Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, 22 years old, has been scouted by the Mets and Yankees in his latest game. The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals were also present at the event. Although he requested his team, Chiba Lotte Marines, to post him during the offseason, the request was denied. If Sasaki is posted before his 25th birthday, he will have to sign a minor league deal due to MLB regulations that prohibit players under 25 with fewer than six professional seasons from signing anything else. The deal will be included in his signing team’s international bonus pool allotment.
In comparison to Yamamoto, Sasaki has dominated in his first three professional seasons with the Marines. In 303.2 innings over 51 games, he has struck out 395 batters while maintaining a 1.90 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. His strikeout rate has increased from 9.4 per nine in his first season to 13.4 in 2023, highlighting his impressive performance on the mound.
When Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels at the age of 23 in 2017, he only received $2.315 million due to similar rules that prevented him from signing anything else beyond a minor league deal until after his 25th birthday due to having fewer than six professional seasons under MLB rules at the time of signing.
Overall, Sasaki’s success as a young pitcher highlights the potential benefits of posting players overseas for MLB teams looking for top talent who may not have had access otherwise due to age or experience restrictions imposed by MLB regulations.
