Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, poised to become the most coveted amateur free agent since Shohei Ohtani, has received clearance from his Japanese team to be awarded this winter, the first step on his journey to Major League Baseball.
Sasaki explained his decision to leave Nippon Professional Baseball on the Chiba Lotte Marines’ Twitter/X account on Saturday:
#AkiSasaki We would like to inform you that we have decided to begin the process of transferring the pitcher to a Major League Baseball (MLB) team in the United States via secondment.
▼Comment from team manager Matsumoto… pic.twitter.com/iwEjGoUS1C
– Chiba Lotte Marines (@chibalotte) November 9, 2024
“Since joining the team, the team has listened to my thoughts on my future challenge in the MLB and I am very grateful to the team for allowing me to officially release,” Sasaki said in a statement. released by the Marines on Twitter/X.
“Many things didn’t go right during my five years with the Marines, but I was able to get to this point by focusing solely on baseball, with the support of my teammates, staff, management and fans.” I will do my best to move from my minor contract to become the best player in the world, not to regret my only baseball career and to live up to the expectations of everyone who supported me.
MIAMI, FL – MARCH 20: Roki Sasaki b. Team Japan’s No. 14 pitches during the 2023 World Baseball Classic semifinal against Team Mexico at LoanDepot Park on March 20, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Sasaki…
MIAMI, FL – MARCH 20: Roki Sasaki b. Team Japan’s No. 14 pitches during the 2023 World Baseball Classic semifinal against Team Mexico at LoanDepot Park on March 20, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Sasaki will be signed by the Chiba Lotte Marines, allowing him to pitch in the MLB.
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Sasaki is only 23 years old. Due to his age and relative lack of professional experience in Japan, he will be subject to Major League Baseball’s international amateur autograph rules. He is not in line to receive much money as a free agent, but will be subject to the limits of each team’s international signing bonus fund.
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MLB rules for international fans also limit how much the Chiba Lotte Marines can earn in exchange for posting Sasaki. A new international transfer window opens on January 15th. According to Baseball Americathe maximum Sasaki could sign at that time is $7.555 million.
However, once Sasaki is formally designated, he will have a 45-day window to sign with a major league team. If that window closes before Jan. 15, his salary will be subject to the teams’ 2024 international amateur bonus fund limits.
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In theory, Sasaki will be eligible for free agency at age 29, after accumulating six years of major league service.
Shohei Ohtani followed the same process when he left NPB to sign with the Los Angeles Angels in December 2017. Six years later, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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The Dodgers are seen as the favorites to land Sasaki, who signed Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract last winter. Sasaki, like Yamamoto, is reportedly represented by Wasserman.
At age 20, Sasaki pitched a 19-strikeout perfect game for Lotte in 2022. In his next start, he pitched eight more perfect innings. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, his fastball reached 100 mph. Sasaki was 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 appearances for Chiba Lotte in 2024, with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings.
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