A top international free agent has been posted in Roki Sasaki. He will begin meeting with MLB teams next week as he is set to begin his process of choosing where he will play in the majors in 2024. However, because of his age, the international rules only permit him to sign a minor league deal, unlike typical players that have been posted in years past, because of that it opens the door for the smaller market teams with a higher value of money in the international pool money.
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Roki Sasaki By The Numbers
Sasaki has pitched for Chiba Lotte the last four seasons in the Japan Pacific League going 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP, a 2.0 HR/9, a 2.0 BB/9, and an 11.5 K/9 in 394.2 innings. He made five starts in 2021 in the Japan Eastern League going 1-0 with a 0.45 ERA, a 0.65 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 20 innings. Last season in 18 games he went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. He appeared in the 2023 World Baseball Classic making two starts going 1-0 with a 4.69 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts in 7.2 innings.
Suitors
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are in the 7,555,500 pool bracket for international money, however, some of that money is being allocated towards Cris Rodriguez. The Tigers have one of the best pitching coaches in baseball and have proven they can tap into the ability of the pitchers they add, just look at the bounce-back season Jack Flaherty had last season. Sasaki is already a talented pitcher and could easily become one of the best in the league with the help of the Tigers’ pitching coach.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are an attractive spot as they currently feature some talented arms in Paul Skenes and Jared Jones with Bubba Chandler also coming, adding Sasaki would give them a lethal arsenal in their starting rotation which will also be young. They are currently in the 6,908,600 pool just a tier down from the Tigers.
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Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are in the same pool as the Tigers and they could be an intriguing destination already having one of the most electric players in the game right now in Elly De La Cruz, they are also in a winnable division and adding an arm like Sasaki with a talented prospect pool could make the Reds a problem in the National League Central.
Bottom Line:
Whoever signs Sasaki is getting a young talented pitcher who if he was a few years old would likely sign for more money than Yoshinobu Yamamoto did last season. The fact of him being 23 and the money will make almost all 30 teams interested in his services for the 2025 season, expect the next week to be chaotic for Sasaki, he however can’t sign any earlier than January 15th but expect him to have his decision not long after.
