The New York Yankees are leaving no stones unturned in free agency, even if that means flying their front office to Southern California to meet with coveted players and their agents — twice.
Undaunted by their failed pursuit of slugger Juan Soto, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Wednesday in New York that he's scheduled an in-person meeting with pitcher Roki Sasaki and his agent in Southern California.
"I'm just happy we have an opportunity," Cashman told reporters, including Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record. "He has a chance to be one of the world's great pitchers. (It) would be nice to have Yankee Stadium be his home."
Because Sasaki is 23 years old and lacks the requisite experience pitching at the highest level in Japan, he is limited to a signing bonus within a team's international amateur spending pool limit. Salary is effectively a non-issue for teams interested in signing Sasaki.
Typically, the Yankees are able to outspend teams in free agency — which is what made Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets so stunning to the Yankees and their fan base.
More news: Why Juan Soto Chose the Mets: Former GM Sets Record Straight
The Yankees might be at a disadvantage in their pursuit of Sasaki for another reason.
"I think there's an argument to be made that a small- or mid-market team might be more beneficial to him as a soft landing coming from Japan, given what he's been through and not having an enjoyable experience with the media (in Japan)," agent Joel Wolfe told reporters last week in Dallas.
Sasaki is arguably the most talented pitcher available this winter at any price.
When he was 20, Sasaki threw a 19-strikeout perfect game for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2022. In his next start, he threw eight more perfect innings in a row. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, his fastball sat 100 mph. Last season, Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts for Chiba Lotte, with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
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