The ink is barely dry Juan Sotos record-breaking contracts with New York Metsbut already MLB franchises are again looking for a shiny new toy.
Enter Roki Sasakithe 23-year-old star who has been tearing it up in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and is ready to make the trip across the Pacific Ocean.
With the news that his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, have posted Sasaki, MLB teams now have until Jan. 23 to try to convince the pitcher that they are the perfect place to begin the next step in his career.
Who is Roki Sasaki?
Despite only turning 23 in November, the 2-foot-2 righty is already one of the best pitchers in the world.
In 2024 he went 10-5 with one ERA of 2.35 over 18 gamesstriking out 129 batters in 111 innings along the way.
Sasaki’s career stats make for even better reading, with the so-called “Monster of the Reiwa Era” posting an ERA of just 2.02, picking up 524 strikeouts in 414 2/3 innings.
Has broken Shohei Ohtani’s record for the fastest pitch thrown by a Japanese high school player (101 mph), Sasaki has been known to MLB executives for some time.
He first started turning the heads of American fans in April 2022 when he threw one perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes. It was the 16th perfect game in NPB history and the first in 28 years, but even more impressive was the manner in which Sasaki went about it — 13 straight strikeouts between the first and fifth innings, a new world record to top the 10 consecutive Ks accomplished by Corbin Burnes, Tom Seaver and Aaron Nola in the MLB. His 19 strikeouts total also matched the all-time NPB record.
Clearly not one to rest on his laurels, the then 20-year-old went out and threw eight more perfect innings in his next start, racking up 14 more Ks and striking out the side in the eighth inning before being pulled by his manager.
Sasaki fever really hit the US the following year when he was part of Samurai Japan’s 2023 World Baseball Classic win, along with Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Sasaki continued his impressive strikeout record, striking out 11 over 7 2/3 innings.
The right-hander has relied on remarkable velocity, his fastball clocking in at a top of 102.5 mph. Combined with a wicked splitter, which is one of the best in the world right now, Sasaki has proven unstoppable at times.
“His split-finger fastball is absolutely devastating. It floods the batter,” said Jason Coskrey, Japan baseball writer for The Japan Times CNN Sports.
“He’s got the goods, he’s big. He’s pretty durable, he doesn’t have a lot of muscle on him, but he’s got good length, he’s got great power with his stances and he’s a phenomenal talent.”
Sasaki’s former manager and teammates are very much in agreement.
“When I saw him pitch for the first time in the bullpen at the 2020 Ishigaki Island camp, it was a shock (I haven’t experienced) since I first saw Hideo Nomo,” coach Masato Yoshii said in a comment. statement in November.
“It’s well known that his talent is pretty unmatched,” said former White Sox draft pick James Dykstra, who pitched alongside Sasaki with the Marines last year. MLB.com. “I came back after seeing that bullpen and said, ‘This is probably one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen live.’
“Every time he threw was more and more impressive. I can’t think of a single person who has that much raw talent.”
Why is his free agency different from others?
His outstanding speed at such a young age has inevitably drawn comparisons to Ohtani, but the similarities don’t end there.
Much like Ohtani did when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, Sasaki will make a fraction of what he’s likely worth due to his age. Foreign-born players are subject to international bonus pool money restrictions, which limit what they can earn.
To get around this, players must be 25 years of age or older and have played for at least six seasons in a foreign league recognized by MLB.
When Sasaki, who has been posted earlier than normal, finally signs, his contract will be much closer to the $2.315 million deal Ohtani signed with the Angels than the $325 million contract Yamamoto agreed to with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year on 25 years of age.
“He would get a crazy contract, but the rules are the rules,” Coskrey explained. “Sasaki, he probably plans to have a higher ceiling than Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and to get him so young, I think he would get something similar (salary) as well.”
It’s a sign of how much Sasaki wants to hit the ground running in the US that he’s choosing to bet on himself rather than wait two years for what would likely be a massive contract.
“I can only express my gratitude to the team, who have always listened to me about my future plans to challenge MLB since I joined the team, and have now officially allowed my post,” he said in a statement in November.
“I will do my best to become the best player in the world coming off a minor league contract so that I will have no regrets during my one-time baseball career and live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me.”
Which team should he join?
According to his agent, Joel Wolfemore than half of MLB teams have scouted Sasaki in the past year. The Dodgers have been hailed by some as early frontrunners.
“He’s somebody that’s obviously a big priority for us,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said per MLB.com. “We will do what we can and know that there are many other teams that will do the exact same thing.”
One of those teams is the San Diego Padres, who have come out swinging in the race for the Japanese star.
“We should be very legitimate contenders,” manager Mike Shildt said MLB Network Radio. “We fully expect to be right in the mix and actually, at the end of the day, have Sasaki a Padre.”
In Yu Darvish, Coskrey explains, the Padres have a pitcher that many young Japanese players look up to.
“Darvish is like a hero figure to a lot of Japanese players,” he said. “He was a great mentor to them during the World Baseball Classic. I think he might have been the most popular guy on the team. Obviously, Ohtani with everything, but Darvish is kind of revered, so I wouldn’t count the Padres out either.”
With the New York Yankees, Mets and Boston Red Sox also very much in the conversation, and Sasaki reportedly planning to wait until the 2025 international amateur signing period begins on January 15, it remains to be seen where he ends up.
But, as arguably the biggest talent to come out of Japan since Ohtani, you’ll be seeing a lot more of Roki Sasaki soon.
CNN’s Yumi Asada contributed reporting.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
