It is no secret the Los Angeles Dodgers have been able to attract Japanese stars recently.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto chose the Dodgers over the New York Mets last year, when both teams offered him $325 million.
More recently, Roki Sasaki also chose the Dodgers despite the Toronto Blue Jays reportedly offering more money.
Due to his age, Sasaki, 23, was limited to teams’ international pool money.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of Game 1 of the NL Championship Series Oct. 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
And Shohei Ohtani decided to stay in Los Angeles and sign with the Dodgers before the 2024 campaign.
Japanese stars have joined other teams in recent years, but Yamamoto and Sasaki are undoubtedly the top pitching prospects other than Ohtani since Masahiro Tanaka arrived in 2014 with the Yankees.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Kodai landed a five-year, $90 million contract with the New York Mets, and he’s slated to be at the top of their rotation this season after missing the majority of last season.
As he reported to spring training Tuesday, Senga was asked how the Mets could land more Japanese stars, and he was brutally honest.
“Of course, I would love to have some more on the Mets, but the climate’s nice there, and I think that definitely plays a part,” Senga said.
New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga reacts to some difficulty with a PitchCom device during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers June 28, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
YANKEES MANAGER TAKES SHOT AT DODGERS, ALLEGES LACK OF ‘CLASS’ WITH WORLD SERIES TITLE TALK
“We need to build a roof.”
Mets owner Steve Cohen has teased a roof before, once noting it would cost roughly $800 million to build. But, last year, he said that “ship has sailed” because it’s “too expensive.”
There figure to be more Japanese stars arriving in the U.S. soon. Lefty slugger Munetaka Murakami, who hit 56 homers in 2022 and has a .938 career OPS overseas, is expected to join the major leagues next year.
It should also be noted that the Blue Jays have a roof, so the weather clearly wasn’t everything for Sasaki.
Kodai Senga of the New York Mets pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field July 26, 2024, in New York City.(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
There are 15 Japanese-born players on major league rosters, and the most recent to make his MLB debut was Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.
By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.
Please enter a valid email address.
NEW ORLEANS – Quincy Williams looked at his New York Jets teammate Jermaine Johnson on Tuesday on Radio Row in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX and made a statement.
“I’m tired of losing,” the Jets star linebacker said in an interview with Fox News Digital while discussing his partnership with Bounty.
Johnson replied, “Oh man, I’m tired of losing.”
SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE
New York Jets new head coach Aaron Glenn speaks during a press conference at the NFL football team’s training facility on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Since joining the Jets in 2021 after two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Williams has seen 23 Jets wins to 45 losses – a .338 win percentage. Johnson came in as a first-round pick in 2022, and though he only played two games this past year due to a torn Achilles, he has also seen his Jets under .500 in his three seasons with the club.
That wasn’t supposed to be the case in 2023 when the team traded for Aaron Rodgers and had a roster many believed would break their decade-plus-long playoff drought. We all know how that played out after just four snaps into Week 1 that year.
A 5-12 record, which saw head coach Robert Saleh ousted while the team continued to struggle, ultimately led to another new head coaching hire, and it’s someone the organization knows quite well in Aaron Glenn.
HOW TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LIX BETWEEN CHIEFS, EAGLES STREAMED ON TUBI
A first-round pick by the organization in 1994, Glenn played cornerback for the Jets for eight of his 15 years in the league before getting into coaching. This will be his first head coaching gig, but Williams and Johnson expressed their excitement for having him in the building to lead them where they want to go.
And that’s winning football games.
“I’m excited to see the culture that he preaches, and also, the foundation that we’re going to build together. Because we have to have a strong foundation before we build anything up,” Williams explained.
When it comes to that foundation, Glenn set the tone by saying, “We’re built for this s—” during his introductory press conference.
Now, Williams and Johnson have heard it before with Saleh, whose motto was “All Gas, No Brakes,” which came from his own intro presser.
Quincy Williams #56 of the New York Jets stretches out his arms on the field prior to the start of the game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
But these Jets veterans know that players buying in, especially those senior leaders, are what will drive this team in the right direction moving into 2025.
Johnson provided an anecdote to explain why culture and foundation in the locker room is so important to success. And no, his story doesn’t come from his time in the league, but rather his career at Independence Community College – a powerhouse junior college squad that was on the fourth season of Netflix’s popular show “Last Chance U.”
“My first year [in JUCO], we had a bunch of no-names, me included,” he began. “Ain’t nobody knew me when I’m coming out of Minnesota going to junior college. We basically were the first team in school history, or 50 years, to win a bowl game and win the conference championship. Again, I get it, it’s junior college. But we had a bunch of no-names and nobody knew [us]. We didn’t have a bunch of DI players who came to play junior college – we had a bunch of grinders, right? And we got it done.
“My junior college conference, in all of America, was the most competitive conference to play in. Alvin Kamara came from it, other notable guys came from that conference. Long story short, the next year, we had all these guys bounce back – this guy played at ‘Bama, this guy played at Auburn, this guy played at Florida State. And we’re on Netflix again. Obviously, this is the school to beat. Bro…we went 2-8.
“So, I say that to say you can have the best, most talented roster in the world. You can have all the hype. If your culture and your foundation isn’t right, it doesn’t matter, and it will always be that way on all levels of football.”
Johnson didn’t say it directly, but that story has parallels with the Jets. A four-time MVP quarterback, offensive weapons galore including one that was traded for mid-season with a rapport with said quarterback, a top-three defense in yards allowed the last two season. Yet, the record is what it is despite the talent.
So, yes, Johnson and Williams likely speak for their Jets brothers when they say they’re tired of losing. But they’re optimistic that Glenn and this new regime, which includes new general Darren Mougey, are the right group to take them forward.
“I’m excited to start things new and start things with a great regime that I really feel like we have. And I already know the character of the guys in the locker room, so I know what they can do on the field. I’m excited to attack this season.”
STAYING CLEAN WITH BOUNTY
Another Super Bowl means another Super Bowl party that many will be attending this year. That means there will be some delictable eats, and wings are usually on the menu no matter where you go for the “Big Game.”
Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi.(Tubi)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
That’s what Johnson and Williams were munching on during the interview, and the former even dropped a wing, which spoke to the reason why they both partnered with Bounty. They needed a sturdy paper towel to clean it up.
“You can have all the best food in the world, you can have the best party, but think about how messed up things can get with somebody’s hands all dirty, somebody spilled something. Look, what I’ve learned in life is, you may not be responsible for the mess, or you may be. Nevertheless, you need something to clean it up and do a good job. So, we got Bounty.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
The Mexican government is building large encampments in Ciudad Juárez to receive an expected influx of Mexicans returned to their native country by President Donald Trump’s promised mass deportations.
Tent shelters in Ciudad Juárez are made to temporarily house thousands of people and will be prepared in just a few days, city official Enrique Licon told Reuters.
“It’s unprecedented,” Licon said Tuesday of Mexico’s plan to build shelter and reception centers in nine cities south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Authorities at the site will reportedly provide deported Mexicans with food, temporary housing, medical care and assistance in obtaining identity documents, Reuters reported.
TRUMP’S ICE RACKS UP HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR HORROR CRIMES
A member of the Mexican Navy walks amidst the structure of an industrial warehouse tent, which will be used by Mexican authorities as a temporary shelter for migrants deported from the United States, in Mexicali, Mexico, Jan. 22, 2025. (REUTERS/Victor Medina)
The government will also provide transportation for Mexican nationals to return to their hometowns.
Trump campaigned on launching the largest mass deportations of illegal immigrants in U.S. history and began that effort after assuming office on Monday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already made more than 460 arrests, targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records, including for violent crimes.
Information obtained by Fox News Digital shows that between midnight Jan. 21 and 9 a.m. on Jan, 22, a 33-hour period, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested more than 460 illegal immigrants whose criminal histories include sexual assault, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, drugs and weapons offenses, resisting arrest and domestic violence.
Agents arrested nationals from a slew of countries, including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and Venezuela.
‘PROMPT REMOVAL’: TRUMP DHS EXPANDS EXPEDITED DEPORTATION POWERS AS OPERATIONS RAMP UP
A drone view shows workers setting up an industrial warehouse tent, which will be used by Mexican authorities as a temporary shelter for migrants deported from the United States, in Mexicali, Mexico, Jan. 22, 2025. (REUTERS/Victor Medina)
Arrests took place across the U.S. including Illinois, Utah, California, Minnesota, New York, Florida and Maryland.
Nearly five million Mexicans are living in the United States without authorization, according to an analysis by Mexican think tank El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) based on recent U.S. census data.
President Donald Trump has begun his policy of mass deportations to combat criminal illegal aliens. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Many are from parts of central and southern Mexico wracked by violence and poverty. Some 800,000 illegally present Mexicans in the United States are from Michoacan, Guerrero and Chiapas, according to the COLEF study, where fierce battles between organized crime groups have forced thousands to flee in recent years, sometimes leaving whole towns abandoned.
Trump has swiftly restarted policies aimed to halt the flow of migrants into the U.S. that former President Biden had ended. On Monday, the Trump administration ended the CBP One app program, which allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to schedule an appointment to enter the U.S. legally. Then on Tuesday, Trump reinstated Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a requirement that non-Mexican asylum seekers wait in Mexico until their cases are resolved.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Immigration activists worry that Trump’s strict immigration policies will overwhelm Mexico with deportees, but the government insists it is prepared.
“Mexico will do everything necessary to care for its compatriots, and will allocate whatever is necessary to receive those who are repatriated,” Mexico’s Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said on Monday at a press conference, according to Reuters.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and Reuters contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
