The Washington Nationals, under the leadership of General Manager Mike Rizzo, are venturing into uncharted territory, actively seeking to expand their global reach in player acquisition. This shift in strategy marks a significant departure from previous years, as evidenced by their recent signing of Japanese pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara announced last night by the club.

"That market is built on relationships, and you just, you can't go down there and pick and choose a guy you want to scout and try and sign a deal in that market," Rizzo explained.

Rizzo's candid acknowledgment of the challenges inherent in the Japanese market underscores the Nationals' proactive approach. "We've tried at several Asian players," Rizzo continued, "You're always on the outside looking in because you don't have the network there, and you need to lay the groundwork to create these relationships."

The signing of Ogasawara, however, signifies a crucial step forward. "With this particular player, we liked the skillset. [His] age fits our timeline," Rizzo stated. "And in this case, we had a relationship with the agency. And that made that made us more attractive for him to choose us rather than some other team this time."

Evaluating a player from the Japanese league, however, does present unique challenges. "It isn't like a young Latin American player, you know, is gonna take some time," Rizzo pointed out. "But the idea of trying to figure out if he's big league ready right now."

Rizzo emphasized the importance of considering factors such as the differing playing styles and the adjustment period required for players transitioning from the Japanese league to Major League Baseball. "The ball's different; the feel of the ball is different. The size of the ball is different from the pitch they have. They pitch once a week in Japan," he explained. "So all these things come into play regarding the nurturing process, the developmental process, and even big league-ready guys have to adjust when they come to the States."

With the signing of Ogasawara, the Nationals are committed to strengthening their presence in the Asian market. "It's a fertile market," Rizzo acknowledged. "You can't eliminate any markets because talent is such a luxury that you need to be open to all ways of acquiring players."

This commitment extends beyond player signings. "Having more boots on the ground, seeing more players being more active in scouting the league and scouting them when they're younger," Rizzo outlined. "When they're younger players, you have to have these relationships before the beginning of the posting process..."

Ogasawara himself embodies the potential of this new approach. Rizzo highlighted his strengths, emphasizing his strike-throwing ability and potential for further development. "The strength, if you look at the analytics of the pitcher [Shinnosuke Ogasawara] he doesn't walk many people. He attacks the strike zone," Rizzo stated. "He's the guy that looks for soft contact to go deeper into games and that type of thing."

Furthermore, Rizzo expressed confidence in the team's ability to help Ogasawara refine his game. "Some pitch sequencing and pitch shapes [which is the trajectory of a pitch, describing how it moves in flight, including its speed, horizontal movement, and vertical movement] was something that we're going to discuss with him," he noted. "He will want to pitch more, forcing a fastball up in the zone. I know he was reluctant to do that in the Japanese league. That'll be an asset for him."

Beyond his on-field skills, Rizzo emphasized the importance of Ogasawara's character. "It seems like an energy guy that's a good teammate to have," he observed. "We've researched who his agent is. I know him very well, and he knows the player very well. Has said, what a wonderful kid he is. And by all of our investigations and fact-finding. I think he's gonna be a good part of the ball team, in the clubhouse and the community."

Ultimately, the signing of Ogasawara represents a significant step forward in the Nationals' pursuit of international talent. By cultivating relationships, expanding their scouting network, and leveraging their resources to support player development, the team aims to establish a sustainable pipeline of international talent that will contribute to future success.

In addition to discussing the signing of Ogasawara, Rizzo also touched upon his approach to the Nationals offseason; Rizzo said: "Well, we signed players this year that will help us in the long term that could turn into something long in the short term or the long term. We tried to make a conscious effort to know where we're at right now." Rizzo continued, "We identified players we wanted to sign as free agents or are in the trade market."

Lastly, Rizzo talked about some of the "fresh faces" attending this year's Spring Training Camp, "Well, they've earned the right to be there. They're the next tier of guys in the big leagues. When you come to big league camp and play in the Arizona Fall League, these are all precursors to being big leaguers." He continued, "I think it's important for these young players that are going to be big leaguers for us shortly to get a taste of what it's like in the big leagues, to get it to get a taste for their future teammates and to see what it, what it takes to, to play against major league talent every day in spring training."

Only 26 days until the official start of Spring Training down in West Palm Beach and 18 days until Pitchers and Catchers report.

Who's ready?