SF Giants pursuit of star NPB pitcher proved to be a colossal waste of time

As many in the league expected, star NPB pitcher Roki Sasaki agreed to join the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. The SF Giants were among the teams in the mix in what proved to be a colossal waste of time for all parties involved.

SF Giants pursuit of star NPB pitcher proved to be a colossal waste of time

I should preface this by saying that Sasaki was a free agent, so he is free to sign with whatever team he chooses. He has the right that few players get to experience.

That said, the Dodgers had long been considered the favorites to land Sasaki. This was before he was even he was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines in December. Oddly, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the more aggressive teams in international free agency but were not attached to any of the top names in this year's cycle. This was yet another sign that they thought they had a good chance at landing Sasaki.

When Sasaki's posting period opened up, his agent, Joel Wolfe, went so far as to create the illusion that there was a chance that a small or mid-market team might prove to be a soft landing spot for his client. He added to this by saying that Sasaki might even benefit from avoiding the media scrutiny that comes with big market clubs.

Wolfe was doing exactly what he should be doing for his client, creating the idea that Sasaki was approaching his posting window with an open mind. At the end of the deal, the big-market clubs were the finalists. The Giants were part of that mix before being told they were out of the running. The New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Texas Rangers were also notified around the same time.

The Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays were the last remaining teams. Even the Padres were notified on Friday that they would not be signing Sasaki. That left the Blue Jays, who have had about as much success at landing top free agents as the Giants, and the Dodgers.

At the end of the day, the Blue Jays' struggles to land a top free agent continued as Sasaki chose the Dodgers. The outcome that just about everyone in baseball expected to happen ended up happening. Many had expected this move months or even a year in advance.

Again, I want to reaffirm that Sasaki was a free agent and is free to chose the team that feels like the best fit. Still, it was a huge waste of time for all parties involved.

Teams spent hours putting together presentations in an effort to sway the 23-year-old pitcher while recognizing that he likely had already made up his mind. It would have saved a lot of people a lot of time if he just chose the Dodgers from the get-go. Perhaps, the recruitment process was done in an attempt to hide from the fact that his choice was predetermined.