Chicago Cubs Meeting With Japanese Free Agent Pitcher Roki Sasaki, Per Report

The Chicago Cubs will be meeting with free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki on Friday, according to a report from 670 The Score's Bruce Levine.

Like the rest of Sasaki's meetings, his one with the Cubs will also take place in Los Angeles.

Earlier this month, the Chicago White Sox made it clear that they would be making a pitch to Sasaki as well. The Colorado Rockies were also one of the first clubs to contact Sasaki and his agent when he officially hit the open market.

However, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and New York Mets have been held up as the teams with the best chances to sign Sasaki.

Sources -Japanese free agent pitching ace Roki Sasaki is meeting with the Chicago Cubs today. All meetings for Sasaki are taking place in LA.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) December 20, 2024

Sasaki, 23, was officially posted to MLB free agency by his Nippon Professional Baseball team – the Chiba Lotte Marines – during the Winter Meetings. The right-hander immediately became one of the top arms available on the open market, only he won't get paid like one.

Because he isn't 25 years old, Sasaki has been designated as an international amateur free agent and will be subject to bonus pool restrictions. That has placed a hard cap on what he will sign for, evening the playing field between the high-rollers and the small market clubs.

The 2024 international signing period has ended, meaning Sasaki won't be able to sign with a team until the 2025 period opens on Jan. 15. But because his posting window ends on Jan. 23, Sasaki has one week to work with when it comes to ironing out a final contract.

Sasaki turned pro in 2019 and finished his NPB career with a 30-15 record, 2.02 ERA, 0.883 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He also went 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA, 1.174 WHIP and 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, winning a Gold Medal with Japan while showing off his 102 mile-per-hour fastball.

The 6-foot-4 righty was a two-time NPB All-Star, having pitched a perfect game and broken NPB's single-game strikeout record in 2022. While he dealt with shoulder soreness this season, Sasaki still went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA, 1.036 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings across 18 starts.

The Cubs have a formidable five-man rotation already, but they were rumored to be interested in Garrett Crochet before the White Sox shipped him to the Boston Red Sox. They also had extensive discussions with the Miami Marlins about trading for Jesús Luzardo before that deal fell apart.

Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad are slated to return to Chicago's rotation in 2025. They also replaced Kyle Hendricks with veteran Matthew Boyd after the former left to sign with the Los Angeles Angels.

Maybe the plan is to move Assad back to the bullpen, considering he thrived as a swingman in 2023. He had a 1.49 ERA through his first nine starts in 2024, but the 27-year-old righty posted a 4.83 ERA in his final 20.

Dealing Taillon could be an option as well, but Chicago would probably want to officially acquire Sasaki before committing to that route.

Imanaga was seen as the consolation prize when it came to Japanese pitchers last offseason, while the Dodgers scored big with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Sasaki is the top-ranked international hurler heading into 2025, though, so perhaps the Cubs can hit the jackpot this time around.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.