One could argue that the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are bigger than the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Soto eventually picked the New York Mets over the New York Yankees, leaving the Bronx in a surprise move.
Money talked at the end of the day.
Regarding Sasaki, unlike Soto, there isn’t anything the Mets or Yankees can do. Sasaki can only sign for up to $7.5 million due to international signing rules, meaning the Yankees can’t give him a $400 million deal and walk out the room.
Sasaki’s decision is expected to come between Jan. 15, when the new international signing period opens, and Jan. 23, when Sasaki’s window will close. It’s uncertain where he’ll sign yet, but Pete Caldera predicted the Mets would win the sweepstakes over the Yankees, making it the second time this winter.
“Defeated again by their crosstown rivals this winter, the Yankees are stunned as Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, 23, chooses the Mets,” Caldera wrote on January 2.
Sasaki’s Agent Speaks on His Free Agency
Sasaki’s free agency is much different than the typical one. That could benefit or hurt the New York Yankees.
At the very least, it allows them to show the right-hander what the organization is about and guarantee he isn’t just coming to the Bronx for money.
Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, spoke about his free agency recently, saying his client is looking for multiple things, including pitching development.
“He doesn’t seem to look at it in the typical way that other players do,” Wolfe said, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. “He has a more long-term, global view of things. I believe Roki is also very interested in the pitching development and how a team is going to help him get better, both in the near future and over the course of his career.
“He didn’t seem overly concerned about whether a team had Japanese players on their team or not, which, in the past, when I represented Japanese players, that was sometimes an issue. That was never a topic of discussion.”
Matt Blake, the Yankees pitching coach, has been regarded as one of the best in baseball. That needs to be a selling point.
Regarding the money, even Wolfe acknowledged that Sasaki isn’t coming to Major League Baseball to get rich quick. He wants to be great and challenge himself along the way.
“Roki is by no means a finished product,” Wolfe said. “He knows it, and the teams know it. He’s incredibly talented; we all know that. But he is a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here just to be rich or get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever. I see that now, and he’s articulated it. And to be that, he knows he has to challenge himself.”
Yankees Among Teams Granted a Meeting With Sasaki
The New York Yankees have met with Sasaki, but not every team was given that opportunity.
According to Gonzalez, reports indicated the Yankees were one of a handful of teams the flame thrower has met with.
“Various reports have listed the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants among the teams that were granted initial meetings, none of which has been confirmed by Sasaki’s camp,” Gonzalez wrote.
There seems to be competition, but the Yankees have a lot on their side with their rich history.
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Yankees Predicted to Lose Another Superstar Free Agent to Mets