At least 20 teams have reportedly reached out to NPB star and SF Giants pitching target

The SF Giants are one of the teams believed to have had an in-person meeting with star NPB pitcher Roki Sasaki. However, they are not alone. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that at least 20 teams have reached out to Sasaki.

At least 20 teams have reportedly reached out to NPB star and SF Giants pitching target

Interestingly, Joel Wolfe, Sasaki's agent, also told Nightengale they requested that teams do not include any of their own players in recruiting efforts. Giants team president of baseball operations Buster Posey did not have much success as a player in recruiting free agents.

However, he has already had a bit more success in the front office as he landed one of the team's top targets this offseason in Willy Adames. Maybe his recruiting fortunes are beginning to change?

If the Giants land Sasaki, they will need to beat out a competitive market with 20 teams checking in. His free-agency process could be heading into the next stage as the calendar flips to the new year.

The Chiba Lotte Marines posted Sasaki in December, opening up his 45-day posting window. That runs through the middle of January. He is being posted under the international free-agency rules, so his signing bonus will be modest given that he is under 25. This is different from Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason when he became old enough to be declared a free agent. This resulted in a significantly higher contract at 12 years, and $325 million.

Sasaki's first contract will pale in comparison to that but he will still secure a significant investment. His agent is banking on him seeing a larger payday when he becomes a free agent down the road.

Since being posted, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have been considered the favorites to land Sasaki. The Dodgers have a major Pacific Rim influence led by Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. Padres' starter Yu Darvish could have an outsized influence in San Diego's pursuit as well. That said, none of them are expected to be involved in the recruiting efforts if Bob Nightengale's report is correct.

Sasaki just completed his fourth season with the Marines. He posted a 2.35 ERA with 129 strikeouts against 32 walks in 111 innings.