The Mets and Sasaki met on Thursday, signifying that the Mets, at least, will have a chance at signing the phenom, even if they are not expected to be a favorite in the sweepstakes.
Sasaki is nothing short of an electric talent. He spent his entire Nippon Professional Baseball career with the Chiba Lotte Marines, who took him first overall in the 2019 draft. He eventually made his debut in 2021 at just 19 years of age and lit NPB on fire, amassing a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA, surrendering just 275 hits, 16 home runs, 91 walks, and striking out 524 batters in 414.