Japanese ace Roki Sasaki to become available to MLB teams this offseason

CHIBA, Japan (AP) — Japanese ace Roki Sasaki will be available to MLB teams this offseason.

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The Chiba Lotte Marines announced Saturday they have chosen to start the process of moving the pitcher to a big league club in North America via the posting system.

Sasaki, who turned 23 this month, is expected to become one of the most sought-after pitchers on the open market. The right-hander went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 games this year, striking out 129 hitters in 111 innings.

Because he is younger than 25, Sasaki will be classified as an international amateur free agent subject to bonus pool limits, according to MLB rules. That means his first contract would be a minor league deal no larger than seven figures.

The Marines will receive a posting fee from the acquiring MLB team equal to 25% of the signing bonus.

When Shohei Ohtani agreed to join the Los Angeles Angels in December 2016 at age 23, he received a $2,315,000 signing bonus.

It’s unclear yet when Sasaki will be posted, starting the 45-day clock for him to sign with a major league club. The 2024 international signing period ends Dec. 15 and the 2025 period opens Jan. 15.

Most teams committed most or all of their bonus pool to Latin American prospects in January. The Los Angeles Dodgers have kept the most available space left in their 2024 signing bonus pool, $2,502,500.

On the day before the World Series began, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman refused to answer a question about the amount left open, saying: “This is outrageous. You want to talk about our hitting philosophy and the player development, seriously, this is not important for right now.”

Baltimore has $2,147,300 remaining, the New York Yankees $1,487,200 and San Francisco $1,247,500. The other teams have under $1 million, including Tampa Bay and Texas with no money available and eight other clubs with less than $100,000.

The last day to post a player is Dec. 15, so by waiting the Marines could extend his availability into the new signing period.

Pools this year range from Arizona at a high of $7,129,800 to Atlanta, Boston, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets at $5,925,000.

After the Dodgers signed Ohtani to a $700 million, 10-year contract and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a $325 million, 12-year deal last December, Los Angeles won the World Series and drew a Japan-record 12.9 million average television viewers for the five games against the Yankees.

Asked during the NL Championship Series whether the success of the team’s brand in Japan could help recruit Sasaki if he became available, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said: “I hope so, absolutely. We’re thinking alike now.”

Sasaki helped Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His fastball has been clocked at 102.5 mph, and he has a 29-15 career record with a 2.10 ERA over four injury-shortened seasons with the Marines. He pitched a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes in April 2022 — racking up 13 straight strikeouts and finishing with 19.

“Since I joined the team, the team has been listening to my thoughts about my future MLB challenge, and I am very grateful to the team for officially allowing me to post,” Roki Sasaki said in a statement posted by the Marines on the social platform X.

“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. 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.”

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