DALLAS — Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki has been assigned to Major League Baseball teams and will be available to sign as a free agent from Tuesday until 5 pm ET on January 23.
The Chiba Lotte Marines said Nov. 9 that they planned to make Sasaki, 23, available, but waited until less than a week before the posting period ended.
Because he is 23 years old, Sasaki is considered an international amateur by MLB and is limited to a minor league contract subject to the international signing bonuses generally assigned to 16-year-old Latin American prospects. The 2024 signing period ends Sunday and the 2025 period opens Jan. 15, with team funds ranging from $7,555,500 to $5,146,200.
Teams can trade for an additional allocation from the pool in $250,000 increments starting Jan. 15, but are limited to adding 60% of their initial amount.
Chiba will receive a posting fee from the acquiring MLB team equal to 25% of the signing bonus.
When Shohei Ohtani agreed to join the Los Angeles Angels in December 2016 at age 23, he received a signing bonus of $2,315,000. Ohtani had salaries of $545,000, $650,000 and $259,259 (in 2020, shortened by the pandemic) during his first three seasons, earned $3 million, $5.5 million and $30 million in his three years of arbitration eligibility and later agreed to a record salary of $700 million for 10 years. contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2024 season.
Sasaki is represented by Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media Group and is expected to become one of the most sought-after pitchers on the market. He was 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 games this year, striking out 129 batters in 111 innings.
Sasaki helped Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His fastball has been clocked at 102.5 mph and he has a career record of 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA in four injury-shortened seasons with the Marines. He pitched a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes in April 2022: he racked up 13 consecutive strikeouts and finished with 19.
“Since I joined the team, the team has been listening to my thoughts on my future MLB challenge, and I am very grateful to the team for allowing me to officially post,” Sasaki said in a Nov. 9 statement posted by the Marines on the social platform
“There were a lot of things that didn't go well 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 the best I can. to advance from my minor contract to becoming the best player in the world, to not regret my only career in baseball and to live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me.
The Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays enter the international signing period with $7,555,500 available for each.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates each have $6,908,600, followed by the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cubs of Chicago and the Chicago White Sox, the Angels, the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox. Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals for $6,261,600.
The Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals each have $5,646,200, and the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have $5,146,200.
