Roki Sasaki is set to become the next star player from Japan to make the jump to MLB with the Chiba Lotte Marines agreeing to post him as an international free agent, which is expected to happen during the Winter Meetings.
Sasaki quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as he went 30-15 with a 2.02 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across four seasons with the Marines.
Sasaki, who recently turned 23, asked the Marines to post him last year, but they declined his request.
Former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco, who spent the last two years with the Marines, said Sasaki has been eyeing a move to the Majors for quite some time, via Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post:
“He asks me about [the big leagues] every day,” said his Chiba Lotte teammate Gregory Polanco, who played eight seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I go in there, and he’s joking around: ‘I’m going to this [MLB] team, I’m going to that [MLB] team!’ He’s so ready to go.”
Polanco tried convincing Sasaki to stay in Japan for a few more seasons, but the right-hander was adamant about going to MLB:
“Now that Yamamoto’s gone, he’s the best pitcher in Japan. He throws super hard. He’s tall. The split is nasty. Breaking ball. Everything,” Polanco said. “I tell him, he’s really young, he needs more experience. I’m like, ‘Hey, stay a little bit longer.’ He’s like, ‘No, I want to go!’”
Because Sasaki hasn’t reached the age of 25 or six seasons in NPB, he will be subject to international signing rules as an amateur free agent rather than entering MLB free agency with no limitations on his contract.
The Dodgers have the largest amount of bonus pool money remaining for the 2024 international period at $2.5 million. That was widely perceived to be set aside for Sasaki in the event he suddenly became available, which wasn’t known to be the case until last month.
But with Sasaki not joining a team until the 2025 international signing period begins Jan. 15, the Dodgers won’t hold that same financial advantage. However, their bonus pool does increase to $5.1 million.
Sasaki is represented by agent Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, who has Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yu Darvish among his most notable clients.
‘Complicating factors’ affecting Dodgers’ pursuit of Roki Sasaki?
While the Dodgers are considered favorites to sign Sasaki, some scouts believe he may prefer a smaller market. Sasaki’s fastball velocity was down this year as well, leading others to believe he is nursing an injury.
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