A world-class pitcher reached the cusp of free agency Saturday with the announcement that Roki Sasaki will be made available by his team in Japan.
But unlike most free agents, all 30 teams figure to have interest, including the Phillies, who scouted Sasaki this season, according to two sources.
In a statement, the Chiba Lotte Marines stated that they intend to post Sasaki to Major League Baseball, acceding to the 23-year-old righty’s wishes. Armed with a 100-mph fastball and nicknamed the “Monster of the Reiwa Era,” Sasaki has a 2.41 ERA and 524 strikeouts in 414⅔ innings over the last four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball and is considered one of the best pitchers in the world.
» READ MORE: The Phillies’ pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto revealed their challenges in breaking through in Japan
If Sasaki waited two more years to come to MLB, he likely would be in line for a contract similar to Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million pact from the Dodgers last winter. But because Sasaki is younger than 25 and lacks six years of professional experience in Japan, he’s subject to MLB’s international signing bonus rules and can sign only a minor league contract.
Contractually, Sasaki’s situation is similar to that of Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Angels for $2.3 million when he came to the U.S. at age 23 before the 2018 season. It’s possible, then, that a small-market team will appeal to Sasaki as much as, say, the Dodgers, widely presumed to be the favorite to land him.
Like Ohtani, Sasaki is all but certain to begin his stateside career in the majors.
Once Sasaki is posted, teams will have 45 days to court and sign him. The international signing period runs from Jan. 15 to Dec. 15, so depending on when he’s posted by Chiba Lotte, Sasaki could fall into the 2024 or 2025 international amateur class. The latter would seem to be more likely.
The Phillies were allotted $4.6 million for their 2024 international bonus pool. The amount is slated to rise to $6.26 million in 2025.
In addition to his blazing heater, Sasaki possesses a nasty splitter. He struck out 19 batters in a perfect game in 2022 and followed with a 1.78 ERA in 15 starts in 2023. The world got an up-close look last year, when he started against Mexico in the semifinal of the World Baseball Classic and averaged 100.5 mph on his heater. He posted a 2.35 ERA and struck out 129 in 111 innings this year.
» READ MORE: Where have all the star center fielders gone? ‘Obvious’ position to fill Phillies’ needs lacks obvious solutions.
One potential knock against Sasaki: He hasn’t pitched more than 130 innings in an NPB season.
“I will do my best to work my way up from my minor contract to become the best player in the world, so that I will have no regrets in this one and only baseball career,” Sasaki said in a statement posted on social media, “and so that I can live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me this time.”
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said this week that he visited Japan in September to watch Sasaki. Phillies assistant general manager Jorge Velandia makes multiple trips to Japan per year. But it’s unclear if other members of the team’s front office attended a Sasaki start.
The Phillies are among five MLB teams that have never signed a player directly from NPB, a shutout streak that continued last year with Yamamoto, even though they offered him more money than the Dodgers. Like many players from Japan, Yamamoto preferred to sign with a West Coast team, specifically Los Angeles.
But the Phillies have attempted to broaden their presence in the Far East. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski charged Velandia with improving the organization’s reach. The Phillies hired Tora Otsuka, son of former major league pitcher Akinori Otsuka, as a second full-time scout based in Japan, joining veteran scout Koji Takahashi.
The Phillies are far behind other teams in penetrating the Japanese market. The Yankees, for instance, signed pitcher Hideki Irabu in the late ’90s and subsequently landed Hideki Matsui, Masahiro Tanaka, and others. The Dodgers’ lineage of Japanese stars runs from Hideo Nomo through Ohtani and Yamamoto. The Mets, Red Sox, and Cubs have long histories of signing prized players from Japan.
But the Phillies believe their recent success, including three consecutive postseason berths and an appearance in the 2022 World Series, has resonated beyond the United States. And since the money will be relatively equal in the offers to Sasaki, his choice might boil down to where he prefers to play.
“Look at what is happening in Philadelphia,” Velandia said Saturday. “I’m sure we have globalized our brand. We’d love to compete in that market.”
Dombrowski has said he doesn’t think the Phillies are at a disadvantage because they haven’t signed a Japanese star previously, noting that “having the base, having the interaction to get the player at the right time will be important.”
Sasaki’s free agency will represent the latest test.
