Roki Sasaki has begun to take in-person meetings with MLB teams, and the first two clubs he has chosen to met with will certainly spark speculation.
Sasaki met with both the New York Mets and New York Yankees on Thursday in Los Angeles, according to Jon Heyman and Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post. There was no immediate word on how the meetings proceeded, or how many more clubs will get the chance to speak to Sasaki.
Bruce Levine of 670 The Score did report that Sasaki was meeting with the Chicago Cubs on Friday, but no other known meetings have taken place yet. It also is not known how many teams will even get the chance to make their pitch to Sasaki and his camp.
One of the top young pitchers in Japan, Sasaki will be on the market as an amateur free agent, so no team will have a financial advantage in trying to sign him. That means Sasaki will be heavily swayed by factors like development and environment, making these meetings hugely important. One West Coast team has been named as a favorite to sign him, but they do not appear to have been able to make their pitch yet.
This does mean that the Yankees and Mets will be going head-to-head for another top free agent. The Mets scored a definitive win in the most high-profile battle, so the Yankees would relish a win here. In reality, there is a good chance that neither of them are favorites at this point.
