The 23-year-old phenom has decided the finalists for his services are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays making him the latest Japanese star to tell the Bombers, no.

“He is really gifted and very young,” Aaron Boone said of Sasaki, who has a 2.02 ERA over four NPB seasons, earlier this offseason. “Obviously he’s already done quite a bit in Japan. So we know it’s a unique and special talent, a guy with top of the rotation qualities.

“This is a really, really special talent that’s going to be coming over to Major League Baseball next year.”

And he will be wearing not be wearing a Yankee uniform.

Sasaki continued a troubling trend for the Yanks. The allure of the pinstripes and legacy of the Bronx Bombers has not only fallen on deaf ears in the United States but has now traveled across seas to Japan.

The Yanks were arguably the biggest draw for players in Japan in previous years — despite their seemingly undesirable location on the East Coast for nearly every star from the Nippon Professional Baseball league.

Hideki Irabu, Hideki Matsui, Masahiro Tanaka and others chose the Yankees immediately out of Japan, however, no player of significance coming across the Pacific Ocean has chosen the pinstripes since Tanaka in 2014.

The three latest stars to make the move from NPB to MLB have rejected the Bronx. Shohei Ohtani didn’t even give the Yanks a seat at the table in 2017 — despite reporting indicating that he was the Yankees player to lose prior to making the jump — or in 2024 as he inked his famously deferred 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto reportedly considered the Bombers as they were the runner-ups for his services last offseason before inking a deal with — you guessed it — the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now Saskai is seemingly heading west and while the Blue Jays are unsurprisingly finalists — as they have been for virtually every free agent on the market before being told no — it would be a massive upset should they be victorious over the Dodgers and Padres.

The preference of the West Coast has seemingly grown larger for Japanese players and the Yanks are no longer the only show in MLB that can provide consistent winning or money. The Dodgers have built a well-oiled machine and a massive brand in Japan making them the clear-cut desired destination.

Sasaki continuing the trend of rejection is troublesome moving forward, especially next season. Slugging corner infielder Munetaka Murakami is expected to make the jump to MLB next offseason and he would fit the Bombers like a glove. The left-handed hitter has a career .938 OPS in NPB with 241 homers in seven seasons.

The 24-year-old will be a normal free agent, so he will be able to earn a legitimate contract unlike Sasaki who came over as an International Free Agent and is only limited to signing bonus money and a standard rookie-scale contract. Not to mention, the Yankees will have a clear hole at first base as Paul Goldschmidt was signed as a stop-gap on a one-year deal for whatever long-term plans they have for first.

Murakami’s swing in Yankee Stadium is what dreams are made of for Brian Cashman and company. However, they will have to buck the trend of rejection and pony up the most cash.

If Juan Soto taught the Bombers one thing, it’s few people truly care about the allure of pinstripes and the legacy of the Yankees. It’s merely become a soundbite for players at press conferences who decided to sign the dotted lines with the Bombers because they were the highest bidder.

Sasaki confirmed that sentiment when he became the latest to reject the Bronx.

The Mets reintroduced the popular left-hander Monday afternoon in a Zoom conference, officially announcing his three-year, $75 million contract. Though he had other teams that reached out to him, since the last day of the season when he fought back tears in the Dodger Stadium visitor’s clubhouse, the reunion with the Mets felt destined.

“Based off last year with the coaching staff and everything, I thought it was a perfect fit,” Manea said. “My wife, she loved it on the family side as well. Just organizationally, I thought they did a lot of great things and I learned a lot from [pitching coach Jeremy Hefner] and the rest of the staff. Just overall, I was very, very happy with my time there, and when [the Mets] reached out and said that they wanted to reunite, I knew that was kind of a top priority.”

Manaea, who will be 33 on Feb. 1, went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA and a 3.83 FIP over 32 starts with the Mets last season. The lefty received Cy Young Award votes for his efforts, finishing 11th in the NL race, finding success with a refined sweeper and a fastball thrown from a lower arm slot. The sweeper was his own addition, something he taught himself after looking at grips on YouTube one night during his time with the San Francisco Giants.

Lowering the release point of his fastball was something he worked on with Hefner. Manaea loves nothing more than experimenting with various pitches and grips in the bullpen and in Hefner, he found a coach that supported the experimentation and helped turn some of the tinkering into viable pitches.

“He kind of allowed me to be like myself and kind of experiment with some things,” Manaea said. “Just kind of bouncing ideas off of him, and he’s very easy to talk to as far as pitching and pitch design. All these different things that, you know, have to do with pitching, he just made everything feel super easy.”

Manaea also felt at ease immediately in a new market. The Indiana native had spent his entire career in California until last season and his laid-back, yet curious demeanor seemed to be a perfect fit for the West Coast. But in New York, Manaea and his wife enjoyed the vibrant culture in Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs. He found enjoyment in his daily subway commute, listening to music on the 7 train to get geared up for games. Though he has yet to find one of the infamous subway platform chess games, he’s still hoping to join one someday.

In the clubhouse, his veteran voice was respected. The Mets excelled last season in part because of a clubhouse culture that not only allows players to show their personalities but encourages them to as well. Manaea doesn’t like to take credit as a leader, respecting Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo as unofficial captains, but he encouraged the starting pitching group to support one another late in the season and during the postseason. He started wearing the number of the game’s starter in eye black and dancing with the pitchers in the dugout after they came out of games.

The culture was one that allowed him to thrive, factoring heavily into his decision to return to the Mets.

“I’m not going to say I’m like the leader or anything like that, I think it’s kind of like a collective,” Manaea said “That’s kind of like the strength that we had going on. It wasn’t like one singular guy was the leader of the group. I feel like, when it was our start date, that was the day, and you know, just passed the torch onto the next guy. And last year, that’s what happened.”

Coming back to the Mets also reunites Manaea with right-hander Frankie Montas, his close friend and former teammate in Oakland.

Manaea sees someone who can add to that clubhouse culture.

“He is a funny guy and he’s definitely very passionate about pitching and competitiveness,” Manaea said. “He just goes out there and is a dog, so I’m looking forward to that. And, I mean, his stuff is incredible too, so he brings all that stuff to the table, and he’s just a great human being and a great friend, so you’ve got that going as well.

“I’m just very happy that he’s on our team now.”

More than anything Manaea seems to be happy that he can put down roots with his new wife in a place they enjoy with a three-year contract. He’s continuing to work with Driveline at their Florida location and rejoins a group headlined by Kodai Senga and left-hander David Peterson. He’s also worked out with free agent first baseman Pete Alonso and would like to see the Polar Bear return to Queens as well.

The starting rotation is set, and with Manaea, the culture is too.

Sasaki’s camp informed the Yankees that the Japanese phenom will not be signing with them, YES Network’s Jack Curry reported Monday.

Soon afterward, reports from SNY’s Andy Martino and others stated the Mets were not expected to sign the 23-year-old Sasaki, either.

The Yankees and Mets were among the teams that met with the hard-throwing right-hander, who was posted last month by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.

The San Francisco Giants confirmed Monday that they had been eliminated, while reports said the Texas Rangers were out, too. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have been considered the favorites to land Sasaki.

Because Sasaki is not yet 25, he is considered an international amateur and is therefore not eligible for an MLB contract.

Sasaki will be to sign with an MLB team between Wednesday and Jan. 23, with clubs able to bid only from their international bonus pools. Those allotments range from about $5.1 million to $7.5 million.

He is likely to become one of baseball’s best bargains.

Armed with a 100-mph fastball and nasty splitter, Sasaki pitched to a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394.2 innings over four Nippon Professional Baseball seasons. He also stood out as a starter for Team Japan during its run to the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship.

“He’s obviously a tremendous talent,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said last month.

“I saw him pitch in person, but he was coming back from a rehab. I’ve seen, obviously, his videos over the course of time. I’ve seen his scouting reports come across over the course of time. He’s extremely talented, no doubt about it. He has a chance to be one of the world’s great pitchers.”

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, suggested at last month’s Winter Meetings that his client might benefit from being in a small or mid-level market after having negative experiences with the media in Japan.

But later in December, Wolfe told SNY that market size would not be a factor.

Even without Sasaki, the Yankees boast one of baseball’s better rotations. Last month, they signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, adding the left-handed ace to a starting staff already featuring Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. Marcus Stroman, who made 29 starts for the Yankees last season, is also under contract but has been the subject of trade rumors.

The Mets, meanwhile, recently re-signed Sean Manaea and added Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to a rotation also comprising Kodai Senga and David Peterson.

This is the second winter in a row that the Yankees and Mets missed out on a Japanese ace. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was 25 at the time, spurned both a little over a year ago for a record-setting 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers also employ another Japanese superstar in Shohei Ohtani, while the Padres have right-hander Yu Darvish, who is considered a mentor to Sasaki.

Credit the Yankees’ aggressiveness for keeping themselves in the driver’s seat of the American League East where their other four rivals continue to tip-toe — or in the case of the Blue Jays, downright flounder. Let’s examine:

BLUE JAYS

Can anyone explain what the heck the Blue Jays are doing and how team president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins keep their jobs? If you ask me, the Blue Jays organization demise under Shapiro began a couple of years ago when they parted ways with Rich Griffin, their esteemed, highly respected media relations director. So far this winter they’ve done nothing to improve last year’s 74-win last place team other than to embark on another high stakes wild goose chase for the No. 1 free agent, this time Soto, after last year’s equally futile pursuit of Shohei Ohtani.

Meanwhile, they continue to ignore their own superstar, Vlad Guerrero Jr., who settled on a $28.5 million arbitration deal last week, but has had very little overtures from them in regard to his pending free agency. Reportedly, Shapiro has indicated to Blue Jay officials that he doesn’t consider Guerrero a franchise-type player which, if true, is preposterous. Not only is Guerrero only 25 and just now entering into the prime of his career, he was born in Canada when his daddy was playing for the Expos.

Earlier this winter, Guerrero implored the Blue Jay brass to bring back his friend Teoscar Hernandez, but they apparently made no effort to do so. A frustrated Guerrero has set Opening Day as the deadline for a contract, but with each passing day of no progress, and with a moneyed team like the Red Sox looming for a right-handed power hitting first baseman next year, it’s looking more and more certain he’ll be gone. It’s hard enough for the Blue Jays to lure good players to Canada. Without Guerrero, why would anyone sign with Toronto — and making matters worse, the Blue Jays’ player development system under Atkins has consistently been one of the lowest rated in the majors. Grade: F

ORIOLES

If Atkins has been arguably the worst GM in baseball, the Orioles’ analytics guru Mike Elias may be the most overrated. Two years ago, when the Orioles emerged from five years in the AL East doldrums to win the division with 101 victories, Elias was voted Executive of the Year. But the Orioles’ improvement was in no way the result of superior scouting and analytics expertise on Elias’ part but rather his subjecting Oriole fans to four years of tanking that resulted in the drafting of no-brainer No. 1 picks in Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg. But in his six years on the job, Elias has yet to develop a single top quality starting pitcher and it’s hurt them badly in the postseason where they have yet to win a game. This winter they were unable to retain their ace Corbin Burnes and Elias filled out what was already a very mediocre rotation with 41-year-old Charlie Morton (who thought he was done) and 35-year-old soft-throwing Japanese import Tomoyuki Sugano. Grade: D

RED SOX

The Red Sox addressed their primary need — starting pitching — with their trade for the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet and their signings of recent Tommy John surgery recoveries Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval. But they still have plenty of question marks. Do they really believe after letting Kenley Jansen go, they can adequately and consistently close out games with 37-year-old Aroldis Chapman and Liam Hendricks, another Tommy John surgery comebacker? And there are holes in the lineup that weren’t fixed. Connor Wong is a below average catcher. Triston Casas remains an enigma at first base. Emmanuel Valdez hit .214 at second base and they desperately need Trevor Story to finally get through a season without another major injury. And all the while, the bigger question remains: Will the Red Sox really open up John Henry’s purse strings and pay what it takes for Guerrero next winter? Grade: C

RAYS

The good news is the revenue-challenged Rays will have all their talented injured starting pitchers — Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz — back together at some point this season. The bad news is they’ll playing all their home games at Steinbrenner Field and after scoring the second-fewest runs in all of baseball last year, did nothing to improve it — unless you think Eloy Jimenez (ugh!) is an improvement. They will get through the season continuing to trade off their highest paid players and hope Tropicana Field gets fixed in time for 2026. Grade: F

Yankees fans who saw that quote out of context may have fumed at the general manager after the pinstripers missed the playoffs in 2023. But Cashman, who spoke for over 100 contentious minutes that day, wasn’t referring to the Yankees’ on-field, major league product after previously labeling the 2023 campaign a “disaster.”

Instead, that quote specifically defended the organization’s personnel, including coaches, front office members, scouts and analysts.

“I loved it, obviously, because I felt like he was going to bat for me and other people in our department,” Kevin Reese, the Yankees’ vice president of player development, told the Daily News. “And I agree. I think we have great people.”

Other teams seem to concur, as they’ve been pillaging the Yankees for coaching and player development personnel all offseason. At the time of publication, the Yankees had lost 14 such employees, according to numerous sources, reports and press releases.

If that seems like a lot for one offseason, that’s because it is an “unusually high number,” according to Reese.

Three of the departures have come from the Yankees’ major league staff: Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel took the same job with the Mets, while analyst Aaron Leanhardt joined the Marlins as a field coordinator. Bullpen catcher Collin Theroux accepted a minor league position with Miami.

Minor league hitting coordinator Joe Migliaccio is now the Marlins’ director of hitting. Complex pitching coordinator Ben Buck joined the Red Sox as a pitching coordinator. Parker Guinn cracked Boston’s MLB staff as a catching instructor/bullpen catcher after managing the Yankees’ Dominican Summer League team. José Javier is the Cubs’ new first base coach after working as the Yankees’ Triple-A defensive coach. Director of speed development and baserunning/roving hitting coach Matt Talarico also joined the Cubs as their new baserunning offensive coordinator. Rick Guarno went from being the Yankees’ High-A hitting coach to the Mets’ Triple-A hitting coach, while David Adams took a field coordinator job with the crosstown rivals after serving as the Yankees’ director of Dominican Republic baseball operations.

Trevor Amicone, previously the Yankees’ Triple-A hitting coach, is now the Twins’ assistant MLB hitting coach. Graham Johnson is the Blue Jays’ big league bullpen coach following a stint as the Yankees’ Triple-A pitching coach. Double-A hitting coach Kevin Martir took the same job with the Brewers. Nick Ortiz became a minor league infield/baserunning coordinator with the Astros after managing the Yanks’ High-A club.

“I’m kind of a selfish guy who would hope to retain our best coaches,” Reese said, “but I’m excited about the opportunities they got.”

SEEN AS A GOOD SIGN

While some of the departures received promotions, others took what appear to be similar or lateral jobs. However, even gigs with the same title can come with raises, more opportunities for career advancement, and personal benefits, such as geography and preexisting relationships within an organization.

When The News asked about the Yankees’ departures this offseason, past and present members of the organization described the exodus as a testament to the club.

“I lived it. I grew up in that organization,” said Carlos Mendoza, who became the Mets’ manager last offseason after 15 years of filling numerous Yankees roles, including big league bench coach. “The fact that a lot of coaches continue to be pulled away by many different teams says something about their player development program.”

Aaron Boone, whose own staffs have promoted from the Yankees’ farm over the years, said that Reese and the team’s player development department has done “a really good job of hiring people who are valued in the industry.”

Dillon Lawson, who worked as the Yankees’ minor league hitting coordinator before being fired from his post as MLB hitting coach halfway through the 2023 season, also highlighted Reese.

“One of his most redeeming skills that I got to witness was his ability to evaluate not just players, but also future employees,” said Lawson, who is now Boston’s assistant MLB hitting coach after taking a minor league job with the club in December 2023. “We were given support and guidance from Kevin on how to hire well.”

Lawson also credited Yankees director of player development Eric Schmitt and assistant director of player development Steve Swindal Jr., as well as current and former employees like Druschel, Leanhardt, Sam Briend, Andrew Wright and Dave Whiteside, who were given latitude to build their respective departments, implement new ideas, and/or make hires of their own.

“They did a really good job of bringing in some people who respected the Yankee tradition, but who were also still looking to move things forward,” Lawson said.

Those who spoke to The News said that staff and coaching development has become a greater area of focus across baseball and one of success for the Yankees.

Reese said the club previously had a job with a title that included “staff development.” While that position is no longer in place, he said that he spends more time on staff development than he does working with players.

Lawson said that the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the team to build out educational infrastructure, or what he called “Yankees University,” in 2020.

“It’s an environment where people are learning and challenging each other,” Mendoza said. “The word gets around.”

Added Guarno: “You’re hearing a lot of the same things from a lot of people, probably because it’s the truth. It was a really good working situation for a lot of people. We loved it. We had a great group across multiple departments.”

PUBLIC VS. INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Some fans might be surprised to see minor league Yankees employees in high demand, as not everyone in the public sphere views their recent player development history in the highest regard. That’s especially true on the offensive side of the ball.

Outside of Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ current roster doesn’t boast any homegrown hitters with track records of success, though Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Jasson Domínguez and Ben Rice have had mixed results in the early stages of their big league careers and are expected to contribute in 2025.

Asked about criticism of the Yankees’ player development program, especially on offense, Reese said that “hitting is hard” and that “there’s always an adjustment process.” He felt that that process gets “less tolerance” in New York, where the Yankees are always in win-now mode.

While public perception of the Yankees’ player development isn’t always favorable, multiple coaches no longer with the organization said opposing teams see the Bombers as a model to follow.

“’The Yankees are the best at developing hitters in the game,’” one of the team’s former coaches, who requested anonymity, remembers being told during an interview with another club last offseason. “’We want to figure out what you guys are doing.’”

That same coach said the Yankees have a broader view of what constitutes player development success than the public.

For example, Volpe’s inconsistent offensive performance thus far has rightfully fueled some questioning from fans and media. But the coach also contended that someone like Rafael Flores, a JUCO discovery turned notable prospect, or Abraham Ramirez, signed out of Venezuela for $30,000 before being included in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, are player development success stories because they went from being unheralded to farmhands with value.

“I understand fans want homegrown players to come and be stars,” said another former Yankees coach who asked to remain nameless. “But what they’ve done a very good job of in the past few years is developing players to the point where they are trade targets for other teams.”

That answer may not satisfy critics who want young major leaguers to shine right away, but Reese reasoned that league-wide interest in Yankees personnel is evidence that player development is doing something right.

“When other teams are coming after them and getting promotions and bringing guys to the big leagues, that speaks well to the people that we had,” he said. “And hopefully the people we continue to have.

“We take a lot of pride in having good people and continuing to build it. As we search and replace some of the people that we lost, I think that should be a little bit of a selling point, and it is a selling point for us when we’re hiring. It’s like, ‘Hey, come work for us. We had a freakin’ guy coaching in the D.R. last year who got a major league job with the Red Sox.’ I mean, it’s stuff that’s kind of crazy.”

A WIDER HIRING WINDOW

Three sources also noted that a change to the team’s contractual schedule may have assisted the mass migration that occurred this offseason.

Contracts for Yankees coaches used to expire on Dec. 31. However, they now expire at the end of the season, which is how most teams have operated. Not every coach that left the Yankees this offseason was on an expiring deal, but that change gave hiring clubs more time to work with.

“In the past, it was harder to get Yankees coaches because the dates didn’t line up,” said one of the anonymous ex-coaches. “Everybody’s trying to hire new coaches in November, early December, and the Yankees contracts weren’t up until the end of December. Now that everybody’s contract with the Yankees lines up with everybody else at the end of the season, it does make it a lot easier to get to an interview and request interviews for Yankees coaches.”

The other anonymous coach theorized that because the Yankees went all the way to the World Series, they had other priorities as the offseason quickly began and some minor league coaches saw their contracts expire. That same person also pointed out that successful teams are less likely to shake up their MLB staff. That means fewer advancement opportunities for the club’s minor league coaches.

Asked if the schedule change contributed to the Yankees’ personnel losses this offseason, Reese replied, “It is a little like the Rule 5 Draft. You can’t necessarily protect and promote everyone. The biggest reason is these are good employees who have done great work and have earned the chance to take on more responsibility.”

Former Yankees coaches who mentioned or were asked about the changing dates stressed that the team wasn’t negligible when it came to retention. Multiple former employees said the Yankees made an effort to keep them and others; the team just couldn’t match the promotions that other teams offered.

“There are only so many spots for people to move up before there’s a logjam,” said Guarno, who had an offer to stay with the Yanks. “A baseball organization is a lot like any other job that somebody outside the game of baseball would work in, and it kind of has a similar structure. The average fan can understand that everybody can’t be promoted all the time in any organization.”

One of the anonymous coaches said the Yankees have a reputation for offering more money and responsibility when minor league coaches receive offers elsewhere. They added that, prior to this offseason, when the window to poach Yankees minor league coaches was tighter, some teams often wouldn’t even interview pinstriped candidates “because they knew you would end up getting a big bag of money dropped in front of you after they offered you a job.”

With vacancies to fill before the 2025 season, a slew of new coaches at various levels will now earn the Yankees’ money.

Some hires are already in place, while others, in the right spot at the right time, were able to get promotions. Still, after so many exits, Reese likened the situation to losing players via trades and free agency.

“Now,” he said, “we just gotta rebuild.”

Teams and arbitration-eligible players had until 8 p.m. to file arbitration numbers with the league. Instead of potentially going to multiple hearings, however, the Yankees ultimately settled with Devin Williams, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Clarke Schmidt and Scott Effross.

Williams, acquired from the Brewers earlier this offseason, will make $8.6 million in 2025, according to multiple reports. The Yankees’ new closer ended up with a notably larger sum than the $7.7 million MLB Trade Rumors projected he’d get in free agency.

Chisholm will make $5.85 million in his first full season with the Yankees, according to multiple reports. That’s a bit lower than the $6.9 million MLB Trade Rumors predicted he’d get in arbitration.

Schmidt, meanwhile, agreed to a $3.6 million salary, per ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. That’s a slight uptick from the $3.5 million he was projected to get.

Effross settled for $800,000, per Fansided’s Robert Murray. That’s just $100,000 less than projected.

One arbitration-eligible Yankee could not reach an agreement with the team prior to Thursday’s deadline: Mark Leiter Jr. The two sides will file for a hearing, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, though they can keep negotiating and potentially avoid that process.

Leiter was projected to make $2.1 million in arbitration.

The Yankees initially entered the offseason with 10 arbitration-eligible players, but they settled with Trent Grisham and JT Brubaker prior to the non-tender deadline in November, non-tendered Jon Berti and Tim Mayza, and traded Nestor Cortes and Jose Trevino.

Peterson is expected to play a big role in the rotation, and Blackburn and Megill could as well. The left-hander is coming off a breakout season in 2024. After struggling to stick in the rotation and in the big leagues in 2023, Peterson underwent hip labrum surgery last fall and came back better than ever. In his age-28 season, the University of Oregon product went 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA, the lowest among all Mets starters. He became indispensable in the playoffs, working as a long reliever in various situations, and recording the save in the Mets’ Game 3 Wild Card win in Milwaukee and the win in Game 4 of the NLDS.

Peterson is under team control for two more seasons. Should he turn in another stellar season, the Mets could look to extend him before letting him go in free agency.

Blackburn is likely to start in the rotation as well, though the Mets have not ruled out a long relief role for the right-hander they acquired from the Oakland A’s at the trade deadline last season. This was the final arbitration year for the 31-year-old, setting him up for free agency next winter.

The wild card is Megill, who had a strong September for the second season in a row, but struggled overall last season and again in the postseason. It appears as though the big right-hander is headed to the bullpen, but the Mets would like him to prepare for spring training as though the plan is to have him start.

Torrens, Siri and Taylor are key depth pieces. The Mets haven’t replaced center fielder Harrison Bader this season, instead acquiring Siri, who plays all three outfield positions, from the Tampa Bay Rays. Taylor also plays all over the outfield and was used over Bader in the postseason. The Mets could split time between Taylor and Siri in center, or primarily use Taylor with Siri being used as a defensive replacement later in games.

Torrens came to the Mets in a trade with the Yankees last season and is expected to slot in behind Francisco Alvarez on the depth chart once again.

By getting all six players under contract for the upcoming season, the Mets successfully avoided any arbitration hearings, which can sometimes turn contentious.

Tom Seaver might have retired well before the Mets even knew David Wright‘s name. Wright was only about a year old when Seaver last wore a Mets uniform, yet the two do share a link in a sense with their respective places in team history.

Fittingly, Wright will become the first player since Seaver to have his number retired and be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame on the same day when the team honors the former captain in a dual ceremony July 19 at Citi Field.

“I love Tom,” Wright said Wednesday on a Zoom call. “When Jay [Horwitz] says that we had a lot of conversations about the history and Tom’s performances in a Mets uniform and baseball in general, it was a lot more of me listening to Tom tell me about his performances and his career in a Mets uniform.”

Wright grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, at a time when the Mets still had a minor league team in nearby Tidewater. His father Rhon, a retired police officer, would bring Wright and his three younger brothers to games while his colleagues were working. The kids would get autographs from rising stars while their dad caught up with his buddies.

This is where his Mets fandom started to bloom. It’s how he learned about players the players Rhon revered, like Gooden, Strawberry, Howard Johnson and Tim Teufel, who would later coach Wright in the big leagues.

But few players had the same impact on Mets fandom like Seaver. The late, great ace inspired the first generation of Mets fans in much the same way Wright inspired much of the current generation. Seaver and Wright were leaders and winners. They were two of the best to wear the uniform. Their link was solidified in 2013 when Seaver threw out the first pitch to Wright at the All-Star Game at Citi Field.

“Tom literally adored David,” said Horwitz, the Mets’ historian and vice president of alumni public relations. “He loved David’s sense of history. He loved that David knew about Tom’s place in Mets history. In 2013 when Tom threw out the first pitch at the All-Star game at Citi, Tom was thrilled that David caught the pitch.”

Wright, now 42, met Seaver well before the 2013 All-Star Game. The Hall of Fame right-hander used to pull Wright aside before games to talk about life on the field and in the clubhouse. Seaver wanted to know how Wright was getting away from the game after he left the ballpark. Soon, the two were swapping good-natured barbs at one another like they were old friends.

It was comforting for a young third baseman to know a legend like Seaver was looking out for him.

“It was so cool to sit down with him and have those conversations,” Wright said. “I truly mean that. It was so instrumental in my development to have a guy who was. not just for the Mets, but one of the best to ever put the uniform on kind of take me under his wing and try to show me the ropes a little bit.”

After retiring, Seaver and his wife, Nancy, started a vineyard in Calistoga, Calif., just outside of Napa. Wright was invited to work the fields, but it never came to fruition.

“One of my biggest regrets to this day,” Wright said. “Every year, he invited me to his vineyard up in Northern California. He told me to bring my boots because he was going to put me to work. But as a reward, he said that we drink some wine together and have dinner. And I never took him up on that offer, and to this day, I wish I would have taken him up on that offer.”

Wright wasn’t exactly a hometown kid, but he was a Mets fan just the same before he became one of the most prolific hitters ever drafted by the Amazins’. When No. 5 is lifted to the top of Citi Field, it will be alongside Seaver’s No. 41, two players from two very different generations linked in history.

Back when Wright was watching the Tides with his family, he could have never imagined he would have this kind of career, or that he would get tutelage from Seaver and other great players.

But he is happy with how it all worked out.

“It’s just incredibly crazy that I’m drafted by my favorite team,” Wright said. “Our Triple-A team is in my hometown, I’m developed by some of my favorite players and my dad’s favorite players growing up. Whether it’s Hojo or Gary Carter, Tim Teufel, Straw was around, Doc was around, Keith was around — I mean, it’s crazy, the coincidence. Then, to spend my entire career with the Mets, I think that’s what makes this relationship so special, not just between me and the team, but between me and the city, and the fan base. It’s a genuine connection.”

An announcement accompanied the posts: the Bombers’ pitchers and catcher will report to their Tampa, Florida, spring training home on Feb. 11. Aaron Boone will hold his first media availability of the spring at 1 p.m. that day before the Yankees’ pitchers and catchers participate in their first official workout on Feb. 12.

Yankees position players must report to camp by Feb. 16. The club’s first full-squad workout will take place on Feb. 17.

Exhibition play will begin on Feb. 21, as the Yankees will host the Rays, who are going to call Steinbrenner Field their home during the regular season after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field last October. The Yankees’ first spring training road game will take place the following day at the Blue Jays’ spring training site in Dunedin.

Other notable dates include the second annual Spring Breakout Game, which will take place at the Orioles’ complex in Sarasota on March 15, and the Yankees’ final game of spring training, which will take place at the Mets’ facility in Port St. Lucie on March 24.

The Yankees will start the regular season in the Bronx on March 27 when the Brewers visit Yankee Stadium for Opening Day.

Matusz played college baseball at the University of San Diego and was the No. 4 pick in the 2008 MLB draft, one spot ahead of potential Hall of Famer Buster Posey.

He debuted in the big leagues the following year and made 68 starts over in 279 games. His lone appearance with another club came in 2016 when he made an emergency start for the Chicago Cubs in his final pro game. Though he only lasted three innings in that game, as even a brief member of a World Series-winning squad, he received a championship ring.

He retired from baseball in 2019.

“Our hearts are heavy tonight as we mourn the passing of former Oriole, Brian Matusz,” the team said in a statement.

“A staple in our clubhouse from 2009-2016, Brian was beloved throughout Birdland, and his passion for baseball and our community was unmatched. He dedicated his time to connecting with any fan he could, was a cherished teammate, and always had a smile on his face. Brian’s family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.”

Matusz, who settled as a reliever, had great success against Red Sox Hall of Famer slugger David Ortiz, who hit a meager 4-for-29 (.138) with 13 strikeouts against the Orioles’ lefty hurler.

Matusz was born in Grand Junction, Colo., and played high school baseball at St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix where he developed into a sought-after prospect. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2005 but decided to attend the University of San Diego where he stood out and became a top prospect.

He would have turned 38 on Feb. 11.

“It’s been a blessing to be a part of such a great organization, such a great city, to kind of see the ballclub and the city thrive,” Matusz told The Baltimore Sun in 2019. “To be able to be a part of the 2012, 2014 postseason and pitch in the playoffs and be able to contribute really was special. Good memories and great friendships that were made. Those were some great moments in my life personally and in my playing career that I’ll never forget.”