Yankees must ask difficult questions about Roki Sasaki failings ahead of 2026 offseason

New York Yankees fans accepted long ago that amateur Japanese ace right-hander Roki Sasaki likely preferred a trip to the west coast, and that his decision was always destined to come down to the Dodgers and Padres, no matter how good Brian Cashman's Powerpoint presentation was.

That may still be true. And yet ... how did the Blue Jays get involved and selected among Sasaki's finalists? Is this a special circumstance of personal preference? Or did that singular east coast club win a head-to-head battle with New York, becoming the latest team in an increasingly long line of them to paint a rosier picture of the future? In this particular instance, money wasn't an object, either. Sasaki may prefer Los Angeles and San Diego to all comers, but we also have defined evidence that he preferred Toronto to New York. He went and visited. He toured the space. He threw for the Jays' brass. He opened the Yankees' video files, then silently closed them.

The Jays appear to have outsold the Yankees on their grand plan, facilities, and infrastructure despite a last-place finish in 2024 and lingering Vladimir Guerrero Jr. uncertainty. No matter how "unwinnable" this battle with California's finest really turns out to be, they were tangibly dissed among potential third-place finishers, at the very least.

So. As Japanese star after Japanese star politely declines them, is a pattern emerging? Or is this a series of independent events, all of which happened to turn out poorly for a Yankees empire in decline? With Paul Goldschmidt locked in for the 2025 season, this perception becomes crucial again next offseason, when slugging Japanese first baseman Munetaka Murakami will likely hit the market.

Yankees not considered by Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki beyond first meeting. Is this a pattern?

The lure of the west coast has always been a factor among Japanese imports. Ichiro Suzuki, Kaz Sasaki, Kaz Ishii, and Hideo Nomo all landed in Los Angeles and Seattle for a very good reason. Sometimes, it's a stated comfort preference that can't be out-argued by any stack of dollars, no matter how tall. But California is not a new temptation. With a similar specter looming, the Yankees still managed to win battles over Hideki Matsui, Hideki Irabu, and Masahiro Tanaka, someone we were told is very important to Sasaki. Not important enough to make the current Yankees finalists for his services, though -- and, again, money is no object, given that all teams were similarly capped by the international bonus pool.

The Yankees must now seriously examine where they stand in the Japanese market ahead of the Murakami bidding war next winter - and yes, dollars could speak louder in that particular case.

This week's news could just be another instance of Sasaki having personal preferences that do not align with the Yankees' system, but if so, what are those preferences? And can they be addressed? Is Sasaki running from pressure? If he chooses the Dodgers, it certainly doesn't seem like it. What is different (and less appealing) about the 2025 Yankees than the 2014 version that inked Tanaka? Has the intervening decade without a title withered the once-proud power of the pinstripes?

In a way, this ongoing reputational ding began when Shohei Ohtani spurned the Yankees' initial meeting during the 2017-18 offseason. New York was thought to be the "supreme favorite" for his services; he wasn't interested in the pitch. Was it all west coast convenience, or something about failing under the lights -- in front of this enthusiastic-but-edgy crowd, with history weighing on them -- that scared him into a different start to his career? When Yoshinobu Yamamoto hit the open market last year, it was widely assumed that the Yankees and Mets had no real chance once Ohtani's deferrals made a reunion in LA possible. But Ohtani could've been a Yankee, and could've made the same payment concessions here. But he didn't. Are these ripple effects uniquely tied to one person, or are they universal in an arena where the Yankees once dominated?

New York's braintrust will need to have a moment of reflection soon about Sasaki. Once again, this feels as if another instance where the Yankees' best pitch wasn't nearly enough to sway a set of preconceived notions about what they've been and what they are.