The Chiba Lotte Marines recently announced that they would post 23-year-old pitching phenom Roki Sasaki, paving the way for him to join Major League Baseball in 2025. Many believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the heavy favorites to sign Sasaki.
However, that may not be the case per Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
“Although the Dodgers are interested in Sasaki and some in the industry have touted them as the favorites to land him, I don’t think that’s the case,” Bowden wrote. “In fact, based on my conversations with league sources, including front-office decision-makers who are optimistic their chances of signing Sasaki are just as strong as any team, I think it’s unlikely he’ll end up with the Dodgers.”
“Sasaki won’t be arbitration-eligible until the winter of 2028 and won’t be eligible for MLB free agency until the 2030-31 offseason,” Bowden continued. “So how will he and his agency, Wasserman, maximize his income between now and then? It’s simple: endorsements.”
Why Roki Sasaki would not get as many endorsements with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Because of Sasaki's age and lack of professional experience, he will only be able to sign a minor league deal as an international amateur free agent. That means that teams will have to use money in their international signing pools to sign Sasaki, and the most he could earn is around $7 million. That basically puts every team in MLB on equal footing salary-wise.
So, that makes Sasaki's marketability, both in Japan and in the United States, even more important.
“In Los Angeles, he’d be in the shadow of both Ohtani and Yamamoto, which would lessen his endorsement ceiling,” Bowden wrote. “Yamamoto has experienced this to a degree, as being on the same team as Ohtani has led to Kodai Senga of the New York Mets drawing more endorsement deals than Yamamoto, according to a league source. It only makes sense that Sasaki will consider this factor in making his decision.”
Based on Bowden's information about Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto earning fewer endorsement deals than New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga, it is clear that Sasaki would be able to make more money on a team where he is not in the shadow of another Japanese superstar like Shohei Ohtani.
While he could decide that winning or playing with his Team Japan teammates is more important than potential endorsements and still choose the Dodgers, this certainly adds a new wrinkle into Sasaki's upcoming free agency.
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