The Yankees and Mets are interested in Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, but the New York clubs might not have the edge they were expected to possess.
At last week’s Winter Meetings, Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said, “I think there’s an argument to be made that a small- or midmarket team might be more beneficial for him as a soft landing coming from Japan.”
Because he’s only 23, Sasaki falls under the international bonus pool rules, meaning every team is capped at about the same dollar amount for what it could offer and they will have to present Sasaki with the best environment for his baseball and personal life.
Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, “All of those factors have left observers believing the Yankees, as well as the Mets, could be underdogs when it comes to landing Sasaki.”
In Sasaki’s lead up to free agency, the Dodgers were considered his most likely landing spot. The Padres have also entered the pursuit.
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