The Mets on Thursday had a meeting with free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki, according to Andy Martino of SNY.
This is the second team publicly revealed to be meeting with the Japanese ace, with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman telling reporters on Wednesday that they have a meeting scheduled with the right-hander
Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, told reporters that his client will speak with teams at a central location in the United States before returning to Japan for the holidays. He may return to the U.S. after to see the cities of the finalist teams.
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.
Sasaki’s posting period opened up on Dec. 9, and he has to sign by Jan. 23, but cannot do so prior to Jan 15. By then, all 30 teams’ bonus pools will be reset at what is around $7 million.
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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