Who Will Land Japanese Sensation Roki Sasaki?
Half of MLB Is Interested in Landing Sasaki and Significantly Improving Their Bullpen
Japan’s Latest Prodigy Has Arrived
While Juan Soto has made the biggest MLB news by agreeing to a record-setting $765 mega-deal with the New York Mets, the other teams will have to settle for finding the next young phenom in baseball if they want to be included in future MLB playoff predictions.
Fortunately, the official posting of Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) means the 23-year-old right-hander can sign with any MLB team he wants, making him the most sought-after international prospect.
“He’s paid attention to what his WBC teammates have done.”
Joel Wolfe on Roki Sasaki’s decision-making process. pic.twitter.com/MQChlmagbg
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) December 10, 2024
How Does Posting Work?
With the way the posting system works, Sasaki will have until January 23, 2025, to sign with an MLB team to play for next season. The 2025 international player signing period begins on January 15, and the window closes on January 23, so you can expect Sasaki to negotiate his deal between that period of January 15 to January 23.
The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes have begun 👀 pic.twitter.com/DsRdfLBmNt
— MLB (@MLB) December 9, 2024
This wait will allow Sasaki to make the most money he’s allowed to in his first MLB season with a maximum of $7.5 million per year. This makes it more exciting as it means no team can simply bid a ton of money to land him as they are all subject to limits on their international bonus pool for 2025.
Also, if Sasaki goes to certain teams like the Yankees, Mets, Astros, Dodgers, or Giants, he would have to give up a few million dollars as those teams have a smaller limit than teams like the Tigers, Marlins, and Twins. But he will have to weigh future earning potential with the market he joins as well as the chance to win MLB games right away and compete for the World Series.
As fans start dreaming about their MLB baseball parlay picks in 2025, it will be important to see which team Sasaki winds up with.
A Generational Talent
The MLB rumors are already heating up about who will land Sasaki, who threw a perfect game once in NPB while also setting a world record for consecutive strikeouts in a game (13). In his NPB career, he had a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA and his fastball has measured 102.5 miles per hour.
Roki Sasaki bullpen work 💨 pic.twitter.com/GGvcJl5RAB
— Paul (@BabbleBronx) December 9, 2024
Sources are suggesting that Sasaki seeks a West Coast team, making the Los Angeles Dodgers a likely suitor where Sasaki can join Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, his Japanese teammates from the 2023 World Baseball Classic, in pursuit of another World Series championship.
However, the rival San Diego Padres think they have the right stuff to lure Sasaki to their ranks this season, and it would be fun to see Sasaki as a rival to those other Japanese stars. The Padres are coming off a 93-69 season where they lost to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLDS.
Now that Roki Sasaki has been posted, where will the Japanese phenom land? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/MXKa4X9VJn
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 9, 2024
The Seattle Mariners are a team on the brink of the postseason, and they could view Sasaki as a potential ace in their already solid group of pitchers. It’s also a franchise where Ichiro Suzuki is a legend from Japan.
The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t made the playoffs since 2015, but could you imagine a pitching duo like Sasaki and the reigning Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes leading the way for years to come? That could work as could the Chicago Cubs.
Someone is going to strike gold with Sasaki in January.
