LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- The battle to sign coveted Japanese starting pitcher Roki Sasaki is heating up between Major League Baseball teams.

According to U.S. media, the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers had met with him by Tuesday, while the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox may have already spoken with the 23-year-old right-hander.

On Dec. 10, his agent, Joel Wolfe, revealed that over 20 major league teams had contacted him about Sasaki.

Shohei Ohtani's Los Angeles Dodgers and Yu Darvish's San Diego Padres are also reportedly vying for the talented but injury-prone pitcher, who threw a perfect game in April 2022 against the Orix Buffaloes.

Meanwhile, some teams that have expressed interest in Sasaki have reportedly not yet arranged meetings.

The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that the Red Sox continue to wait to hear whether they will get the opportunity to meet Sasaki, while a senior Philadelphia Phillies official has said no meeting has been arranged for his team.

MLB teams have until Jan. 23 to sign Sasaki, who was posted by the Lotte Marines earlier this month.

Since Sasaki is under 25, he is classified as an international amateur free agent subject to signing bonus pool limits, and his first contract will be a minor league deal.

Sasaki posted a career-high 10 wins against five losses with a 2.35 ERA in 18 games this year, striking out 129 batters in 111 innings.