Rosenthal: Blue Jays Met With Sasaki Last Week

Updated Post: Jan. 13 at 9:01 am

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, always the bridesmaid and never the bride, Blue Jays met with sought-after free agent Rōki Sasaki last week.

Sources told Rosenthal the meeting occurred in Toronto, and Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe declined to comment. This is in keeping with the hush-hush, behind-closed-doors style of these high-profile meetings.

The Blue Jays were linked to big names like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto the past couple of years before they signed elsewhere.

Sasaki’s market has already impacted the international free agent class. Because the righty is expected to sign between January 15 (when the international signing period opens) and January 23 (the last day of Sasaki’s posting window), teams are delaying commitments to other prospects or weighing trades with other clubs involving international trash, per Will Sammon of The Athletic.

According to Sammon, some teams, like the Padres, told players they were expected to sign that they were free to seek deals elsewhere. The Dodgers even told players to consider signing as part of the following year’s international class if the team happens to land Sasaki and can’t afford the other players they committed to via handshake deal.

All to say, Sasaki looks to be a generational player. His age and status have already caused a stir this offseason in more ways than one, and it’ll be exciting to see where he lands in the coming week.

Original Post: Dec 30. at 8:52 pm

Joel Wolfe, the agent for the Japanese stud free-agent starting pitcher Rōki Sasaki, held a press conference call Monday, informing the media that Sasaki has received presentations from 20 MLB teams. Wolfe did not name each team.

“It was like the Rōki Film Festival,” Wolfe said. Sasaki gave teams he met with an unspecified homework assignment to test their communication and analysis skills. Sasaki, who is now back in Japan, can sign with an MLB team as soon as January 15, when the international signing period opens. However, Wolfe believes that his client will sign sometime between then and his January 23 deadline (45 days from being officially posted).

“He is driving the ship and calling the shots,” Wolfe said, noting Sasaki might “want to visit one or two cities as he tries to finalize the decision-making process.” So far, the 23-year-old pitcher has only met teams in his agent’s offices in Los Angeles.

Both the Mets and the Yankees have already met with Sasaki. The Dodgers are seen as the favorites to land the phenom pitcher, partially with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the roster. Wolfe said Sasaki requested that no team include any of their players in the recruiting visits.

Sasaki is looking “long-term” with a “global” outlook, valuing teams he believes develop pitchers well. The Mets and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner have been complimented industry-wide for their ability to do just that.

SNY’s Andy Martino spoke with Wolfe after his presser and reported that market size is not a factor in the decision-making process.

Sasaki made news earlier this offseason when he decided to pitch in America in 2025, as opposed to 2027 (his age-25 season), when he could earn a contract north of $200 million. Ohtani was in a similar situation when he signed with the Angels in 2017.

“He’s a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here just to be rich,” Wolfe said. “He wants to be one of the greatest ever.”

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