Jacob deGromJayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
2024 Record: 80-82, 4th in AL East
Projected 2025 Rotation: Shane McClanahan, Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, Jeffrey Springs, Shane Baz
2025 Bonus Pool: $7,555,500
Bowden has tabbed the Rays as a team “in the mix” for Sasaki. It helps that their bonus pool is as big as they come, and it’s possible he’ll be attracted to their pitching track record. They’re a regular in the top three of the American League for ERA.
Yet even if Sasaki is indeed amenable to the East Coast, the Rays don’t offer much in the way of glamour. They’re due for a new stadium as soon as 2028, but they’ll be stuck at Steinbrenner Field and (maybe) Tropicana Field between now and then.
2024 Record: 81-81, 3rd in AL East
Projected 2025 Rotation: Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Richard Fitts
2025 Bonus Pool: $6,261,600
The Red Sox have reportedly scouted Sasaki, so there isn’t a question of whether they are interested. Yet even if he does prove willing to sign with an East Coast team, there is the question of whether he prefers to pitch for a more established contender.
2024 Record: 95-67, 1st in NL East
Projected 2025 Rotation: Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker
2025 Bonus Pool: $6,261,600
Following their aggressive pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter, the Phillies are another team on Bowden’s list of clubs in the mix for Sasaki. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has even come right out as said he’s “very interested” in the righty.
The Phillies can hope to sell Sasaki on their recent track record, but it could complicate things that even they know said track record isn’t as good as it should be. This is a transitionary sort of offseason that could involve additions and subtractions.
2024 Record: 78-84, 3rd in AL West
Projected 2025 Rotation: Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray, Tyler Mahle, Cody Bradford
2025 Bonus Pool: $6,261,600
There has been plenty written about how Sasaki is close with Yu Darvish, who got his start in MLB with the Rangers. The club is known to have scouted Sasaki in Japan, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan says they’re expected to be “significant players” in his sweepstakes.
Yet whereas the Rangers were World Series champs a year ago, right now they’re a team coming off a losing season. They’re also an older team, and especially on the pitching side. Eovaldi, deGrom and Gray are all in their mid-30s.
2024 Record: 80-82, 4th in NL West
Projected 2025 Rotation: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, Landen Roupp
2025 Bonus Pool: $5,146,200
Finally, a West Coast team. And according to Passan, the Giants are another club among the “significant players” for Sasaki. It may not hurt their cause that they have the entire Bay Area market to themselves, as the Athletics are all the way up in Sacramento.
Unfortunately, the Giants’ 2025 bonus pool is the smallest out of all 30 teams. And with their farm system ranked by Reuter as the worst in MLB, it could be tough to sell Sasaki on the club’s ability to break free from a string of mediocre seasons.