Japanese RHP Roki Sasaki hopes to land with team in mid-January

Prized Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki is drawing interest from 20 major league teams and is expected to join one of them in mid-January, his agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Group, told reporters on Monday.

Wolfe said that Sasaki has had meetings with "a set few number of teams" and is currently at home in Japan thinking about his next steps. The 23-year-old will have to make his decision during the back half of January, as the international signing period opens on Jan. 15 and Sasaki's posting window closes eight days later on Jan. 23.

When it comes to choosing his next home, Sasaki is looking for a team that will bring out the best in him, according to his agent.

"He doesn't seem to look at it in the typical way that other players do," Wolfe said. "He has a more long-term, global view of things. 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.

"He didn't seem overly concerned about whether a team had Japanese players on their team or not, which, in the past, when I represented Japanese players, that was sometimes an issue. That was never a topic of discussion."

Thanks to a fastball that frequently touches 100 mph and a splitter that often misses bats, Sasaki has shined while playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball since 2021.

In 394 2/3 innings with the club, Sasaki had 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts against 88 walks.

Sasaki had his 45-day posting window open on Dec. 15.

--Field Level Media