LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has started to talk less. When asked about recruiting Loki Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marines) during the interview, he avoided answering. He seems to be aware of the fact that he caused a controversy by boasting that he met Shohei Otani at the winter meeting a year ago.메이저사이트
Roberts made a "mistake" during last year's winter meeting. "The club had a meeting with Ohtani for two to three hours in Los Angeles a few days ago," he said. "Ohtani is definitely our top priority." It led to actual recruitment, but the atmosphere was not like that at the time. Ohtani reportedly asked the club to keep the fact that there was a meeting under wraps.
Other clubs declined to comment. Craig Counsell, the manager of the Chicago Cubs, said, "I don't think this is the right place to discuss negotiations with a specific player. It's a good question, but I'm not in a position to discuss it." Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider also showed the same attitude. He said, "We meet a lot of players. Again, I can only say this much. This is what the club has to do."
The Athletic said, "It is not known which team Otani will sign. His negotiation process remains under wraps. According to club officials considered as candidates, agent Valero warned them that leaking details could put them at a disadvantage in negotiations.
Ohtani eventually signed a historic 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract with the Dodgers. Still, Roberts seems to have never forgotten the sweat he shed during the winter meeting last year. He did not answer questions about recruiting Sasaki in an interview with MLB Network on Tuesday.
Roberts had a talk show interview with Brian Craston, an actor who is famous for being a fan of the Dodgers. Their conversation focused on preparations for next season. When Cranston asked about ways to strengthen his team's capacity for next season, Roberts said, "The biggest thing we've done so far is to recruit Blake Snell. Tyler Glasnow will return, and Yamamoto Yoshinobu will also return."
When Cranston stepped in and mentioned "Sasaki," Roberts smiled. Then, he said, "I can't say anything about Sasaki." When Cranston pressed "Sasaki" again, Roberts laughed it off, saying, "Don't put me in trouble."
Sasaki started posting in the Major League from the 10th. They are free to negotiate with 30 Major League teams for 45 days. The New York Mets were the first to meet with Sasaki. The Cubs, which have two Japanese players, Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga, also met with Sasaki in person and expressed their intention.