An interesting development is happening in Japan's top baseball league, Nippon Professional Baseball, involving star pitcher Roki Sasaki. The 22-year-old has reportedly withdrawn his name from the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association in an attempt to gain some leverage in contract negotiations with his team the Chiba Lotte Marines, per Japanese publication Bunshun.
As of now, there is no public indication that Sasaki and the Marines have agreed on a contract for the 2024 NPB season. This is due in part to reports that Sasaki wishes to include a clause in his contract that guarantees he'll be posted by the Marines after the season with his sights set on an MLB career.
Sasaki wanted to be posted this offseason and be free to sign with an MLB team but was blocked by the Marines, who likely want to keep their young star as long as possible.
NPB teams typically wait until players are 25 years old to post them which in turn would net them more money per the league’s posting agreement with the MLB. Players under 25 are also subject to contract restrictions, hence why it is rare for a player as young as Sasaki to be posted. Under those circumstances, Sasaki would not be posted until after the 2026 season.
Where does Sasaki go from here?
Roki Sasaki's desire to play in the MLB has put him in a tough spot if these reports are true. It's hard to imagine the Marines budging after this season and allowing Sasaki to be posted, which brings the ace pitcher right back to where he is this offseason.
He can work with the Marines and try to negotiate a trade with an MLB team, but some other rules and restrictions apply to that scenario which could hinder the process.
Sasaki's move has reportedly drawn criticism from the JPBPA who fear that more players will follow in his footsteps by withdrawing from the association. It is rare for a player as young as Sasaki to do so, but the JPBPA has lost star players before due to various reasons.
There's a possibility Sasaki holds out into the season, an unprecedented move for a Japanese player, but would the Marines risk further damaging their relationship with him by not meeting his contract demands? Lotte is well within its rights to want to gain the most financially by waiting to post Sasaki, but is it worth it for the Marines if the pitcher can’t help them win while he's still under their control?
This is not a matter of if Roki Sasaki will come to the MLB, but when. Both Sasaki and the Marines will lose out on millions of dollars if the former gets his way, but the money doesn’t appear to be worth it for him at the moment. He wants to prove he is ready to shine in the best professional baseball league in the world and as of now has his heart set on pitching in the MLB sooner rather than later.
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