Roki Sasaki, the talented Japanese pitcher, is set to attract MLB teams until January 23, with a bidding war heating up for his signature.
DALLAS: So, Roki Sasaki is making waves in the MLB world! The 23-year-old right-hander from Japan is officially available for teams to sign until January 23. The Chiba Lotte Marines announced this just a week before the deadline, which has everyone buzzing.
Since he’s only 23, Sasaki is considered an international amateur. This means he’ll be signing a minor league contract, which is a bit different from the usual big deals we see. The international signing bonus pools are usually for younger players, so teams are gearing up to make their moves.
Starting January 15, teams can trade for extra pool money, but there are limits. Chiba will get a posting fee of 25% of whatever signing bonus Sasaki gets, which is pretty standard.
Remember when Shohei Ohtani joined the Angels? He got a signing bonus of over $2 million back in 2016. Sasaki is expected to be just as hot on the market. This past season, he had a solid record of 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA and struck out 129 batters in just 111 innings. Not too shabby!
He even helped Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic and has a fastball that can hit 102.5 mph. Plus, he pitched a perfect game last year, striking out 19 batters in total. Talk about impressive!
Sasaki expressed his gratitude to the Marines for allowing him to pursue his MLB dreams. He’s determined to work his way up and become the best player he can be. With several teams like the Athletics and the Yankees eyeing him, it’s going to be exciting to see where he lands!