Report: Rōki Sasaki Spoke with 'At Least' 1 Team Other Than Dodgers, Known Suitors

The seven teams already connected to Rōki Sasaki reportedly aren't the only clubs in the running to sign the Japanese free-agent pitcher.

Sasaki has spoken with "at least" one other team this winter, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

He has also met with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, per previous reports.

Sasaki was officially posted on Dec. 9 and must sign with a team by Jan. 23 to play in MLB next season. His agent previously indicated he would likely sign soon after the opening of the international signing pool on Jan. 15.

If no deal is reached by then, Sasaki will return to Nippon Professional Baseball for the 2025 season.

Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, said Sasaki has met with every team, with no players present, for under two hours at his agent's office in Los Angeles, per MLB.com's Sonja Chen.

Wolfe said on Dec. 30 that 20 teams sent pitches to Sasaki when the pitcher was first posted. Sasaki has since cut the list down, Wolfe said, although he did not specify how many teams were left on the list.

The next hint as to which teams Sasaki is considering could hinge on where he goes next. After returning to Japan following his meetings, Sasaki could potentially visit "one or two cities as he tries to finalize the decision-making process," Wolfe said (h/t Chen).

Because Sasaki is under 25, his MLB contract will be restricted by international amateur free-agent rules shaped by the size of international bonus pools. The amount of money in each club's pool will reset ahead of the 2025 season, putting all interested teams on relatively even financial ground in their pursuit of the pitcher.

That means the Dodgers, who were previously described as favorite to sign Sasaki, will not be able to outbid other candidates on Sasaki's initial contract.

Sasaki is projected as an MLB starter after posing a 2.10 ERA with 505 strikeouts and 88 walks in 394.6 innings through four seasons in the NPB. Whichever team manages to bring him in will instantly improve its rotation at a relatively low cost.