“Following their aggressive pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter, the Phillies are another team on [Jim] Bowden's list of clubs interested in Sasaki. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has openly expressed his 'very interested' stance in the righty. The Phillies might hope to persuade Sasaki with their recent track record, though they acknowledge it isn't as strong as it could be. This offseason is transitional and may involve both additions and subtractions.”

He is likely to attract interest from nearly every team in baseball, given his appeal as an international free agent from Japan.

At just 23 years old, he is still developing and wants to join a team that can win, cultivate pitchers, and offer a large market. 

Philadelphia meets all these criteria, as pitchers like Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez have recently emerged as strong players from their farm system. 

The challenge lies in determining how competitive the Phillies are.

When compared to the Dodgers, who are also interested in the young right-hander, Philadelphia faces a difficult challenge.

With financial offers likely similar across teams, the prospect of playing alongside Shohei Ohtani on the team that just won the World Series is highly enticing.