{"id":24804,"date":"2025-01-09T08:20:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T08:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804"},"modified":"2025-01-09T08:20:21","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T08:20:21","slug":"breaking-mets-reportedly-in-line-to-sign-no-2-ranked-international-free-agent-if-they-miss-out-on-sasaki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mets
Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For multiple reasons, the New York Mets seemed like a solid landing spot for star Japanese free-agent pitcher Roki Sasaki. His agent even praised their player development staff and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner publicly and left the door open to sign in Queens.<\/p>\n

Mets falling out of the race for Roki Sasaki<\/h2>\n

The situation has changed, though. Right now, the West Coast teams are the favorites to land Sasaki, and the Mets and the industry are growing pessimistic about their chances of landing the potential generational pitcher.<\/p>\n

\"Mets
Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If they land Sasaki, the Mets would be adding a potential ace for years to come on a very low salary. If they don\u2019t, which is where things are apparently heading, they will make an impact, too.<\/p>\n

Mets expected to sign No. 2 ranked international free agent<\/h2>\n

According to SNY\u2019s Joe DeMayo, the Mets have a backup plan in the international free-agent market if they are unable to land Sasaki:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Mets indeed do not land Roki Sasaki, they will still be making a very big splash in international free agency,\u201d DeMayo wrote on X. \u201c@BaseballAmerica\u2019s #2 ranked international free agent, Dominican SS Elian Pe\u00f1a is expected to sign with the Mets for ~$5 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mets are betting big on Elian<\/strong> Pe\u00f1a<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Mets are going to allocate most of their international bonus pool money slot to Pe\u00f1a, a left-handed hitting shortstop who has loads of potential at 17 years old.<\/p>\n

MLB Pipeline\u2019s scouting report on Pe\u00f1a highlights his abilities both on and off the field:<\/p>\n

\u201cEvaluators rave about his off-the-field makeup and in-game savvy, believing he has legitimate five-tool impact potential across the board.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mets would be getting a bat-first prospect with an exciting ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cPena\u2019s hit tool is his calling card. Equipped with oodles of bat speed from the left side, he complements his propensity to hit the ball hard with some of the most advanced plate discipline seen on the international scene in years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s rare for a prospect so young to have a keen eye for the zone, but Pena routinely puts it on display while spraying the ball to all fields when he does cut it loose. The power is expected to come on as he continues to mature and adapt to the routine of pro ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact, bat speed, some power, and plate discipline \u2014 that sounds very much like Juan Soto, the Mets superstar, when he was a prospect. It\u2019s an unfair and not entirely accurate comp, but Pe\u00f1a can definitely have himself a nice career if he works hard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If they fail to sign Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, the New York Mets will sign top Latin American shortstop Elian Pe\u00f1a to a bonus around $5 million<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":24807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If they fail to sign Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, the New York Mets will sign top Latin American shortstop Elian Pe\u00f1a to a bonus around $5 million\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-09T08:20:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-52.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804\",\"name\":\"BREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-52.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-09T08:20:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-09T08:20:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d8919f80fe19b5d17fd5541862a7b37\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-52.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-52.jpg\",\"width\":1300,\"height\":1500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"BREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d8919f80fe19b5d17fd5541862a7b37\",\"name\":\"MsNga\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddc5cc36b52e56e3c9aa09d60c7293d0b8a7d5eb4bfe93f637ffa8cb25ea8ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddc5cc36b52e56e3c9aa09d60c7293d0b8a7d5eb4bfe93f637ffa8cb25ea8ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsNga\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=5\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"BREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"BREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki - NEWS USA","og_description":"If they fail to sign Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, the New York Mets will sign top Latin American shortstop Elian Pe\u00f1a to a bonus around $5 million","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-01-09T08:20:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1300,"height":1500,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-52.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MsNga","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsNga","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804","name":"BREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-52.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-09T08:20:21+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-09T08:20:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d8919f80fe19b5d17fd5541862a7b37"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-52.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-52.jpg","width":1300,"height":1500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=24804#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"BREAKING: Mets reportedly in line to sign No. 2-ranked international free agent if they miss out on Sasaki"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d8919f80fe19b5d17fd5541862a7b37","name":"MsNga","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddc5cc36b52e56e3c9aa09d60c7293d0b8a7d5eb4bfe93f637ffa8cb25ea8ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddc5cc36b52e56e3c9aa09d60c7293d0b8a7d5eb4bfe93f637ffa8cb25ea8ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsNga"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=5"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24804"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24808,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24804\/revisions\/24808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}