Roki Sasaki, a first-round draft pick of the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2019, fires a pitch to a Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters batter on May 17, 2024, at Zozo Marine Stadium. (©KYODO)
Read the full story on SportsLook - [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Roki Sasaki on the Move to MLB
After four seasons with NPB's Chiba Lotte Marines, hard-throwing right-hander Roki Sasaki received the green light from the team to pursue a move to Major League Baseball.
The Marines announced on Saturday, November 9 that they will post him, giving MLB's 30 clubs the opportunity during a 45-day window to negotiate a deal with Sasaki.
After the 2023 NPB season, Sasaki asked the Marines to post him but they rejected his request to move to MLB.
For Sasaki, who has a 29-15 career record in 64 games with the Marines, a date has not yet been announced when the posting will be made official, ESPN baseball insider Jeff Pasan reported.
Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, who previously pitched for the Yokohama DeNA BaySars, was posted on November 27, 2023. That began the 45-day negotiating period.
If an NPB player who is posted fails to finalize an MLB contract in that 45-day window, he returns to his Japanese team from the previous season.
Sasaki, who turned 23 on November 3, would be subject to MLB's salary restrictions placed on international players, classified as amateur players until they turn 25. As a result, he would only be able to sign a minor-league contract ― a seven-figure deal.
Similarly, Shohei Ohtani, when he was 23, signed his first contract with the Los Angeles Angels for $2.3 million USD (¥351 million JPY) in December 2017 when he was still labeled as an international amateur. (When Yoshinobu Yamamoto finalized a 12-year, $325 million, or nearly ¥50 billion, deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023, he was already 25.)
Roki Sasaki Expresses Gratitude to the Marines
"I really thank the team for allowing me [to play in MLB]," Sasaki said in a statement.
Looking ahead, Sasaki, who pitched a perfect game and struck out 19 batters against the Orix Buffaloes on April 10, 2022, has lofty ambitions for the next phase of his baseball career.
"There were many things that did not go well during my five years with the Marines, but I was able to get to this point by concentrating only on baseball, with the support of my teammates, staff, front office, and fans," Sasaki added. "I will do my best to work my way up from my minor contract to become the best player in the world so that I will have no regrets in my one and only baseball career and live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me this time."
In 2024, Sasaki made 18 starts for the Marines and had a 10-5 record with a 2.35 ERA, pitching 111 innings, striking out 129 and walking 32 batters. He allowed 83 hits, including just two home runs. And he was also sidelined with a torn oblique.
He is widely recognized as the best young pitcher in NPB, though he has had injury issues since he made his pro debut in 2021. Sasaki threw a career-high 129⅓ innings while making 20 starts in 2022.
Great Expectations for Roki Sasaki
Marines manager Masato Yoshii recognizes that Sasaki, aka "The Monster of the Reiwa Era," is a generational talent. And that there are great expectations for him in the future in MLB.
Indeed, without Sasaki, there will be a big void in the pitching rotation for Lotte, which finished in third place in the Pacific League with a 71-66-6 record in 2024.
"It is very painful for the team, of course," Yoshii said, according to Kyodo News. "I understand his feelings well, and I understand the desire to tackle this challenge. There are many areas he has yet to master, but he can polish those in America."
Yoshii also recalled, "The first time I saw him pitch in a bullpen, it was the biggest shock I'd had since I first saw Hideo Nomo pitch," Kyodo News reported.
Noah Camras, who writes about baseball for the Dodgers Nation website, described Sasaki as "one of the best pitching prospects ever."
Sasaki's pitching arsenal includes a fastball clocked at 102 mph (164.1 kph), an excellent slider and a deceptive split-finger fastball.
MLB scouts and front-office executives frequently attended Sasaki's games during his four NPB seasons.
In his 394⅔ career innings with the Marines, Sasaki struck out 505 batters and issued 88 walks. He gave up 265 hits.
Looking ahead to MLB's offseason player signings, reporter Tony Paul of The Detroit News described Sasaki this way: "Here's the name to watch from Japan, for teams with money left in their international signing bonus pool."
Continue reading the full story, which includes additional news items on baseball, soccer and basketball, on SportsLook.
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Author: Ed Odeven
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