As soon as the 2024 Major League Baseball season ended, Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki was on the wishlists of many fans. On December 10, Sasaki was posted by his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball. After the signing period opens, Sasaki has 45 days to sign with a team. With the period ending on January 23, Sasaki should be making his decision shortly.
For fans who haven’t heard of the star before this season, there are so many reasons why Sasaki is one of the best pitchers still left on the market. Although he has yet to pitch in MLB, his stats predict he could be one of the front runners for Rookie of the Year in the league he chooses.
Courtesy of Eugene Hoshiko / Associated Press
The Journey
At only 23-years-old, Sasaki is one of the youngest Japanese pitchers to enter the market. While most foreign-born players wait until they are at least 25 to come to MLB, Sasaki is embarking on the journey a little earlier.
In four seasons with the Marines, Sasaki set quite a few records, and pitched to impressive statistics. He had a 2.02 ERA and 524 strikeouts over 414 and ⅔ innings pitched. Sasaki pitched the 16th no-hitter in NPB history, while also tying an NPB record of 19 shutouts.
While Sasaki’s stats were impressive, he did experience a bit of a down year in 2024. His ERA increased and his strikeout rate regressed. Nevertheless, the hype surrounding the pitcher is still at a high, and it most likely will not impact his contract.
Courtesy of Kyodo News / Associated Press
Free Agency So Far
Sasaki’s journey on the market so far has been nothing short of interesting. As of recently, 20 out of 30 teams conducted an interview with the pitcher, and there haven’t been many outstanding rumors about who is the frontrunner to sign him.
Since Sasaki is younger than 25, he will have to undergo a process that is much different than the one Yamamoto did last offseason. All foreign-born players are subjected to international bonus pool restrictions, unless they are at least 25 or played in a foreign league for at least six seasons. Since Sasaki is only 23, his contract will be worth much less than 25-year-old Yamamoto’s. Superstar Shohei Ohtani signed in 2017 for only a $2.315 million signing bonus, and received the same pay as MLB rookies before getting his record contract last offseason.
The one positive in this is that teams from all around the league will be able to pursue Sasaki, regardless of their financial burdens. Teams like the Chicago White Sox, who just set the MLB record for most losses in a season, have already interviewed with Sasaki, despite preparing to put a lackluster team onto the field this season.
While there aren’t any teams clearly in the lead for Sasaki, it would be easy to imagine he will end up with the Los Angeles Dodgers by the time Opening Day rolls around. The Dodgers are the biggest threat in the league, and seem like they can sign almost anyone at the moment. Sasaki would be able to join forces with Yamamoto and Ohtani, two of his teammates from Team Japan. Although, only time will tell where Sasaki will sign.
Edited By: Giana Robertaccio
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