It was around this time two years ago when the Mets dipped into Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball waters to sign Kodai Senga to a five-year deal.

Could the Mets once again be poised to add a star Japanese pitcher?

According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Mets, along with the San Diego Padres, are the “early favorites” to land 23-year-old phenom Roki Sasaki, who was officially posted on Tuesday, giving MLB clubs a 45-day window to sign him.

Per Bowden, the three things that could influence Sasaki’s decision are his ability to land endorsements, his desire to win, and wanting to join a club that has a focus on pitching development.

The Mets can offer all three of those things, and their pitching coach could end up being a determining factor in landing Sasaki.

“I know that the Wasserman Group, who are representing him, are very high on Jeremy Hefner, and that does have some influence here,” Bowden said.

Along with the Mets, Bowden mentions the Padres, Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Cubs, Dodgers, and Phillies as potential options.

This latest from Bowden falls in line with ESPN’s Jeff Passan referring to the Mets as a club “expected to be significant payers in the Sasaki sweepstakes."

The Dodgers were long considered the favorites to land Sasaki, due in part to the presence of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the roster, but him signing in LA appears to be anything but a sure deal.

If the Mets were indeed able to sign Sasaki, a two-time NPB All-Star who throws upwards of 100-102 MPH with his fastball, it wouldn’t break the bank. Because he's just 23 years old and has accumulated only four years of service time in Japan, Sasaki won't be able to sign anything but a minor league deal -- with his contract counting toward his signing team's international bonus pool allotment.

The Mets have already added a pair of starting pitchers this offseason in Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas, and there is "increasing optimism" that they'll be able to retain Sean Manaea, per SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino.

With the Mets likely to employ a six-man rotation, there is a world where the Mets could roll out Senga, Manaea, Sasaki, Holmes, Montas, and David Peterson, in some order. Of course, the Mets are also said to be among the "most aggressive suitors" for White Sox flamethrower Garrett Crochet, so there are plenty of options seemingly on the table.

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