So there's a chance? Phillies might have shot at Roki Sasaki thanks to Mets, Yankees

After it was reported that the top Japanese star would prefer a West Coast team, the Phillies' chances improved thanks to other big market East Coast teams.

Samurai Japan Training Session
Samurai Japan Training Session | Gene Wang/GettyImages

One of the top three free agents of 2024 is beginning to narrow down his choices for where he's going to sign, and the early news bodes well for the Philadelphia Phillies. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman publicly stated that the team and former Chiba Lotte standout Roki Sasaki will meet "soon," per MLB.com, while the New York Mets reportedly met with the right-hander on Thursday, according to SNY's Andy Martino.

The 23-year-old prospect is in the middle of his 45-day signing window, where he can meet with teams before having to ultimately make his decision before Jan. 23. Sasaki is eligible for the 2025 international free agency class, which comes with a max contract of around $7.5 million. This low figure will keep many more teams in the running for the top talent and place much more emphasis on role, state of the club, and the pitch the team can deliver.

The Mets and Yankees just opened the door a bit more for East Coast teams

After many media outlets reported that the Japanese star would prefer a West Coast club, Sasaki's agent Joel Wolfe denied the claim: "It’s possible geography could have an impact, but he’s never brought that up... Playing on the East Coast, wouldn't seem to be an issue."

It seems as though Sasaki is entering into his posting period much differently than his predecessor Shohei Ohtani who made it clear he preferred the West and a bigger market team before landing with the Los Angeles Angels.

With the Mets and Yankees kicking off the confirmed meetings with Sasaki, the Phillies now have some leverage, knowing that he will at least be on the East Coast for a period of time and should be able to snag a meeting with him due to their recent success and attractive landing spot for a young pitcher.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski reaffirmed the fact that everybody hoped that the Phillies are obviously interested in one of the top young talents of the past decade, but also that every team is interested so it will take time and a little prayer for the former Team Japan ace to be interested in setting up a meeting and talking out the positives of joining their organization.

The Phillies are still not seen as a favorite to sign Sasaki, but some reporters have higher hopes than fans about adding the starter. While it is great to see not only that the Phillies are in the mix for top-end talent, but other organizations who don't necessarily have the resources to acquire new players year in and year out, although that leaves the door open for the nightmare destinations as well.

Before Ohtani inked his deal with the Angels back in 2017, there was little to no media favoring him ending up on that side of LA. With Sasaki seemingly undecided, this is an incredible opportunity to steal control of a young, valuable arm.

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