Major Threats to Texas Rangers Chances of Signing Top Free Agent Eliminated

The Texas Rangers got a tremendous bit of great news on Monday afternoon with regards to their pursuit of the top available free agent.

According to a report from Jack Curry of YES Network, the New York Yankees have been told by the camp of Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki that he is not going to be signing with them. Shortly after Curry's news, further reporting from Francys Romero said the Big Apple counterpart in the New York Mets are not a finalist for Sasaki either.

This leaves the Rangers with an increased chance of landing the best available player, and potentially the best available player this offseason regardless of who has already signed contracts.

Texas, along with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Chicago Cubs, appear to be the real finalists with news also breaking today that the San Francisco Giants brass were told they were no longer in the running either per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

The Rangers are certainly fighting an uphill battle if it is those three National League teams who they are bidding against, however.

While Sasaki's amateur status does not make it a question regarding money given the cap on what he's able to earn, each of the three other teams have compelling pitches for the 23-year-old future ace.

The Dodgers case is obvious as the defending World Series champs and the larger than life presence of Shohei Ohtani. But even if Los Angeles was eliminated, the Cubs also have the element of current Japanese stars like Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki, while the Padres boast the opportunity for Sasaki to play with one of his heroes in former Rangers ace Yu Darvish.

Sasaki is highly sought after for a reason.

With a devastating arsenal of pitches headlined by a nasty splitter, he has the kind of stuff that's going to make him a threat for a gem every time he steps foot on the mound.

In four seasons of professional baseball in Japan, he has posted a ridiculous 2.02 ERA with 524 strikeouts in 414.2 innings pitched. He is likely the most sought after Japanese player since Ohtani himself came over, surprising many and winding up with the Los Angeles Angels.

Perhaps Texas is able to pull off a similar stunner here and convince Sasaki the Lonestar State is going to be the best place for him to lay the groundwork to become the next MLB legend.

Regardless, the elimination of two huge fish in the Yankees and Mets is a major development for the Rangers.