Posey and Minasian reveal Roki Sasaki not signing with Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants were very excited to introduce future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander on a Zoom call Monday morning, but the last two days also brought some disappointment.
General manager Zack Minasian confirmed the Giants met Roki Sasaki last month, but said they were informed they were out of the running for the Japanese right-hander.
“We met Roki in person and were recently told that we would not be his destination,” Minasian said.
The Giants have believed for about a year that Sasaki would end up with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they thought the chase was worth it Given Sasaki’s talent level, they made a big push last month to get him to consider San Francisco.
Buster Posey and others traveled to Los Angeles to meet with Sasaki, but the Giants won’t be finalists this week as Sasaki moves closer to an official decision. Sasaki can sign as early as Wednesday, but it is expected to take several days for him to announce a destination once the 2025 international signing period opens.
Sasaki, 23, is considered one of the best pitching prospects to ever come out of Japan. Posey spoke with passion at the Winter Meetings last month on the pitcher’s potential.
“Obviously, like the other 29 teams, it would be a dream for us to have this guy,” he said. “He’s just huge potential and there aren’t many weapons in the world like his. He’s a huge talent. He’s 23 years old. It’s fun to dream, it’s fun to think about him at Oracle Park and going deep into a game late in the year where the place is rocking, we’d love to add a guy like him.
The industry has long considered the Dodgers the favorite to sign Sasaki, with the San Diego Padres considered the next best option. The giants had been considered part of a secondary group with the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and others.
