Blue Jays host 23-year-old star Japanese pitcher for meeting in Toronto: report
The Toronto Blue Jays might not have the most successful front office in the major leagues, but it’s certainly not for a lack of trying.
Today, the Blue Jays were linked to another high-profile free agent, with 23-year-old free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki the latest possible member of the team.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough, Sasaki met with members of the Blue Jays brass in Toronto last week.
“Club officials last week hosted prized Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki in Toronto, sources briefed on the meetings told The Athletic,” the duo wrote in an article published on Monday morning.
The pair of writers noted that Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe declined to comment on their report.
Who is Roki Sasaki, the Blue Jays’ latest interest?
While he has yet to make the move to North America, Sasaki has been making waves in the Japanese baseball scene for years.
When he was still in high school, Sasaki broke a national record with a 163 kilometres-per-hour fastball, which converts to about 101 miles per hour.
The first overall pick in the 2019 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) draft by the Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki has put up a record of 29-15 with an ERA of 2.10 in his four seasons as a pro, while being a two-time league All-Star.
Back in April 2022, Sasaki pitched a perfect game for the Marines, where he set a league record with 19 strikeouts in a single game, including 13 in a row. He was also a member of the Japanese squad for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when they beat the USA in the Gold Medal game.
But as has been the case with several players Toronto has been interested in this offseason, there’s expected to be hefty competition around the league.
Rosenthal and Andy McCullough named the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs as teams also believed to be interested in Sasaki.
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