Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old pitching phenomenon from Japan, reportedly met with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, making the defending World Series champions the sixth team Sasaki has sat down with for a face-to-face interview. But the first team reported to have met with Sasaki was the New York Yankees, who are looking to sign the highly-prized free agent to complete the upgrade of their roster following the departure of Juan Soto.
Now, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, who spent 16 years as general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, has revealed what he believes are the nine requirements the Yankees – or any team – must meet if they hope to secure Sasaki’s services on the mound in 2025 and beyond. Sasaki will weigh the following nine factors is making his decision on his MLB destination, or whether he will return to Japan and continue pitching for the Chiba Lotte Marines until he can be posted as a free agent once again, according to Bowden in a piece for The Athletic. Here are those requirements, and whether the Yankees can meet them.
1. Sasaki will evaluate a team’s future chances of winning, both immediately and long-term. The Yankees won the American League pennant last season, so they have proven their ability to win. 2. He will take a team’s farm system into account. The Yankees have the 29th-ranked system of the 30 MLB organizations, according to Bleacher Report. Not great. 3. A team’s financial resources will factor in as well – also not a problem for the Bronx Bombers, who head into the 2025 season with the highest payroll in baseball, according to Spotrac.
4. How good is a team’s “pitching room?” With reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole and new free agent signing Max Fried in the fold, pitching also appears to be a Yankee strength. More MLB: Diamondbacks Reportedly Interested in Two-Time All-Star Reliever 5. The team’s analytics department. The Yankees, along with the Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays are considered among MLB’s elite users of analytics. 6. Sasaki wants to live in an interesting city with plenty of cultural resources and other amenities. The Big Apple certainly qualifies and in one recent survey ranked as the world’s best city overall.
4. How good is a team’s “pitching room?” With reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole and new free agent signing Max Fried in the fold, pitching also appears to be a Yankee strength. More MLB: Diamondbacks Reportedly Interested in Two-Time All-Star Reliever 5. The team’s analytics department. The Yankees, along with the Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays are considered among MLB’s elite users of analytics. 6. Sasaki wants to live in an interesting city with plenty of cultural resources and other amenities. The Big Apple certainly qualifies and in one recent survey ranked as the world’s best city overall.
9. A team must show that it fosters a “family” environment and would be welcoming to Sasaki’s own family. Whether the Yankees meet that requirement remains to be seen. If Bowden’s list of requirements is accurate, the Yankees look like they are in a prime position to sign the young fireballer, who struck out 129 in 111 innings last season with Chiba.
