Giants GM Zack Minasian gets honest about not being Roki Sasaki’s destination

Roki Sasaki might be the hottest name on the open market, despite not playing a single inning in Major League Baseball yet. The Japanese pitcher has been looking at a potential jump to North America after being posted by his NPB club, the Chiba Lotte Marines. The potential superstar has been a coveted target for teams for several years and he could join a club as early as Wednesday.

Even though the LA Dodgers have widely been considered the favorites to land the phenom, Sasaki and his team have been meeting with several different clubs. He is considered an international amateur so he will need to use their international pool money in order to sign, which limits the size of the contract he can secure.

While this opens the door for more clubs to approach him with a potential deal, it appears that San Francisco is not one of them. According to the Giants general manager Zack Minasian, the club met with Sasaki and his representatives and have been told that they are no longer in the running.

“We met with with Roki in person, and as of now, we were, we were recently told that we would not be his destination," Minaisan said on Monday, via Yahoo! Sports.

It may be a tough blow for the Giants and their fans who were hoping to see Sasaki in the team's uniform; however, the competition to land the pitcher will be fierce. Several clubs have reportedly also met with him, including the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and New York Mets.

The San Francisco Giants are not the only team who has been eliminated from the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes

Although this might not be the news that the Giants were hoping to hear, they are not the only team that was informed that they are out of the running for Sasaki's signature. On Monday, the New York Yankees and New York Mets were reportedly told that it is unlikely that the Japanese star will join their squads this offseason.

It remains to be seen where and when Sasaki will sign; however, if he is hoping to play in the Majors in 2025, he will need to agree to a contract before his Jan. 23 deadline. It will be interesting to see where he lands given his elite upside and game-changing abilities on the mound.