Blue Jays met with Sasaki in Toronto
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The Toronto Blue Jays met with free agent right-hander Roki Sasaki in Toronto, TSN Blue Jays Reporter Scott Mitchell has confirmed.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough reported earlier on Monday the Jays hosted Sasaki in Toronto last week.
"No one is calling them favourites at this point but they've got a horse in the race. Spending multiple days in the city, which he just wrapped up recently, so close to when a decision is due is not something he'd do for fun," Mitchell wrote Monday in a post on X.
In December, Mitchell reported the Jays were likely to be "all-in" on Sasaki.
Sasaki, a 23-year-old Japanese starter who has been on the radar of MLB teams for years, can sign with a team beginning on Wednesday when the new international signing period opens. His posting ends Jan. 23, so he is likely to make his decision between those two dates. Because he is not over the age of 25, he will be only be able to receive a minor-league deal in addition to a signing bonus that would be capped at just under $8 million.
Rosenthal and McCullough note the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs are among the team believed to be pursuing him in addition to Toronto.
Later on Monday, reports emerged that Sasaki communicated to members of the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Mets that he will not be signing with their respective teams.
Rosenthal and McCullough write that the Jays "do not seem an obvious fit" for Sasaki, who is believed to be prioritizing pitching development in his decision making. As Rosenthal and McCullough point out, the last homegrown pitcher to make 30 starts in back-to-back seasons was right-hander Marcus Stroman during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Despite that, Rosenthal and McCullough make mention of lefty Yusei Kikuchi's time with the Blue Jays and says Sasaki could be drawing on the experience of fellow Japanese players.
Of course, Sasaki is one of many big names pursued by the Blue Jays this off-season, none of which have actually landed in Toronto. The Blue Jays were reported to have serious interest in Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Teoscar Hernandez, and others, but so far have only signed relievers Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia and Josh Walker.
Sasaki is the No. 2 ranked player on TSN's Top 75 MLB Free Agents list released in November. The 23-year-old went 10-5 last season for Nippon Professional Baseball's Chiba Lotte Marines, recording a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111.0 innings.