ROKI SASAKI'S AGENT SPILLS THE TEA. DECISION LOOMING.

The baseball world is buzzing as Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki is in the driver’s seat of his MLB journey. With an impressive 20 teams vying for his talents, the pitcher’s agent, Scott Wolfe, dropped some important info about what’s next for Sasaki and his highly anticipated decision.

Here’s the scoop: Sasaki isn’t just another prospect being wooed—he’s the captain of his own ship. Wolfe revealed that Sasaki has asked for players from interested teams to sit out the recruitment process. Yep, no star-studded Zoom calls or locker room tours for this guy. It’s all about the pitching...pun intended.

So far, 20 teams have made their case to land the young ace, but the field is about to shrink. Sasaki is expected to start cutting down his options soon, with possible second meetings for the lucky finalists. His top priority? Teams with killer development programs. Translation: franchises that know how to take a talent like Sasaki and turn him into the superstar he’s destined to be.

Projections for Sasaki’s deal hover around four years and $10 million. That feels modest for the phenom. And all this talk reminds me of the cautionary tale of Kei Igawa. Remember when the Yankees were eyeing Daisuke Matsuzaka back in the day, only for the Red Sox to snag him? The Yanks ended up with Igawa instead, and, well...let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.

Back then, the Red Sox dropped a jaw-dropping $51 million just for the chance to negotiate with Matsuzaka. Meanwhile, Yankees GM Brian Cashman landed Igawa, a “back-of-the-rotation starter” and later a “potential middle reliever”. Igawa, sadly, didn’t live up to even those tempered hopes.

But Sasaki? He’s a whole different story. This time for the Yankees and a Japanese pitcher it’s about writing a new chapter.

For teams like the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and other contenders, patience is the name of the game. Wolfe hinted that a decision might not come until January 23. That’s right—there’s still time for fans to speculate, dream, and maybe even stress a little.

So, buckle up. The Roki Sasaki saga is just heating up, and whether he ends up in pinstripes, blue and orange, or somewhere else entirely, one thing’s for sure: this young pitcher is a game-changer in the making.

Stay tuned.