San Francisco Giants president Buster Posey spoke about the team being eliminated from the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes (Photo Source: IMAGN)

Roki Sasaki remains arguably the hottest name on the open market right now as MLB clubs wait and see where he will land.

The 23-year-old Japanese pitching phenom has been a coveted asset for years after continually racking up strikeouts and delivering quality outings for his NPB club, the Chiba Lotte Marines.

The young pitcher is one of the most intriguing international prospects in years thanks to his ability to hit triple-digits with his fastball and All-Star potential. The fact that Roki Sasaki is considered an international amateur, meaning that he cannot sign some massive contract, has also helped interest in him grow.

Since Sasaki’s contract would be limited to a team’s international bonus pool money, it has opened the door for a number of clubs to at least reach out. One of the those teams is the San Francisco Giants, who had met with the pitching phenom this offseason.

That being said, GM Zack Minasian and President Buster Posey have confirmed that the club is no longer in the running for Sasaki’s signature.

“We put our best foot forward, I don’t think there’s anything else you can do. I know the group feels that way, it wasn’t a last-minute, haphazard, last-ditch effort. Zack had been on Roki for a long time, and unfortunately, it didn’t work out,” Posey said in an interview on KNBR 680.

Even though it may have been difficult for the San Francisco Giants to land Roki Sasaki considering some of the competition they were facing for his signature, the team put together a solid effort to do so. Buster Posey explained that the organization created a video that helped highlight the franchise, as well as everything the San Francisco area has to offer.

“SFG Productions put together a really great video that spanned from the Bay Area to Arizona, just featuring our facilities and a lot of the city as well and what San Francisco has to offer culturally, from a food perspective,” Posey said.

The San Francisco Giants were not the only team that was reportedly eliminated from the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes

It’s understandable why San Francisco Giants fans and staff would be disappointed by the news that they were no longer considered as a destination for Sasaki, but they are not the only ones.

According to sources close to the situation, several clubs, including the Texas Rangers, were informed that they were no longer viewed as the potential landing spot for Sasaki.

The New York Yankees, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs are all reportedly out of the running for the Japanese superstar. According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays are the finalists to sign Roki Sasaki.