Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki was officially posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball on Monday, adding another mega-talent to Major League Baseball’s free-agent market this winter.
Teams can begin negotiating with the 23-year-old starting pitcher on Tuesday. The window will be open for 45 days until Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. ET.
The young right-hander is one of the most intriguing Japanese prospects to ever make the jump to MLB, perhaps only behind Shohei Ohtani and on the same level as Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Sasaki went 29-15 across four NPB seasons, posting a 2.10 ERA, 505 strikeouts, and a 0.894 WHIP. He possesses a fastball that averages between 97 and 99 mph but maxed out at 102.5 mph during the 2023 World Baseball Classic with Team Japan.
He owns a devastating splitter. His putaway pitch features roughly 30 inches of downward break and clocks in at the low 90s.
The difference between Sasaki and Yamamoto is that Sasaki’s first MLB contract will be a minuscule fraction of the 12-year, $325 million Yamamoto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason.
Because Sasaki is 23, he can only sign a minor-league deal with the team he signs for, as must any Japanese product under the age of 25 looking to make the jump to North America. That means MLB clubs can sign him using only their international bonus pool money, which will range between $5 million and $8 million.
It is all but certain that Sasaki will wait to sign until after Jan. 15, when each team’s international bonus pool money resets.
Multiple reports have already indicated that he will join Ohtani and Yamamoto with the Dodgers, thus adding another ace-worthy arm in a rotation that will already feature the other two Japanese stars and the newly-signed Blake Snell, who is a two-time Cy Young Award winner.
But the Mets are in the market for one more pitcher, and a top-tier arm to pair with Kodai Senga on the cheap would be an obvious target to pursue. President of baseball operations David Stearns, who billed Sasaki as a “unique talent,” can also point to the recent signing of Juan Soto to properly portray the team’s intention to compete for a World Series in 2025 and beyond.
The Yankees are in the market for big-name pitching to join forces with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil. They might feel even more motivated to make a few big splashes after watching Soto sign across town with the Mets. They have been linked with Corbin Burnes and Max Fried in recent weeks.
