• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Stephen A. Smith vs Clay Travis at Tuned In on September 16 in NYC. Don’t miss it. Buy tickets now!

Why 23-Year-Old Phenom Roki Sasaki Will Be MLB’s Biggest Bargain

The placement of the 23-year-old pitcher into MLB’s international amateur free agent system makes the race to sign him a more level playing field. 

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki is being posted for entry to Major League Baseball, a move destined to help reshape the league’s offseason hot stove period. 

Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines said Saturday that they will make the 23-year-old Sasaki available to MLB teams, bringing one of the game’s top young talents into the open market. Already with four seasons of pro experience in Japan, Sasaki boasts a 2.02 career earned run average and has struck out 524 batters in just 414.2 innings—totals boosted by a blazing fastball that has topped 102 miles per hour coupled with a wipeout slider. He also has pitched a perfect game. 

Because of Sasaki’s age, he will be classified as an international amateur free agent and be subject to bonus pool limits imposed on MLB teams. That structure will mean his initial MLB contract will be no larger than seven figures in size, and he will be under club control through the 2030 season. The team that acquires Sasaki will pay the Marines a posting fee equal to 20% of his contract’s guaranteed value. 

That situation differs materially from the 12-year, $325 million contract the Dodgers signed late last year with fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was 25 at the time of his deal. But Sasaki’s path does resemble that of Shohei Ohtani, who initially signed with the Angels in 2017 for a $2.3 million bonus and a league-minimum salary that, at the time, was $545,000 per season.

As a result, nearly every MLB team is in play to land Sasaki. That will be particularly true if Sasaki is posted in mid-December or later. The current international signing period runs through Dec. 15, but a new one for 2025 starts a month later, when all clubs will have a full complement of bonus pools. 

If Sasaki is posted sooner, though, the Dodgers would have a clear advantage, as they still have $2.5 million left in their 2024 bonus pool, more than any other MLB club. A specific timetable for the posting, however, has not been determined. Had Chiba Lotte waited another two years, they would have received a much larger posting fee, similar to the more than $60 million the Orix Buffaloes received after Yamamoto joined the Dodgers. But Sasaki won out in his desire to make the jump now. 

“From the time he joined the organization, we were told by [Sasaki] of his dream to play in America,” said Chiba Lotte GM Naoki Matsumoto in a statement. “Taking into account the last five years as a whole, we have decided to prioritize his thoughts. We are hoping he does his best as a representative of Japan. We are cheering for him.”

Bigger Picture

Despite the more level playing field, the Dodgers and Padres have been widely seen as the favorites to land Sasaki—for a variety of reasons including relative geographic proximity to Japan. 

Because of the low cost to obtain a talent of this level, the Sasaki situation is not expected to have any direct bearing on the ongoing race to land outfielder Juan Soto, the top player in MLB’s current free-agent class. Soto is expected to land a deal of at least $600 million, which would be the second-largest contract in U.S. pro sports history, and perhaps beat Ohtani’s current, $700 million pact with the Dodgers in present-day value. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jan 12, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; CBS Sports field reporter Tracy Wolfson interviews Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) following a win over the Denver Broncos in an AFC wild card game at Highmark Stadium.

CBS Sports Chief on Paramount Owners: ‘They Value Sports’

Network officials cite the UFC deal as immediate proof of corporate priorities.
Bill Chisholm

Wyc Grousbeck Won’t Continue As Lead Celtics Governor After Sale

Two sources said that Grousbeck will keep the CEO title.

Featured Today

Schultz of Israel-Premier Tech

Rice Krispies Treats Are Upending the Billion-Dollar Athlete-Fuel Wars

The world’s most elite athletes are eating like first graders.
Dec 14, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; President Donald Trump wave during the second quarter of the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field
August 9, 2025

‘Political Gold’: Trump Putting His Stamp on College Sports 

Trump has embraced executive action on hot-button college sports issues.
August 3, 2025

Inked Under Anesthesia: Athletes Getting $50,000 Tattoos

High-end studios, elite artist teams, and hours under anesthesia.
Coco Gauff at New York Liberty
August 2, 2025

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Aug 10, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Scottie Scheffler chips from the rough on 17th hole during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship golf.

Scheffler Seals Another $5M Bonus Before Penultimate Playoff Event

The golfer has now earned $23 million in bonus money this season.
Justin Rose lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., on August 10, 2025.
August 11, 2025

Justin Rose Pockets $3.6 Million, Becomes Oldest Tour Winner Since 2021

Rose secured a Tour Championship spot for the first time since 2019.
August 11, 2025

NBA’s Restricted Free Agents Face Cap Squeeze As Season Nears

The Warriors roster is still in flux.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
Sep 21, 1970; Cleveland, OH, USA;FILE PHOTO: New York Jets quarterback (12) JOE NAMATH throws a pass against the Cleveland Browns during the first ever Monday Night Football game. Namath was intercepted 3 times in the game. The Browns won the game in front of a record Cleveland football crowd of 85,703 at Cleveland Stadium.
August 11, 2025

‘Time Is a Flat Circle’: How NFL QB Power Has Ebbed and..

Many QBs are firmly in the managerial class.
August 10, 2025

Caitlin Clark Feels ‘Responsibility’ to Play With Ratings, Tickets in Mind

Caitlin Clark has missed 13 of 32 regular-season games this season.
August 10, 2025

Son Heung-min Makes MLS Debut After $26M Transfer to Near-Sellout

Son played just four days after LAFC announced his permanent transfer.
August 6, 2025

Ukrainian Tennis Star Blames Sports Bettors for Death Threats

Svitolina is currently ranked No. 13 in the world.