Jerry Dipoto was quoted recently in the Seattle Times as stating that the Seattle Mariners have been “preparing for years” for their chance to pitch Japanese wunderkind RHP Roki Sasaki to sign. The word choice echoed precisely the language they’d used when preparing for the international amateur free agency of Shohei Ohtani. That courtship ended in heartbreak for all, with Ohtani choosing the Anaheim Angels. The Angels squandered their time with Shohei, while Seattle received no savior and instead embarked on a rebuild that has ultimately borne fruit and a single playoff appearance thus far.
Roki Sasaki would fix this
