2 reasons why the Reds signing Roki Sasaki isn't as far-fetched as it sounds

Roki Sasaki — one of the most sought-after Japanese players since Shohei Ohtani — will be posted this offseason. But the impending bidding war for Sasaki's services will be quite different from most players coming states-side from NPB.

Sasaki is not yet 25 years old, meaning he'll only be eligible to sign a minor-league contract this offseason. So unlike Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Sasaki will not be signing a record-breaking deal this winter. Instead, teams are limited to using their international bonus pool money; something that could work in the Cincinnati Reds' favor.

The Reds signing Roki Sasaki isn't as far-fetched as it sounds

Many experts and pundits believe that the Reds have no shot at signing Sasaki, and maybe they're right. Cincinnati's track record with Japanese-born players is rather poor. The Reds signed Shogo Akiyama back in 2019, but Cincy quickly cut ties with the former NPB standout after just two seasons despite the fact there was still $8 million remaining on the three-year, $21 million deal. Akiyama played in just 142 games for the Reds and hit .224/.320/.274.

But one of Sasaki's top priorities (according to The Athletic) is a team's player development strategy and personnel. While the Reds haven't been terrific on the position player-side of things, Cincinnati has done exceedingly well developing young pitchers of late. Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Alexis Díaz, Andrew Abbott, and most recently Rhett Lowder have all shined under the tutelage of Derek Johnson and the Reds' pitching coaches.

Add that to the fact that Cincinnati will have $7,555,500 of international bonus pool, and you can see why at the very least the Reds' front office should make their pitch to the young hurler. The Reds may already have plans for how they plan to allocate their 2025 bonus pool, but it's not every day that a player of Sasaki's pedigree becomes available.

Still, it's a long shot that any team outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will even been on Sasaki's short list. Both clubs have phenomenal track records with Japanese-born players and have been scouting Sasaki for sometime. Padres pitcher Yu Darvish is also said to be very close to Sasaki as well, and that will surely bolster the Friars' chances of securing the young right-hander.

The Reds should, at the very least, discuss the possibility of adding Sasaki to their stable of young pitchers, but the Cincinnati faithful shouldn't hold their breath.

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