The agent for highly touted Japanese pitcher Rōki Sasaki suggested Tuesday that his client is not closed off to the idea of playing in New York.

According to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, agent Joel Wolfe said, "He's never brought that up as an issue," when asked if Sasaki would prefer to pitch on the West Coast rather than the East Coast.

Wolfe also noted that while there could be some benefits to the "soft landing" associated with pitching in a smaller market, he doesn't feel Sasaki would have issues with the pressure of playing in NYC, saying: "I think he could handle it."

ESPN's Buster Olney last week that many in baseball believe Sasaki will "most likely" choose to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, while MLB reporter Francys Romero reported that sources felt the San Diego Padres were "in a strong position" to sign Sasaki.

The 23-year-old was officially posted by Nippon Professional Baseball's Chiba Lotte Marines this week, meaning MLB teams have until Jan. 23 to sign him.

Since Sasaki is under the age of 25, he must sign as an international amateur free agent, meaning teams can only use international signing bonus pool money to sign him.

While Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason, Sasaki won't be able to get anything close to that since the team with the most pool money currently only has about $7.5 million.

Although the Dodgers and Padres have been most prominently mentioned as landings spots for Sasaki, ESPN's Jeff Passan named the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants as teams that could have a chance to sign him as well.

The Mets have already made the biggest splash of free agency thus far, signing superstar outfielder Juan Soto away from the New York Yankees with a record 15-year, $765 million deal.

Sasaki would potentially give the Mets the ace they currently lack in their starting rotation, plus they could perhaps provide some level of comfort since they already have another Japanese starter on their staff in Kodai Senga.

The Dodgers and Padres are viewed as good options for Sasaki for similar reasons, as the Dodgers have Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, while the Padres have veteran hurler Yu Darvish.

Thus far, the Yankees haven't really been linked to Sasaki, although it is fair to wonder if they may get more aggressive on that front in reaction to losing Soto.

Whichever team signs Sasaki will be getting quite possibly the best pitcher in the world under the age of 25.

Over his four seasons in he NPB, Sasaki went 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 505 strikeouts in 394.2 innings. He was also a two-time All-Star, threw a perfect game and set the single-game record with 19 strikeouts.

Sasaki has a chance to be a top MLB starter right out of the gates, and given the restrictions that come along with signing international amateurs, the team that signs him will be getting a massive bargain.