On Monday evening, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Sasaki has a special request for the teams he's meeting with: he does not want them to bring any of their players to the meetings. That tracks with Sasaki's unconventional approach to free agency, which agent Joel Wolfe said via Nightengale is driven by his desire to be great.

As it stands, Wolfe said he does not anticipate Sasaki signing on precisely Jan. 15 but at some point between Jan. 15 and Jan. 23.

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, offered some updates on the process as the Japanese star moves toward a decision on where he will sign, with the World Series champs considered one of the favorites.