Should the Yankees Pursue This Emerging Ace Pitcher?

The Yankees are one of many teams bidding for this young star's services.

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees have another target for their crucial 2024-25 offseason.

After falling just short of signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason, the Bronx Bombers are again turning to Japan for a young, electric ace to anchor their starting rotation for years to come.

According to Erik Boland of Newsday, the Yankees are one of many teams sending scouts to the Land of the Rising Sun to observe the pitching of 22-year-old Roki Sasaki. The 22-year-old right-hander is currently in his fourth season with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.

"The Yankees have had someone in Japan pretty much all season watching Sasaki, a right-hander featuring a 100-mph fastball and elite breaking stuff who, in terms of attention garnered, broke into the international scene during the 2022 World Baseball Classic," Boland wrote. "Among those from the Yankees' scouting department who already have laid in-person eyes on Sasaki — besides Alex Sunderland, the club’s well-regarded pro scout stationed in Tokyo — are Brandon Duckworth and Jay Darnell.

"Pro scouting director Matt Daley already has made one trip to Japan this season and is likely to make another one during the season’s second half to watch Sasaki, as well as the lengthy list of other top players in Nippon Professional Baseball who project as future major-leaguers."

This year’s star Japanese pitcher that has evaluators drooling is Roki Sasaki. More than a few of those believe he has a higher ceiling than last year’s star, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Yankees, among others, have had people in Japan watching all season… https://t.co/MRCdJHiP1k

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) July 7, 2024

This season, Sasaki is 5-2 with a sparkling 1.96 ERA and 0.972 WHIP in 59.2 innings, with 70 strikeouts against just 18 walks. As amazing as these numbers are, they pale in comparison to the 1.78 ERA, 0.747 WHIP, 135 strikeouts, and 17 walks he had last season in 91 innings. In 2022, the electric Japanese righty pitched 129.1 innings with a 2.02 ERA and 0.796 WHIP, with 173 strikeouts against only 23 walks; that season, he pitched a perfect game on April 10 while also striking out 19 batters, 13 of them consecutive. For his career, Sasaki has a 25-12 record with a 1.91 ERA and 0.850 WHIP.

Although Sasaki is not guaranteed to be posted during the offseason, he is widely expected to. Additionally, the amount of money he can sign for is limited, as he will only be 23 years old during the offseason, which subsequently makes him subject to MLB's international signing pools (at age 25, players are no longer subject to them). He'll still be pricey, but with the Yankees possibly looking to shed payroll next year, getting Sasaki on a team-friendly deal would do wonders for their future World Series ambitions.

The Yankees are certainly itching to land him, but the competition will be fierce. They will have to contend with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat out the Yankees for Yamamoto, in addition to landing Shohei Ohtani during the same offseason; they are the favorites to sign Sasaki due to this. There's also the New York Mets, who were a finalist for Yamamoto's services and can easily be the highest bidder due to owner Steve Cohen's deep pockets. The San Diego Padres are also a name to watch thanks to general manager A.J. Preller's aggressiveness in free agency, and he even mentioned Sasaki in a press conference when trying to stress the importance of signing international stars.

Of course, the Yankees also have to sign Juan Soto during the offseason. With the 25-year-old outfielder hitting free agency and looking for a record-setting contract, the Bronx Bombers will be doing everything in their power to keep him in pinstripes; even with Sasaki's incredible talent, Soto is their highest priority by far.

But if the Yankees can secure Soto, then they absolutely should go after Sasaki, who is regarded by many to be an even greater international prospect than Yamamoto was last offseason. Having the 22-year-old phenom pitch alongside Gerrit Cole would give New York arguably the best rotation in the majors and solidify them as a World Series contender for years to come.