Blue Jays’ secret Roki Sasaki meeting revealed as deadline fast approaches

With the word that the Toronto Blue Jays successfully signed Jeff Hoffman, the team finally got a much needed win. While Hoffman's physical was spooky enough to torpedo a deal with the Orioles, he is still a tremendous bullpen arm, assuming he is healthy and a ready-made replacement for Jordan Romano late in games.

However, there is still a lot of work to do. As good as Hoffman is, signing him isn't the blockbuster move fans have been hoping for and, frankly, the move the Blue Jays need right now.

Thankfully, a door may be open now to make such a move when it comes to Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki is easily the most exciting free agent left on the market, although he comes with the specific limitations on how much he can sign for, as he is classified as an international free agent. The Dodgers and Padres have been considered heavy favorites to land the star Japanese pitcher, but given the financial constraints involved, this chase is all about the pitch process. Where does Sasaki want to be?

It appears as though, according to Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough on Monday morning. the Blue Jays had a meeting with Sasaki last week and remain in the running to land him.

Hope that Blue Jays could land Roki Sasaki higher after news of meeting with Japanese star

It is important to remember that a number of teams have met with Sasaki, and while Toronto has had some luck signing Japanese players in the past, the aforementioned west coast teams should still be favored here. Both the Padres and Dodgers are already telling international prospects they were expected to sign that they can seek new deals, which at least shows some confidence in their chances of nabbing Sasaki.

However, the right-hander would be a massive get for Toronto, and seeing them secretly involved will perk up any fan's ears. He would immediately be arguably the highest upside pitcher in the Blue Jays' rotation and, more importantly, it change the narrative around this whole offseason. Landing Sasaki also couldn't hurt the Blue Jays' chances of landing other top free agents that are looking for a brighter future outlook for the team.

The next thing to keep an eye out for is whether IFA players that were previously connected to Toronto find deals with other organizations this week. If guys like Cristopher Polanco or Juan Sanchez don't sign with Toronto, that is a clear indicator that the Blue Jays are holding international bonus pool money for Sasaki and looking to make a splash there.

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