The New York Mets have been projected as the destination for the Japanese phenom, upsetting the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fresh off winning the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the Mets have entered into the Roki Sasaki chase. The Mets met with the Japanese phenom in Los Angeles on Thursday, The Post confirmed, becoming the first known team to visit in-person with Sasaki during the free-agency process. SNY first reported the development.

The calendar has flipped to January, and Roki Sasaki is approximately two weeks away from deciding which team he will sign up for to complete his jump from Japan to the major leagues. The good news for the Mets and Yankees is that they are still in the mix.

According to agent Joel Wolfe, ace Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki is "calling the shots'' during the process of selecting an MLB club.

Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese pitching phenom, is the crown jewel of this offseason’s international market. While the odds might not favor the Bronx Bombers, their name remains firmly in the mix as we inch closer to the January 15 signing deadline.

As the New York Yankees and the New York Mets extend offers to Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki, his manager has revealed the potential path for Sasaki to make his move to MLB. One country that has proven to be a hotbed for young talent in Major League Baseball (MLB) is Japan.

That, of course, is start Japanese righthander Roki Sasaki, who was posted Dec. 9 by his NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. That opened a 45-day window in which Sasaki can negotiate with MLB teams, who can only sign him as an international amateur,

Roki Sasaki has caught the eye of a huge number of teams. While this might have been expected, it's still pretty mind-blowing to see just how much interest he's generated.