The Cubs were expected to have an in-person meeting with Roki Sasaki in Los Angeles on Friday, according to a report from Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, marking the next step in their courtship of the free-agent Japanese phenom.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made it known during the Winter Meetings that the Cubs had already submitted their initial presentation to Sasaki and his agent, Joel Wolfe.
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Chicago already has two other Japanese players on its roster in pitcher Shota Imanaga and outfielder Seiya Suzuki, another Wolfe client.
“Seiya and Shota have had really good experiences,” Hoyer said. “I think we’re an appealing destination for any Japanese player.”
More on Sasaki:
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- Where do front office execs think he’ll sign?
- Sasaki setting up meetings with suitors
- Everything to know about Sasaki
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- The scouting report on Sasaki
- Where does Sasaki rank among top free agents?
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The Cubs have had a busy offseason, headlined by their acquisition of three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Astros. Chicago followed up that deal by trading Cody Bellinger to the Yankees for pitcher Cody Poteet. The Cubs previously added starter Matthew Boyd and catcher Carson Kelly in free agency and reliever Eli Morgan in a trade with the Guardians.
Obviously, there will be stiff competition for Sasaki, who recently met with the Mets and has an in-person meeting scheduled with the Yankees, general manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Wednesday. The Dodgers and Padres have been considered by many as favorites to land Sasaki, but many other teams will be making their pitch in the coming weeks.
