The Philadelphia Phillies had a disappointing postseason and could be aggressive this winter in hopes of getting back to the World Series. They could try and lure a Japanese star to Philadelphia.
While listing top landing spots for Rōki Sasaki, FanSided’s Christopher Kline named the Phillies as a potential suitor. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he expects Sasaki to sign in the 2025 signing period, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. Since he is an amateur free agent, teams will not be able to hand him a massive contract like Yoshinobu Yamamoto received last winter.
Teams will only be able to use funds from the international signing bonus pool to sign him. When the 2025 window opens on January 15, the Phillies will have $6.2 million at their disposal. This means the decision for Sasaki will not come down to money. They tried signing Yamamoto last offseason, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, but could not land him.
Sasaki could be just as good, but significantly cheaper. Unlike the Los Angeles Dodgers the Phillies do not have the best pitching development and are not located on the west coast. All they can guarantee is contention year in and year out, not that the Dodgers cannot.
“Philadelphia does not feature the most robust player development system, but there is plenty of buzz around names like Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller these days. We’ve seen Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, and others emerge from the youth pool as immediate contributors. Nola, Suarez,” wrote Kline. “The Phillies built from within before handing out big-ticket contracts to Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and the like. Sasaki can have confidence that Philadelphia will be competitive for the bulk of his prime.”
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