The Mets, who just won the Juan Soto sweepstakes, are pursuing Aki Sasaki.
The Mets met with the Japanese phenom in Los Angeles on Thursday, becoming the first team to meet Sasaki in person during the free agency process, The Post confirmed.
SNY first reported the development.
The Yankees also confirmed Wednesday that GM Brian Cashman has been granted an in-person visit with Sasaki and plans to visit with the 23-year-old and his agent Joel Wolf “soon.” revealed.
The Mets and Yankees are the only clubs whose meetings have been made public so far.
Each team was invited to submit a virtual presentation, and Sasaki was to host a social gathering with the clubs that advanced to round two.
Little is known about the Mets meeting.
Little is known about how many teams will face Sasaki. Little is known about what Manager Sasaki prioritizes when choosing a team.
It is further known that all 30 MLB teams are showing significant interest.
David Stearns, the Mets' director of baseball operations, came to Japan in September to watch Sasaki pitch.
“We're going to do our best,” Stearns said at last week's winter meetings. “It's very difficult to truly understand a player's preferences in a process like this. This is not a normal free agent recruiting process.”
For the first time since Shohei Ohtani moved to MLB ahead of the 2018 season, Major League Baseball's much-hyped international free agent can only be won through persuasion rather than contract.
Because Sasaki is not 25 years old, he will be treated as an amateur international free agent within the team's international bonus pool.
An ace prospect can only sign a minor league contract (but will definitely be added to a major league roster) and only earn a few million dollars.
If Steve Cohen's wallet doesn't move, the Mets will have to find another way to acquire Sasaki.
Perhaps he wants to be paired with fellow Japanese star Kodai Senga at the top of the rotation.
Perhaps he heard positive reviews from pitchers who have worked with the Mets' pitching infrastructure, led by Jeremy Hefner.
Perhaps he views the Mets as a team on the rise, having acquired Soto after reaching the NLCS.
The current World Series champion Dodgers, who have Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are seen as the favorites to win.
The Padres are believed to be in contention because Sasaki is close to Yu Darvish.
Not much else is known about the right-handed pitching candidate.
Wolf said Sasaki paid attention to the team's “overall success,” its track record with Japanese players and its history of developing pitchers.
Mr. Wolf also suggested that Mr. Sasaki, who has had negative experiences with Japanese media, may prefer a smaller market.
Many Japanese players prefer the West Coast, but Sasaki's preference is unknown.
Sasaki can sign with the team from January 15th, when the international contract period begins.
The Mets have already verbally committed about $5 million (out of a pool of $6.2 million) to 17-year-old Dominican infielder Elian Peña.
They could trade for additional international free agency money, but Sasaki choosing the Mets could lead to him waiving his previous contract.
That would be a welcome problem for the Mets.
They look strong heading into 2025, but are missing arms at the top of the rotation, which includes Chiga, Frankie Montas, David Peterson and Clay Holmes.
Back-end options include Tyler Megill, Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn and Jose Butt.
Sasaki, whose fastball has reached triple digits and whose splitter is considered the best in the world, has pitched 394 innings in NPB with an ERA of 2.10 and 505 strikeouts, and although he is somewhat immature, he is expected to be an ace. He's a player.
