When news broke earlier this winter that Roki Sasaki planned to make the jump from Japan to Major League Baseball, the 23-year-old right-hander immediately became one of the top free agents on the market.

But while the Red Sox are among those who have expressed interest in Sasaki’s services, the club has not yet been granted a meeting with the young phenom, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow confirmed on Monday.

“We had not been granted a meeting earlier but hope to stay involved and stay engaged,” Breslow said. “Obviously we would welcome the chance to present why we think Boston would be a great environment.”

Widely viewed as a future ace, Sasaki has already put up monster numbers over his first four professional seasons, posting a 2.10 ERA, 0.894 WHIP and 505 strikeouts through 394.2 innings in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He also boasts filthy stuff that scouts believe should easily translate to the MLB level, including a fastball that touches 102 mph and a wipeout splitter that grades as one of the best in the world.

Because he’s younger than 25, Sasaki is considered an amateur free agent, which means he’s subject to international bonus pool restrictions and will only be able to sign for approximately $7.5 million at most. As a result, his free agency will not be determined by money but instead by other factors like a club’s pitching development program, weather and its ability to provide a comfortable environment for a young Japanese player.

Theoretically Boston has a lot working in its favor, particularly its track record of success with past Japanese pitchers like Daisuke Matsuzaka and Koji Uehara and the current presence of Masataka Yoshida, one of Sasaki’s national team teammates. Breslow indicated the club has made these points to Joel Wolfe, Sasaki’s agent, and that it hopes to go further in depth with its plans if given the chance.

“We’ve pitched why we feel like Boston is a great environment for NPB pitchers to come over, we can speak to our track record of success,” Breslow said. “But ultimately it’s not our decision and we’ll be ready and available to pitch the organization if we get that opportunity.”

Though Sasaki’s decision-making process is ongoing, he won’t be able to officially sign with any club until the 2025 international signing period opens on Jan. 15. After that he will have about a week to make his decision before his 45-day posting window closes on Jan. 23.