
The Chicago Cubs’ hopes of landing a highly coveted Japanese pitcher for the second straight offseason were dashed Monday afternoon.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, pitcher Roki Sasaki has narrowed down his list of finalists to three teams, and the Cubs did not make the cut.
According to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, the Cubs were informed of Sasaki’s decision shortly before Passan broke the news.
Sasaki has narrowed his choices to the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, according to Passan’s report.
Sasaki, 23, sparked a flurry of rumors when he announced he could be coming over to Major League Baseball for the 2025 season. In four seasons with Chiba Lotte, Sasaki has posted a 30-15 record with a 2.10 ERA in 64 starts, striking out 524 batters in 414.2 innings of work.
Since Sasaki hasn’t reached the age of 25, he qualifies as an international amateur free agent, and will only be able to sign to a limited contract.
The Cubs snagged pitcher Shota Imanaga from Japan last season, and watched as he had one of the best rookie performances in team history. In 29 starts, Imanaga posted a 15-3 record with a 2.91 ERA, with 174 strikeouts in 173.1 innings.
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Imanaga will headline the Cubs’ rotation for the 2025 season along with Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon, but the exact makeup beyond that is unclear. Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea have both signed free agent deals with the Cubs, while Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown may still have aspirations of making the team out of spring training.
If Sasaki were to sign with the Dodgers, he could face the Cubs early in his career, as the two teams will open the season in Japan in mid-March.
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