Here are the latest rumors about the Japanese free agent right-hander Roki Sasakiwho is expected to sign with an MLB team in January…
December 19, 6:49 p.m.
A day after the Yankees revealed they planned to meet with Sasaki in person, the Mets met with the right-hander on Thursday. SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported.
The signing window opened for the Japanese star nine days ago and closes on January 23, and it seems likely he won’t be decided until after the New Year and won’t be able to sign until January 15.
Saski can only be signed using money from a team’s international bonus pool, which ranges from $5 million to $7.5 million. The Mets and Yankees have the same amount (just under $6.3 million), but fitness and other factors appear to be a bigger factor for the 23-year-old.
December 18, 1:54 p.m.
The Yankees have an in-person meeting with general manager Sasaki scheduled Brian Cashman he told reporters.
Sasaki is expected to spend the holidays in Japan before returning to the United States before choosing a team.
He will sign between January 15 and 23, when his negotiation window closes.
If the Yankees land Sasaki, it makes sense for them to use a six-man rotation.
New York’s current rotation consists of Gerrit Cole, max fried, Carlos Rodón, luis giland Clarke Schmidt.
December 12, 4:53 p.m.
Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns He said the club has prepared a presentation to introduce Sasaki.
“What I can say is that he’s a really talented pitcher. Whoever gets him is going to have a very talented young pitcher in the future,” Stearns said. “We are certainly going to do our best. It is very difficult in these processes to really understand what a player’s preference is. This is not a normal free agent recruiting process. So we are going to present our presentations and our materials like all the others and we will wait for the comments from your camp.”
When asked if Sasaki might not want to be in a market like New York, Stearns said, “We haven’t gotten that answer yet.”
“We highlighted a variety of different things,” Stearns said of the club’s planned presentation to Sasaki. “The first is who we are as an organization, what we believe in, what we think maybe makes us a little unique compared to other teams that you might be considering. We highlight the various services that we can provide to a player. We highlight our familiarity with the transition from a Japanese starter to the Major League schedule. We highlight our pitching apparatus, our health apparatus, our nutrition apparatus. We want you to know that we have the resources and the capacity to make this transition as smooth as possible.”
December 10, 12:03 p.m.
The Mets and Padres are seen as the “early favorites” for Sasaki, reports Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
According to Bowden, the three things that could influence Sasaki’s decision are his ability to get sponsorships, his desire to win and his desire to join a club that focuses on pitching development.
The Mets can offer all three of those things, and their pitching coach could end up being a determining factor in landing Sasaki.
“I know that the Wasserman Group, which represents it, is very excited Jeremy Hefnerand that has some influence here,” Bowden said.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently noted that the Mets are among a handful of teams expected to be important players for Sasaki.
December 9, 10:47 am
Sasaki will arrive in the MLB for the 2025 season.
The 23-year-old flamethrower has been optioned by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.
His signing window opens on December 10 and closes on January 23.
Both the Mets and Yankees have been linked to Sasaki. And although rumors have linked him to the Dodgers, recent reports have indicated that signing with Los Angeles is not a sure thing.
In addition to the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers, the Padres are viewed as one of the top threats in the Sasaki sweepstakes.
Since Sasaki will be sent down during the 2024-25 offseason and before his 25th birthday, he will be considered an international amateur free agent and will only be able to sign a minor league contract. MLB rules do not allow players under the age of 25 and with fewer than six professional seasons to sign anything other than a minor league contract. His deal would count toward his signing team’s international bonus pool allocation.
Sasaki had a 2.35 ERA, 129 strikeouts and just 32 walks in 111 innings and 18 starts last season. However, he missed some time due to an oblique tear and soreness in his right arm. Over four seasons in the NPB, Sasaki had a 2.10 ERA, 505 strikeouts and 88 walks in 64 starts over 394.2 innings.