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One of the biggest questions heading into the offseason is whether or not 22-year-old star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki will leave Japan to join Major League Baseball. If Sasaki does make himself available to teams, he would immediately become one of, if not the most sought-after Japanese players of all time.
It is looking like Sasaki may be close to making a decision about whether or not he will leave Japan according to ESPN's MLB insider Kiley McDaniel in his recent article where he projected contracts for his top-50 free agents.
“With indications pointing to Sasaki joining this year's class, we'll include him here as he immediately would be among the most sought-after players available,” McDaniel wrote on Tuesday.
McDaniel then clarified the circumstances in which Sasaki could make himself available to MLB teams due to his age an inability to be posted by his Japanese team, the Chibba Lotte Marines.
“Given the rules in place for players coming over from Japan before they turn 25 years old, it doesn't make any financial sense for him to get his club to post him this year because, like Shohei Ohtani, he would be limited to the international bonus pools that are all under $8 million,” McDaniel wrote. “If he comes after Dec. 15, the pools reset and he could get as much as $7 million or so, but if he comes before he'll be limited to roughly $2.5 million at most.
Which teams would be in play for Roki Sasaki if he leaves Japan for Major League Baseball?
Because of his age and the limitations on his contract, not only would every team in baseball want to sign Sasaki, but every team could hypothetically afford to sign Sasaki.
McDaniel wrote about which teams could have an advantage in signing Sasaki.
“[The Dodgers] are heavily favored to land Sasaki just as they landed Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason,” McDaniel wrote. “There are some complicating factors for the Dodgers this time, though: Some scouts think Sasaki would prefer a smaller market, and his velocity was down this year, leading some to believe he's nursing an injury.”
It would make sense for the Los Angeles Dodgers to be a potential favorite due to their influence in the Japanese market with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But, if Sasaki would prefer a smaller market, then a team like the Seattle Mariners, who have strong ties to Japan and have one of the best young pitching staffs in baseball, would also be a great fit.
