jays do not seem an obvious fit for Sasaki, who is still maturing as a pitcher and thought to be heavily weighing the quality of a team’s pitching development in his decision-making. The last homegrown Jays pitcher to make 30 starts in back-to-back seasons was right-hander Marcus Stroman in 2016-17, and he was developed by the previous front office.
Sasaki, however, might be drawing on the experience of fellow Japanese players. Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi recently spent two-plus seasons with the Blue Jays after signing with them as a free agent in March 2022. The Jays traded Kikuchi to the Houston Astros last July, and in November, he signed a three-year, $63 million free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Yet, even Kikuchi’s time with Toronto did not reflect especially well on the organization’s handling of pitching. Kikuchi had a 4.75 ERA in 22 starts with the Blue Jays last season, though his strikeout and walk rates indicated his results should have been better. With the Astros, he reduced his curveball usage, began throwing more sliders and in 10 starts produced a 2.70 ERA.
Sasaki is not the first big name the Blue Jays have sought over the past 14 months, and not the only Japanese player.
The team memorably pursued Shohei Ohtani last offseason, hosting him during the Winter Meetings at their spring-training complex in Dunedin, Fla. Ohtani left the complex with bags of Jays gear and wearing a Jays cap, and with his dog, Dekopin, outfitted in a Canada jacket. But days later, he signed his heavily deferred 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers.
The Jays have been linked to one major free agent after another this offseason, starting with outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets. But to this point, their biggest moves were a trade with the Cleveland Guardians for second baseman Andrés Giménez and reliever Nick Sandlin and the signings of free-agent relievers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi García.
As it stands, the Jays’ rotation is projected to include Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Bowden Francis, Chris Bassitt and Yariel Rodríguez. The addition of Sasaki possibly would enable them to trade a starter. Or, they could move Rodríguez to the bullpen, further reinforcing their relief corps.
(Top photo of Roki Sasaki pitching in the 2023 WBC: Eric Espada / Getty Images)
