It seems increasingly unlikely that prized international free agent Roki Sasaki will join the Boston Red Sox, with each passing day making that possibility seem more distant.
On Thursday, Sasaki reportedly met with the New York Mets, and the Red Sox received more discouraging news on Friday regarding their pursuit of him. Both New York teams are now heavily involved, with the Yankees also traveling to Los Angeles for a meeting with the Japanese pitcher, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman commented on Sasaki’s talent, saying, “He’s obviously a tremendous talent. It’d be nice to have Yankee Stadium be his home, but the decision will be up to him. All we can do is share everything and anything that we can about ourselves and what we provide.”
The 23-year-old right-handed pitcher, who is expected to hold at least one more in-person meeting with an MLB team before returning to Japan for Christmas, is not scheduled to meet with the Red Sox. Instead, Sasaki was set to meet with the Chicago Cubs on Friday, according to 670 The Score.
With the Dodgers and Padres long considered favorites to land Sasaki, plus the addition of the two New York teams and Chicago in the mix, it seems the Red Sox are now on the outside looking in.
Although the Red Sox were seen as “very serious about making a pitch to the Sasaki team,” as reported by MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, it is unclear if they ever secured an in-person meeting with him. Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, mentioned that his client is looking to sign with a team that has experience with Japanese players and can develop pitchers—areas in which Boston fits well, having successfully worked with Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Koji Uehara, and Junichi Tazawa over the years.
Sasaki, who posted a 2.10 ERA and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings in his four seasons in Japan, will be available at a significantly lower price than other free-agent pitchers, as he is considered an international amateur. However, the Red Sox may have signaled their dwindling chances of signing him by reportedly adding a veteran starting pitcher on Friday.
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