Yankees out of the Sasaki sweepstakes (source)
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochThe Yankees have been informed that Japanese standout Roki Sasaki will not be signing with them, a source confirmed to MLB.com¡¯s Mark Feinsand on Monday.
Sasaki, 23, has drawn interest from numerous teams, including the Blue Jays, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Padres and Rangers. San Francisco has also been told that it is out of the competition for the right-hander¡¯s services.
A Yankees contingent recently flew to Los Angeles to meet with Sasaki and his agent, Joel Wolfe, making the Bombers one of eight clubs known to have been invited for in-person sessions. Sasaki then returned home to Japan to consider his choices.
The Athletic reported that Sasaki has recently visited with the Blue Jays and Padres.
Since Sasaki is classified as an international amateur free agent, Wednesday is the first date that he can sign with a club. His posting window will close on Jan. 23.
Wielding a fastball that has been clocked at speeds up to 100 mph, Sasaki has posted a 30-15 record and 2.02 ERA in four seasons for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League.
¡°He¡¯s obviously a tremendous talent,¡± general manager Brian Cashman said in December. ¡°I saw him pitch in person, but he was coming back from a rehab [assignment]. I¡¯ve seen his videos over the course of time; I¡¯ve seen his scouting reports come across in the course of time. He¡¯s extremely talented, no doubt about it. He has a chance to be one of the world¡¯s great pitchers.¡±
Cashman said at the time that the club¡¯s pitch to Sasaki would be ¡°candid¡± and ¡°transparent,¡± including a detailed explanation of how Sasaki could improve and further refine his abilities under the Yankees' watch.
¡°It¡¯s our one shot to separate ourselves,¡± Cashman said. ¡°If there is, for instance, West Coast bias, the only way to overcome that is [explain] how we can help support him in any way, shape or form we can, and so we will be very transparent. And if that still doesn¡¯t get us the player, then so be it.
¡°But we want to put ourselves in the best position to let him know that we¡¯re here to support and help him to become the best version of himself that he possibly can.¡±
One area that may have worked against the Yankees is their media market -- the Mets, similarly, are not expected to land Sasaki.
Wolfe said in December that Sasaki had issues dealing with members of the Japanese press, who scrutinized his movements on and off the field. Wolfe suggested that Sasaki may benefit from the environment of a smaller market. Asked specifically about New York, Wolfe later said that he believed Sasaki ¡°could handle it.¡±
The Yankees have an international bonus pool allotment of $6,261,600, which can now be used on other prospects. Their rotation for the upcoming season currently has six starters, with Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rod¨®n, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman all set to report to Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 11.