Much has been said about the multiple destinations that Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki could have in Major League Baseball, and it has become clear that, like all Japanese players who intend to play in the ‘Big Top’, West Coast teams are generally more attractive to them. It has been speculated that the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and even the San Francisco Giants would be the favorites to acquire the services of the Japanese pitching phenomenon, ahead of the New York Yankees, who are also looking for him incessantly.
Sasaki must think about other factors
However, there are a couple of considerable factors for an eventual move to the Yankees, one is another player whom Sasaki admires and considers, and the other is the commercial potential that playing for the Bronx Bombers entails, something that Sasaki needs in order to make his time in Major League Baseball worthwhile until he can reach free agency in 2030.
In the case of Japanese baseball players coming to the United States, cultural and geographical factors play in favor of the West Coast teams. It is no coincidence that a figure as big as Shohei Ohtani ended up with the Dodgers and not in the Bronx. However, surviving in professional baseball for emerging figures also depends on sponsorships, and this is where the Yankees have an advantage.
The advantages the Yankees offer Sasaki
And this is where an authoritative voice makes its appearance to tip the scales in favor of the East Coast team. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden claims that the Yankees offer a perfect scenario for Roki Sasaki to cement his legacy in the majors and that his deep respect and admiration for Masahiro Tanaka’s success with the Yankees could be a defining factor in him finally signing for the ‘Mules’, where he can attract attention without competing for prominence, as he would with the Dodgers, or even in San Diego.
Additionally, Sasaki would fit like a glove with his 100 mph fastball and splitter in the Yankees’ pitching rotation after the signing of Max Fried, and has privileged arms such as Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Luis Gil, among others.
For Sasaki, the matter is not so simple, and he has to think about the advantages offered to him from the city of skyscrapers, above the ‘comforts’ and familiar arguments offered by the West Coast franchises.
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