Inside The Mets

Roki Sasaki's Agent Asserts Potential Advantage Mets Have in Signing Him

Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki's agent relayed something New York Mets fans will love to hear on December 30.

Grant Young

Dec 10, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Agent Joel Wolfe, agent for Roki Sasaki, speaks with the media at Hilton Anatole. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Dec 10, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Agent Joel Wolfe, agent for Roki Sasaki, speaks with the media at Hilton Anatole. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
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23-year-old Japanese superstar phenom Roki Sasaki was posted earlier this month, which means the New York Mets (and the rest of MLB) are now able to pitch him on their respective teams before his signing window opens on January 15.

In a December 26 article, the New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote, "The Mets could sell their recent pitching successes... But it’ll be a shock if [Sasaki] doesn’t land on the West Coast."

This was surely disheartening for Mets fans to hear. However, a recent update that Sasaki's agent provided when speaking with media on December 30 paints a much more positive picture when it comes to the Mets signing Sasaki.

A December 30 article from SNY's Andy Martino included a series of updates and desires Sasaki had when picking an MLB team (which were shared by Wolfe). This list wrote:

"- Sasaki, who is very much in charge of this process, asked that all meetings be held at the Wasserman agency’s Los Angeles offices. He also asked that no players attend the meetings.
"- Sasaki is currently in Japan with his family, mulling over his upcoming decision.
"- Sasaki might meet with one or two more teams, or soon begin to eliminate teams. The latter seems somewhat more likely.
"- Wolfe does not expect that Sasaki will sign with a team when the international signing period begins on Jan. 15. He will likely make his decision between that date and Jan. 23, the deadline of his posting process.
"- Wolfe said that Sasaki is driven to be the best, and is prioritizing teams whose pitching programs will make him better."

This final point is perhaps the most important for the Mets, because The Athletic's Jim Bowden said during a December 9 appearance on CBS Sports, “I know that the Wasserman Group, who are representing [Sasaki], are very high on [Mets pitching coach] Jeremy Hefner, and that does have some influence here."

In summary, we know that Sasaki is prioritizing teams with good pitcher development and that he and his team are big fans of those in charge of the Mets' pitcher development.

Perhaps the Mets should be seen as bigger favorites in the Sasaki sweepstakes.

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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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