The New York Yankees are preparing to pitch themselves to free agent sensation Roki Sasaki this offseason.
Yankees ready to sell their franchise to FA star Roki Sasaki
According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, the Yankees have their ducks in a row for if and when they land a sit down with Sasaki:
“Brian Cashman said the Yankees have a presentation prepared for Roki Sasaki. The team hasn’t been told yet when it’ll get a chance to meet with the Japanese star who grew up a big Masahiro Tanaka fan,” Kuty published on X on Wednesday afternoon.
“‘Big arm with a big desire to be great,’ Cashman said. ‘And I know his intent is to be one of the game’s greatest pitchers on the planet. We certainly would love to participate in allowing that to happen.'”
Sasaki could gift the Yankees with another elite arm
Sasaki has the stuff and the efficiency to be great in the MLB. His fastball has reached 100-plus mph. The Japanese star also owns a career 2.02 ERA and 0.883 WHIP in four international seasons as a professional. Sasaki also threw a perfect game in 2022 and owns the World record for most consecutive strikeouts in a single game with 13.
New York just added a second ace in Max Fried next to 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole on Tuesday. Sasaki could be a second future ace for the Yankees to develop behind both lead men next to 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil.
The Yankees will have to make a concerted pitch if they want to outdo the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers in the running for Sasaki. Having Tanaka present at a potential meeting should add a compatriotic element to their presentation to rival the presence of his fellow countrymen Yu Darvish on the Padres as well as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers.
