The Cubs are formally making their pitch to one of the hottest free agents on the market.

The team met with Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki on Friday, Marquee Sports Network contributor Bruce Levine reported. A second source confirmed the meeting to Marquee Sports Network.

Sasaki, who is represented by Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, is meeting prospective teams in Los Angeles, where the agency’s headquarters are located. Wolfe also represents Seiya Suzuki, the Cubs Japanese outfielder.

Jed Hoyer and the Cubs do not comment on free agents, but they do know Chicago can be an appealing place for a player like Sasaki.

The transition that both Suzuki and Shota Imanaga made when coming over from Japan gave the Cubs a sense of what works and doesn’t to help with the assimilation.

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“I know we’re very appealing to Japanese players,” Hoyer said at this month’s Winter Meetings in Dallas. “Obviously, Shota and Seiya have had really good experiences. I think we’re an appealing destination for any Japanese player.”

The Cubs had submitted a preliminary presentation to Sasaki and his group when he was posted earlier this month. Sasaki has 45 days to sign with a major league team but cannot sign with a team until the international signing period opens on January 15.

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Unlike Imanaga and Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Sasaki is being posted as an international free agent and can only sign a deal under a team’s international bonus pool money, meaning he won’t sign a lofty contract like the other two did last year.