Will Roki Sasaki’s admiration for Masahiro Tanaka provide an edge for Yankees’ pursuit of ace pitcher?

Yankees are in hot pursuit of Roki Sasaki, as pitcher makes his entrance in MLB world after international posting.

Will Roki Sasaki’s admiration for Masahiro Tanaka provide an edge for Yankees’ pursuit of ace pitcher?

Roki Sasaki (Image via Baseball America)

The MLB teams have started sending their presentations to Japanese ace pitcher Roki Sasaki and his agent Joel Wolfe. All of the teams are interested in being willing to spend dollars and woo him with their club atmosphere to land the pitcher from the international market.

Among them, the names of three teams are coming up the most as of now – the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Each has its own Japanese connection to woo Sasaki with the Yankees having a relationship with his idol.

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Roki Sasaki’s agent shared during a press conference that Masahiro Tanaka is one of his idols growing up. Whether the pinstripes will have Tanaka be a part of the negotiation talks is still unknown, but they can be a likely destination for the rookie star.

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The Cubs, on the other hand, have Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga to think they’re an “appealing destination for any Japanese player.” LA Dodgers have two-way superstars, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as their connections to be appealing to Sasaki. 

Yankees’ Brian Cashman believes the pinstripes have what it takes to land Sasaki and will go all in for their bid. After losing Juan Soto in the free agency, they are moving on to add star players in the lineup for their boost in 2025 season.

This is a tremendous place to play. It’s a winning culture historically and on a consistent basis. Year in and year out, a team that’s a playoff-caliber team and that takes a chance at a championship. Playing in front of packed houses and in arguably one of the greatest cities in the world.

Brian Cashman said as per Mark W. Sanchez of NY Post.com

Having positive experiences with Tanaka, Hideki Matsui, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hiroki Kuroda can provide an edge to the pinstripes. As per reports, the Yankees have announced they got pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international signing bonus pool money in exchange for catcher Carlos Narvaez. 

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Roki Sasaki

Controversies emerged, as many believed the team would use the international pool money to get Roki Sasaki. Since Sasaki is joining the major league at 23, he’ll sign a contract ranging from $5.1 million to $7.5 million. He’ll be restricted to MLB rules as an international amateur player.

Roki Sasaki’s agent feels a “soft landing” in MLB is better for pitcher

Roki Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, feels that after a harsh Japanese media experience, a “smaller mid-market” would be more beneficial to him “as a soft landing from Japan.” Although it’s uncertain how Sasaki will take his entrance into the major leagues and currently is available to hear from all teams, regardless.

Roki Sasaki
Roki Sasaki [Image Credit: NY Times]

As for contract restrictions, Wolfe advised the 23-year-old to focus on his MLB debut as it’s the first step towards his major league career. He believes Sasaki can sign any high-end contracts in the long term, but for now, the focus should remain to make a smooth sailing.

A lot of people jumped on board there creating some false rumors about him and his family. It was very detrimental to his mental state.

Joel Wolfe as per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.com.
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Wolfe commented on how the media in Japan and not Japanese media overall have affected Sasaki mentally. He expressed his disappointment towards the media as it put a great deal of pressure on the young star amid his international debut buzz. The signing will be over by January 15, but which team will land the star is still a question.