Ichiro expected to play a role in Mariners’ recruitment of Roki Sasaki

DALLAS — As Roki Sasaki weighs his (many, many) options coming over to Major League Baseball, no one is exactly sure what the Japanese pitching phenom desires in a new team.

Not even the man he’s hired to represent him.

But Joel Wolfe believes Sasaki will have an open mind when he starts to meet with MLB clubs next week, and Wolfe suggested that the 23-year-old right-hander might be better off playing outside of a large market like Los Angeles or New York.

“I think that there’s an argument to be made that a smaller/mid-market team might be more beneficial for him as a soft landing coming from Japan, given what he’s been through and not having an enjoyable experience with the media,” Wolfe said during an impromptu briefing with reporters Tuesday at the MLB Winter Meetings. “It might be. I’m not saying it will be. I don’t know how he’s going to view it.”

Encouraging news for Seattle, perhaps?

Perhaps.

Again, no one knows with any real certainty what Sasaki values or what might influence his decision. There is an air of mystery surrounding his move to MLB.

Wolfe said he hasn’t yet sat down with his client for a detailed discussion about the pitcher’s priorities, but they have an in-person meeting scheduled later this week in the U.S. to begin that process.

On Monday, Sasaki was formally posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines, his Nippon Professional Baseball club, opening a 45-day window for MLB clubs to begin talks.

Wolfe said Sasaki won’t sign until at least Jan. 15, when the 2025 MLB international signing period begins. And because of his age, Sasaki is subject to MLB’s amateur rules, meaning he is only eligible to sign at a fraction of the $325 million the Los Angeles Dodgers gave last winter to Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who is also repped by Wolfe).

All 30 MLB clubs can afford Sasaki at that price, and the Mariners have been transparent about their intentions. They’re planning a full-fledged recruiting pitch that is expected to include Ichiro Suzuki, the Japanese icon and Mariners legend who is currently on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.

President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Sasaki is “a priority” for the Mariners this winter, and he’s hopeful the club’s strong pitching-development reputation will be enticing.

The Mariners have been doing their background research on Sasaki for months — if not years, Dipoto said.

“When he was officially posted, internally our feeling was we’re ready for it,” Dipoto said Tuesday.

Which teams ultimately get invited to make an in-person presentation is not yet known, but the Mariners believe they are well positioned to make a strong case if they do receive one.

Throughout the industry, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are considered the favorites to land Sasaki. Wolfe strongly denied rumors that he had a handshake deal with the Dodgers, and he acknowledged Sasaki’s relationship with San Diego veteran starter Yu Darvish could be favorable for the Padres.

Wolfe described Sasaki as one of the “most driven, intense” players he’s been around.

“Roki is somewhat quiet,” Wolfe said. “He has a dry sense of humor. He’s very witty. He’s not verbose. He doesn’t necessarily love people who are verbose.”

Sasaki’s dream, Wolfe said, has always been to play in MLB. And because Sasaki desired to leave Japan early — before turning 25 — Wolfe said the pitcher got “unfair” treatment by some in the Japanese media.

“There’s been a lot of negativity in the media directed at him because he has expressed interest in going to play for MLB at such a young age, and that’s considered in Japan to be very disrespectful,” Wolfe said. “A lot of people jumped on board there, creating false rumors about him and his family, and that was very detrimental to his mental state.”

As for what Sasaki might want from an MLB club, he has asked Wolfe questions about the weather, comfortability and pitching development.