Guardians have questions to answer for 2025; one is: Will they bid for Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki?
Updated: Dec. 08, 2024, 9:14 p.m.|Published: Dec. 08, 2024, 8:34 p.m.
By Paul Hoynes
DALLAS — The offseason is all about questions for the 30 teams in the big leagues — questions that front offices from one coast to the the other spend countless hours trying to answer.
The Guardians had a great run last season. They won the American League Central for the second time in three years. Rookie manager Stephen Vogt was named AL Manager of the Year. They beat the Tigers in a pulse-pounding five game series in the AL Division Series only to fall to the Yankees in the AL Championship Series.
You wouldn’t think they’d need that much help for 2025, but all teams can be improved.
That’s why they worked hard to bring Shane Bieber back on a one-year deal with a club option. Bieber won’t be able to pitch at the start of the season as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. But should he return to the form that produced a 60-32 record in six seasons for the Guardians, that would be a big lift to the rotation.
It’s also why it will be interesting to see if the Guardians make a bid on Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki. The Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki’s Japanese team, are expected to post him during the winter meetings this week, making him available to MLB teams.
Teams will have 45 days to bid on Sasaki
Usually the Guardians and other small to mid-market teams couldn’t compete for Sasaki. He’d be gobbled up by the Dodgers, Padres or another team putting a dent in the luxury tax threshold. There’s no guarantee that still won’t happen.
However, because Sasaki is 23 and has pitched only four years in Japan, he’s still considered an amateur among international free agents. It means teams can only pay him out of their international signing bonus pool.
The top signing bonus pool for 2025 is $7.6 million. The Guardians’ pool is $6.9 million. Teams can also make trades to increase their bonus pool by 60%.
Sasaki is expected to wait until Jan. 15 to sign, because that’s when the 2025 signing period starts for teams. Many teams have already spent most of their 2024 bonus pool on other international players.
In four seasons with the Marines, Sasaki went 30-15 with a 2.02 ERA. He had 524 strikeouts in 414 2/3 innings. Last season he went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 games. He struck out 129 and walked 32 in 111 innings.
The Guardians would not comment on whether they plan to make a bid on Sasaki. They prefer to wait until he’s officially posted.
The odds say he’ll sign with a West Coast team, but the Guardians have a strong reputation when it comes to developing starting pitching. If they make a bid and the Marines don’t accept it, they get their money back.
Versatility is a key element for the Guardians. It helps keeps their payroll down and can turn a 26-man roster into a 27- or 28-man roster.
Well, the Guardians are going to be without their most versatile utility man for a part of the first half as David Fry recovers from right elbow surgery. When he does return, he’s going to be limited to designated hitting for the remainder of the year.
Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, says the Guardians are looking for a community effort to replace Fry.
“It’s not necessarily a one-for-one replacement,” he said.
The thing that made Fry so valuable was his ability to catch. He gave Vogt the option of starting him behind the plate and then moving him to a different position late in the game to keep his bat in the lineup. Or he could pinch hit and then replace Bo Naylor or Austin Hedges behind the plate.
The Guardians have one of the most versatile rosters in the big leagues, but outside of Fry none of their utility players has spent time behind the plate. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen at some point if someone is willing to don the tools of ignorance.
Besides versatility, there’s a question about who will replace Fry’s offense. During the season, his first full year in the big leagues, Fry hit .263 (88 for 335) with 18 doubles, 14 homers and 51 RBI in 122 games. Against lefties, he hit .287 (37 for 129) with nine homers and 31 RBI.
In the postseason, he approached legend status by hitting .286 (8 for 28) with two homers and eight RBI against the Tigers and Yankees.
That’s a lot to replace, but time, no matter how fleeting in the offseason, is still on the Guardians’ side.
Tyler Freeman made two starts at second base, one at third, five at shortstop and 82 in center field last season.
Gabriel Arias made one start at first base, four at second, 18 at third, 14 at shortstop, one each in left and right field, two in center field and one at DH.
Angel Martinez made one start at second, three at third, 13 in left field, two in right field, 18 in center field and two at DH.
Daniel Schneemann made three starts at second, 12 third, 21 at shortstop, two in left field, nine in right field and 14 in center field.
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