The Yankees don’t know exactly where they stand in the arms race for Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, but they do know one thing.
They’ve made it further in this process than they did in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes seven years ago.
The Yankees have been granted an in-person meeting with Sasaki, general manager Brian Cashman confirmed Wednesday, which is a stage they never got to with Ohtani.
“He’s obviously a tremendous talent,” Cashman said of Sasaki after Max Fried’s introductory press conference at Yankee Stadium.
“I saw him pitch in person, but he was coming back from a rehab. I’ve seen, obviously, his videos over the course of time. I’ve seen his scouting reports come across over 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.”
Sasaki, 23, is a highly coveted commodity after the Chiba Lotte Marines posted him last week. He is eligible only for a minor-league contract since he is under 25 and has played fewer than six professional seasons, thus classifying him as an international amateur.
Teams bidding on Sasaki can therefore only pull from their international signing bonus pools, which range from $5.1 million to $7.6 million. The Yankees began the offseason with an allotment of about $6.3 million.
That means Sasaki, who hurls a 100-mph fastball and nasty splitter, has a chance to be one of baseball’s best bargains.
Sasaki pitched to a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394.2 innings over four seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. He also stood out as a starter for Team Japan during its run to the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship.
It’s unknown how many teams have been granted a meeting with Sasaki, whom Cashman said the Yankees plan to visit with soon in California.
“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 [to show] how we can help support him in any way, shape or form we can. We will be very transparent, and if that still doesn’t get us the player, so be it.”
Ohtani followed the same path to the majors but did not grant an in-person meeting with the Yankees or any other East Coast team before signing with the Los Angeles Angels before the 2018 season.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was 25 when he left Japan, allowing him to sign a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.
Last week, Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, suggested his flame-throwing client could benefit from joining a small-market or mid-market team after negative experiences with the media in Japan.
Asked if he believed he had a legitimate chance to sign Sasaki, Cashman replied, “All I can tell you is I appreciate having the opportunity to connect, and then after that, ultimately it’s an individual choice.”
CLOSER CALL
Yankees manager Aaron Boone plans to deploy the newly acquired Devin Williams as his closer this season, he confirmed Wednesday.
It was an expected decision, considering Williams owns the second-lowest ERA (1.83), the second-lowest batting average against (.156) and the fourth-highest strikeout rate (14.32 per nine innings) among qualified relievers since 2019.
The move shifts Luke Weaver back to a setup role after he excelled as the Yankees’ closer during their run to the World Series.
“Luke Weaver turned into a monster in the pen last year,” Boone said. “I think that’s who he can be moving forward, so to have him and now bringing in Devin, who’s obviously been about as dominant a closer as there’s been over the last several years, is only gonna serve us well.”
Boone said he has spoken with Weaver since the team’s addition of Williams, who was the National League’s Reliever of the Year in 2020 and 2023 with the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Yankees traded starter Nestor Cortes and minor-league infielder Caleb Durbin to acquire Williams.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT
Shortly after attending Fried’s press conference at Yankee Stadium, Boone lent a helping hand Wednesday at a “pop-up” food and toy distribution at NYPD’s 44th Precinct in the Bronx.
Boone helped distribute items at an event in which 500 neighborhood families received fresh produce and shelf-stable pantry goods from the Food Bank For New York City, as well as toys from the NYPD.
Attendees also received a $25 voucher for local C-Town and Bravo supermarkets.
“It’s a chance to do something in the Bronx, where I work; a place that’s so important to the Yankees,” Boone told the Daily News. “Especially this time of year, to … help brighten someone’s day or even holiday season, to get to play a small role is a privilege.”
It’s the third year in a row Boone and the Yankees have teamed up with the 44th Precinct and the Food Bank for New York City for the event.
