The first MLB team confirmed to contact Roki Sasaki is a shocker

Now that Juan Soto has made his decision, the most-talked about free agent in Major League Baseball this winter could be pitcher Roki Sasaki. And the first team confirmed to reach out to the Japanese pitcher is a shocker.

Speaking to reporters at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, agent Joel Wolfe said the Colorado Rockies were one of the first three teams to reach out to his star client, who was formally posted by his Japanese team Tuesday morning.

Agent Joel Wolfe says #Rockies were one of the first three teams to inquire about Japanese RHP Roki Sasaki, who officially posted to MLB teams on Monday.
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) December 10, 2024

The Rockies play at Coors Field in downtown Denver, where the high altitude has been murderous to many a pitcher's career since the team's inception in 1993. Although a humidor slightly depressed the effects of altitude after the team's arduous early years, the Rockies routinely rank near the bottom of MLB in earned-run average through little fault of their pitchers.

The high-altitude environment, combined with the team's struggles drafting and developing pitchers, has also strained the Rockies' ability to put a winning team on the field. Colorado has only qualified for the postseason five times in 32 years, reaching the National League Championship Series once. Their next championship will be their first.

Against this backdrop, perhaps it only makes sense that the Rockies would go out of their way to acquire a potential generational talent.

At 20 years old, Sasaki threw a 19-strikeout perfect game for Lotte in 2022. In his next start, he threw eight more perfect innings. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, his fastball sat 100 mph.

Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2024, with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings.

Sasaki is foregoing the ability to sign a major league contract by leaving the Chiba Lotte Marines for MLB at age 23. He is limited to signing a minor league contract, for the maximum amount allowed within a team's amateur bonus pool, between now and Jan. 18 when his posting window ends.

As a result, all 30 major league teams can afford to sign Sasaki. Although two West Coast teams — the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres — are viewed as the favorites to sign him, Wolfe took the unusual step of saying a small or mid-market team could be a better fit for his client.

Roki Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, on market:

“I think there’s an argument to be bad that a small or mid-market team might be more beneficial to him as a soft landing coming from Japan, given what he’s been through and not having an enjoyable experience with the media.” #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) December 10, 2024

Enter the Rockies, who have finished last in the National League West each of the last three seasons. It hardly makes sense that Sasaki would want to pitch for a team with little history of winning, as more successful franchises are knocking down his door. At least give the Colorado front office for trying.

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