Just gonna keep updating this one below for the Bachelor-style rose ceremony. UPDATE WITHIN THE INTRO: Sadly, the Cubs did not get a rose. The rest of the post remains below.
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There are at least two reasons this report is potentially very interesting:
Giants general manager Zack Minasian said the Giants were told that they would not be Roki Sasaki's destination.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) January 13, 2025
1.) At a superficial level, hey, there’s one fewer Roki Sasaki suitor. The San Francisco Giants are out.
2.) More broadly … is it happening? Are teams being told they are out, like, right now? Are we going to find out in advance of Wednesday’s IFA open whether more teams are out? That would certainly be very helpful information for those teams and a whole host of international prospects who don’t want to live in limbo.
Stay tuned to see whether we hear of more teams being told they are out. If the Cubs are going to be cut, I’d hope it was as soon as possible. That is to say, if this thing is really just a two-horse race between the Dodgers and Padres (if there are even two horses), let’s just get on with it.
If, however, Roki just wants to go ahead and pick the Cubs, that’d be fine, too!
UPDATE: Yup, it seems to be happening. Teams are getting cut. Next up, the Yankees, per Jack Curry:
Source: The Yankees have been told Sasaki will not be signing with them.
— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) January 13, 2025
UPDATE 2: And the Mets are reportedly out:
The New York Mets are not finalists for Roki Sasaki, sources confirm.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 13, 2025
UPDATE 3: There go the Rangers:
Roki Sasaki has informed Rangers he will be signing elsewhere, per person familiar with process.
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) January 13, 2025
So, then, based on public reporting, the teams still in are the Dodgers, Padres, Cubs, Mariners, and Blue Jays. We think. Maybe.
UPDATE 4: There’s a rumor out there that the Cubs are also out, but if true, they may not yet have been told: