Phillies 'very interested' in coveted Japanese ace Sasaki

DALLAS -- Dave Dombrowski said again on Tuesday that there have been countless discussions about countless ways to improve the Phillies.

The club has talked about free-agent right-hander Roki Sasaki.

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“We’re just like everybody else, we’re very interested,” Dombrowski said from the Phillies’ suite at the Winter Meetings. “My understanding is they are going to meet [internally] first. They know everybody is interested. Then, they’ll let some clubs know they’re still involved in the process. We’re prepared to make a presentation. Our people have been working on it for an extended time. But they have to tell us that you’re one of the so-many clubs that he’s willing to go to.

“We hope we’re in that group, but we don’t know.”

Sasaki, 23, might be the most coveted free agent on the market because of his talent, age and price tag. The Japanese right-hander was formally posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines on Monday. His 45-day window to negotiate with teams began on Tuesday.

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Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe said everybody has a chance to sign Sasaki, although the Dodgers and Padres are perceived to be favorites.

There has been speculation that Sasaki prefers a West Coast team or a team that has previously signed a Japanese player, which the Phillies have never done. Wolfe on Tuesday said small-and-mid market teams would be in the mix. In fact, Sasaki might prefer that, which would seem to be another strike against Philadelphia.

But Wolfe said geography’s never been brought up in conversations with Sasaki. He also said Sasaki is open to playing on a team without a recent history of signing Japanese stars.

“My advice to Roki,” Wolfe said, “is to go in with an open mind.”

Sasaki will receive only international bonus-pool money, plus a rookie salary. For the Phillies, Sasaki would be a coup. They could get a top-of-the-rotation starter and not blow past the fourth luxury tax threshold of $301 million. It is something the Phils would like to avoid, although Dombrowski said, “It’s not going to stop us from making moves at this point.”

“You’re always interested in good players,” he said. “And he’s a premium guy. We would love to have going into the future, Sasaki and [No. 2 prospect Andrew Painter] going for years to come. That’d be pretty good.”

The Phillies expect to learn in the coming days if they’ll make a pitch to Sasaki. They might be long shots, but eventually somebody from Japan is going to sign with Philadelphia. The Phils are hoping this is the year.

Alec Bohm

Philadelphia has explored trades that involve third baseman Alec Bohm, in part because he is one of the club’s most valuable commodities: an All-Star third baseman under team control for the next two seasons. It is noteworthy though that manager Rob Thomson recently spoke to him.

“I just wanted to let him know we're not -- this guy is a really good player,” Thomson said. “We're not shopping him. But because he's a good player, there's a whole lot of interest in him from other teams. Obviously, you have to do your homework and talk to people and listen. … I think this is probably the first time he's gone through something like this, so I just want to ease his mind. It's part of the business that you've got to get through. Because it's the first time, I thought it was important to reach out.”

There has been plenty said about Bohm’s benching in Game 2 of the National League Division Series and how emotional he can be on the field.

“I don't know where that comes from, but he is an emotional guy,” Thomson said. “He cares a great deal. So, he shows his emotion. Believe me, he's not the only one on the club that shows their emotion and slams a helmet or a bat every once in a while. But that just shows me he cares.”

The lineup

Thomson has mentioned the possibility of shuffling the lineup in 2025. Maybe Kyle Schwarber hits fourth. Maybe Trea Turner hits first.

How about Bryce Harper hitting leadoff? A crazy idea? Perhaps, but Shohei Ohtani hit first for the Dodgers this season. So did Arizona’s Ketel Marte, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, the Mets’ Francisco Lindor and the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts to start the season.

“I've thought about that, too,” Thomson said. “That's something that would be a long conversation, I think. I'm not sure Bryce would be willing to go there. I think the more at-bats you get for the best hitters, the better chances you have. That's the idea behind it. He gets more at-bats to get into the Hall of Fame.”

No. 5 starter

The Phillies could use another No. 5 starter to hold the fort until Painter’s time comes next summer, but the club said it’s prepared to move forward with what is on the 40-man roster. It is a group that includes Taijuan Walker and Tyler Phillips and prospects Mick Abel (No. 6), Moisés Chace (No. 26) and Seth Johnson (No. 15), among others.

“It's really up in the air, but I'm hoping that the program that Taijuan is on works, and he gains that velocity, he gains the extra stuff that he needs to miss bats and get soft contact,” Thomson said, referring to Walker’s workouts in Arizona. “I know he's working on it. I know the program is a good program and it's worked in the past. Hopefully it happens.”