Inside The Mets

Insider Gets Honest About Mets Chances of Signing Roki Sasaki

The New York Mets have their eyes on Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki. But how does he feel about them?

Grant Young

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) celebrates with teammates after the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) celebrates with teammates after the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Perhaps the most compelling player still available in the free agency market is 23-year-old Japanese superstar pitcher Roki Sasaki. He was officially posted on December 10, which means the New York Mets and the other MLB teams are now able to sign him.

It has already been made clear that the Mets are interested in signing Sasaki, who has gone 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394.3 innings across his four seasons spent playing in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league.

However, given Sasaki's generational talent combined with him being able to pitch at a major league minimum salary and receive a $7.55 million signing bonus, the Mets aren't alone in wanting to secure Sasaki's services.

In a December 26 article, the New York Post's Jon Heyman conveyed that the Mets aren't currently at the top of Sasaki's list of potential destinations.

"Both the Yankees and Mets were given meetings with superstar Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki but both surely understand they’re not the favorites here," Heyman wrote. "The Dodgers remain favored, followed by the Padres."

He later added, "The Mets could sell their recent pitching successes... But it’ll be a shock if he doesn’t land on the West Coast."

So while the Mets do seem to have a clear selling point with their ability to develop pitchers (which makes sense for them to boast, given how Sasaki's agency group is "very high" on Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner), it sounds like Heyman believes they're still a long shot to sign the superstar.

But a lot can change between now and mid-January, which is when Sasaki is expected to sign.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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