Roki Sasaki’s Agent Shuts Down Rumors That He Already Has Deal With Dodgers

Roki Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, denied reports that a deal already existed between his client and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“While a bunch of executives who should know me better and do a lot of business with me insult my integrity by insinuating that I would be a part of some type of nefarious agreement,” Wolfe told The Athletic, “in reality, this is just poor sportsmanship.”

Wolfe’s comments indicate the race to sign the Japanese sensation is only just heating up, but the Dodgers unwillingly find themselves in the middle of sweepstakes drama.

Before it was confirmed that Sasaki would make the jump to stateside baseball, speculation between front office executives assumed that the Dodgers would land the Japanese pitcher. Some speculated that Sasaki and the Dodgers had even reached an unwritten agreement, according to The Athletic. 

Sasaki, 23, hasn’t revealed where he hopes to land but it is evident the rumors had reached a boiling point as Wolfe had to deny the allegations publicly. Unwritten agreements with international amateurs are banned. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also spoke on the topic Wednesday.

“There are certain things — exchange of information, whatever — that (were) perfectly allowable,” Manfred said. “The concern with those agreements comes when, for example, the American club has some priority access to players that are under control because it would allow them to expand the number of players they have under control. And we’ve always been scrupulous about not allowing those.”

When it was announced that Sasaki would be posted by his NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, the Dodgers emerged as the heavy favorite to land the pitcher. Since then, rumors have swirled that the Dodgers aren’t actually the favorites since Sasaki is likely to be posted in the next signing period which opens on Jan. 15.

In the new period, the Dodgers would be among teams with the least amount of money from their international bonus pool to offer Sasaki. The Dodgers could use a pitcher like Sasaki, who has a fastball like Paul Skenes and a splitter like Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

But clearly, the Dodgers being a powerhouse in the majors has led other teams to speculate that Los Angeles would go as far as breaking the rules to remain at the top.

Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

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