Yankees Trade Rumors: Franchise shows keen interest in Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki

Baseball: World Baseball Classic - Semifinal Japan vs Mexico
Baseball: World Baseball Classic - Semifinal Japan vs Mexico (Image source - IMAGN)

The New York Yankees reportedly have their eyes set on emerging Japanese pitcher, Roki Sasaki. It's been a while since the Yankees have signed a Japanese talent and they're also looking for a way to improve their pitching, so Sasaki seems to be the perfect choice.

The Yankees lost the pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Dodgers' $325 million deal last offseason. So, they turned their eyes towards Marcus Stroman instead. Similarly, it seems that signing Sasaki would also involve some competition.

According to Erik Boland of Newsday, the Yankees had their pro scout, Alex Sunderland, evaluate Roki Sasaki. He was also accompanied by his fellow scouting department members, Brandon Duckworth and Jay Darnell. Even pro scouting director, Matt Daley plans to make a trip in the season's second half to observe Sasaki.

The buzz has been quite evident among major league clubs, ever since Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post revealed that Roki Sasaki will eventually join the MLB.

“Because he is so eager and because MLB teams are so eager for what he can offer, Sasaki seems almost certain to eschew tradition by pushing to leave for the United States sooner than almost any other Nippon Professional Baseball player has," Janes said.

However, it's still uncertain when he will decide to switch to the major league and come to the United States.

Roki Sasaki is drawing a lot of attention from MLB

Roki Sasaki has become the talk of the town despite a recent right arm injury. Many MLB teams are scrambling to position themselves for a potential bidding war.

Few pitchers possess his raw talent and potential, and a pre-25 signing would offer a significant cost advantage compared to established stars. This bargain factor, combined with his dominant 1.96 ERA and a strikeout per inning, makes him a steal.

The Los Angeles Dodgers might be the biggest threat to the Yankees. The dream of a pitching trio featuring Sasaki alongside Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a prospect no baseball fan can ignore.

The San Diego Padres, with AJ Preller, were vocal about their pursuit of Sasaki, and are hungry for international talent. The New York Mets, fresh off pursuing another Japanese star, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are also ready to pounce.

Scouts are already in Japan, and they're utterly focused on a player like Sasaki, who could become the face of their franchise.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash
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