O's target? Roki Sasaki

[wildcard]

https://www.mlb.com/news/who-is-roki-sasaki

 

[Warehouse]

I think the latest consensus is that he is is unlikely to be posted.

[ShoelesJoe]

6 feet 2 inches, 187 lbs. and throws 100 mph +

Surgeons have already reserved a table for him. 

[orioles119]

[Three Run Homer]

I think Japanese pitchers are a much better investment than free agent MLB pitchers.  You are getting them earlier in their career and I think they have better mechanics and training habits and are therefore more durable.  Sasaki may not be posted this year, but there will be others available.  

[Just Regular]

Adjacent to this, I hadn't looked up Carter Stewart in a while, but I see that he has a 1.95 ERA in 120 innings for a team dominating the Japan Pacific League.

He's the kid born the same month as Grayson Rodriguez who was also a high 1st round high school arm.    Boras and Atlanta couldn't agree, and Stewart has since spent the age 19-24 seasons of his career over there.    He turns 25 next month.     

I don't know all the nuances but have heard at times age 25 has some meaning with respect to a Japanese league club's control over a player that might be interested in MLB.    

 

[Warehouse]

29 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

Adjacent to this, I hadn't looked up Carter Stewart in a while, but I see that he has a 1.95 ERA in 120 innings for a team dominating the Japan Pacific League.

He's the kid born the same month as Grayson Rodriguez who was also a high 1st round high school arm.    Boras and Atlanta couldn't agree, and Stewart has since spent the age 19-24 seasons of his career over there.    He turns 25 next month.     

I don't know all the nuances but have heard at times age 25 has some meaning with respect to a Japanese league club's control over a player that might be interested in MLB.    

 

He’ll be a free agent after 2026 when he will have completed the six seasons to qualify as a foreign professional.

[AnythingO's]

2 minutes ago, Warehouse said:

He’ll be a free agent after 2026 when he will have completed the six seasons to qualify as a foreign professional.

This is true but he has an option to opt out after his 25th Bday to void the last year I believe 

 

[EddeeEddee]

I'd love for the O's to get some more guys from Asia.  The O's had good luck with Wei-Yin Chen, even though Uehara didn't work out as a starter he was very good as a reliever.

Go for it and get good arms from wherever you can.  Even though I think Japanese arms prefer to play on or closer to the West Coast, you never know. 

   

[Allan Bryant]

5 minutes ago, EddeeEddee said:

I'd love for the O's to get some more guys from Asia.  The O's had good luck with Wei-Yin Chen, even though Uehara didn't work out as a starter he was very good as a reliever.

Go for it and get good arms from wherever you can.  Even though I think Japanese arms prefer to play on or closer to the West Coast, you never know. 

   

Why not ?  I’m sure Rubenstein would like the Orioles presence in Asia market 

[bpilktree67]

They will probably go after Sugano the 35 year old at the end of his career as he is cheaper and no posting fee.  

[Aristotelian]

If we have the money to sign him, he would absolutely be my #1 target, ahead of Burnes and Soto. 

[24fps]

1 hour ago, bpilktree67 said:

They will probably go after Sugano the 35 year old at the end of his career as he is cheaper and no posting fee.  

Hasn't this narrative been retired yet?  It should be.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, 24fps said:

Hasn't this narrative been retired yet?  It should be.

They bid on anyone with a posting fee yet?

Only one team didn't even bother to make an offer for Ohtani.

[24fps]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

They bid on anyone with a posting fee yet?

Only one team didn't even bother to make an offer for Ohtani.

Do you think JA authorized Elias to bid on Ohtani?  As last offseason unfolded, I think there a strict budget cap was agreed to by JA and the new ownership group while details were being ironed out and Elias didn't waste anyones time including his own asking about Ohtani.  Who's been posted since Angelos sold the team?

I have made this point elsewhere and will continue to point out that nobody knows anything about the spending habits of the new ownership group.  Yet.  A lot will be clearer by OD, but it's not credible to think that bunch of billionaires along with the team's  best known former player bought a sports team in order to squeeze every last penny out of it like it was tenenment housing.  There are easier and less labor intensive investments to make if money was the only goal. 

For the record, I don't think there will be a free-spending orgy.  Nor should there be with all the young, cheap talent on the team.  But the assumption that the O's can't be players in the FA market can no longer be support by any relavent history so it's time to stop acting like it can.