Since losing generational offensive force Juan Soto to the New York Mets and the historic, 15-year, $765 million contract the offered him, the New York Yankees have stayed busy. Not discouraged by losing out to their crosstown rival, the Yankees quickly signed lefthanded pitcher Max Fried, closer Devin Williams, and traded for outfielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger.
The Yankees do not appear to be done upgrading the squad that went to the World Series last season, for the first time since 2009. According to recent reports, on December 19 they moved a step closer to acquiring their next pitching target when Yankees executives met with Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old lefthanded starter from Japan whose fastball has been clocked at 102 mph.
Sasaki has pitched four seasons for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Pacific League. In 2024, he posted a 10-5 record, an outstanding 2.35 ERA, with a 1.036 WHIP, and a stellar strikeout to walk ratio of 129 to 32.
Sasaki Won’t Make Decision Based on Future Money
But the Yankees quest to bring Sasaki to the Bronx has set up another offseason competition with the Mets, because the National League team from Flushing, Queens, held a meeting with Sasaki on the same day.
Due to his age which requires him to be classified as an international amateur despite having pitched professionally since 2021, after the Marines drafted him in 2019 with the overall Number One pick out of Ofunato High School in Iwate, a prefecture in northern Japan that is also home to Shohei Ohtani.
His “amatuer” status means that Sasaki is limited to an initial contract of about $5 million. But Sasaki’s agent has warned him not to make a decision on his destination based on the promise of riches down the road.
“My advice to him is don’t make a decision based on [the next contract] because the long-term arc of your career is where you’re going to earn your money,” agent Joel Wolfe told ESPN. “So it’s probably not advisable to make a short-term decision in that regard, to take all of the factors into consideration.”
If his decision is not going to be based on money, then perhaps the free-spending Mets do not have an advantage over the Yankees. But not so fast — according to Nayima Riyaz of Essentially Sports, the Mets’ real advantage may come from their “innovative” approach to pitching.
Mets ‘Innovative’ Approach to Pitching Could Seal Sasaki Deal
“Under new president of baseball operations David Stearns, the Mets have built a reputation for innovation, particularly in pitching development,” write Riyaz. “Their focus on analytics and cutting-edge training could appeal to Sasaki, who has expressed a desire to reach the pinnacle of the sport. If Sasaki prioritizes his development over legacy, the Yankees could find themselves outflanked by their cross-town rivals again.”
Not surprisingly, the Yankees face other competition for Sasaki’s services besides their fellow New York franchise. Sasaki is reported to have already met with officials from the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs, and his is also “believed” according to media accounts, to have sat down with the San Francisco Giants as well.
The Yankees cam take some satisfaction, however, in knowing that their American League arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox have so far been denied a meeting with Sasaki, according to a Boston Globe report.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said he is still holding out hope for the chance to make the Boston case to Sasaki.
“We’ve obviously been engaged and would welcome the opportunity to participate in the process,” Breslow told the Globe, “and hope that we’ll have the chance to do that.”
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. Vankin is also the author of five nonfiction books on a variety of topics, as well as nine graphic novels including most recently “Last of the Gladiators” published by Dynamite Entertainment. More about Jonathan Vankin
