One of the top pitchers in Japan will be subject to international spending limits.
Juan Soto signed a landmark free agent deal as the most coveted player available, but the second-most coveted free agent this winter will likely sign one of the smaller deals this winter. Roki Sasaki, a 23-year-old who has spent the last five years pitching for the Chibe Lotte Marines, will be subject to international bonus pools typically applied to true amateurs out of Latin America because he is a Japanese player under the age of 25. That gives the Royals and other teams that aren’t at the top of the league in revenues a chance at the young phenom. And according to Anne Rogers, the Royals have at least “done their due diligence on Sasaki and have had conversations about what a deal would look like” but also adds “they aren’t likely to be in the mix for Sasaki.”
Sasaki was officially posted this week, but won’t sign until the new international signing period begins on January 15, when teams have more money to spend. International bonus pools cap what each team can spend on young international players. Smaller market teams are allowed to spend more money, and teams can trade away allotments and lose part of their pool for signing free agents that reject Qualifying Offers. The Royals are in the second tier of teams with a bonus pool of $6,908,600.
The Dodgers have made signing Sasaki a priority, and typically coveted Asian free agents tend to favor the West Coast due to culture and closer travel back to Asia. But Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe indicated it is not a given Sasaki will pitch for a large market team to begin his MLB career.
“I mean, I think that there’s an argument to be made that a smaller mid-market team might be more beneficial for him as a soft landing coming from Japan, given what he’s been through ... and not having an enjoyable experience with the media.
“It might be, I’m not saying it will be, but I don’t know how he’s going to view it. It might be beneficial for him to be in a smaller market. But I really don’t know how he looks at it yet, because I haven’t had a chance to really sit down and discuss it with him in great detail.”
Money is clearly not an issue for Sasaki, who could have waited until he turned 25 to avoid bonus pool limits and sign for whatever the market paid him. Wolfe indicated that Sasaki had been affected by the tragedy of losing his father at a young age, giving him a different perspective.
“My advice to him is don’t make a decision based on [the next contract] because the long-term arc of your career is where you’re going to earn your money,” Wolfe said. “So it’s probably not advisable to make a short-term decision in that regard, to take all of the factors into consideration.”
Wolfe plans to have teams meet Sasaki at a central location next week, then once the list is narrowed down, Sasaki may travel to cities in January for in-person meetings.
Sasaki threw a perfect game in his second season in the NPB and has a career 2.10 ERA. He boasts a fastball that can hit triple digits with a devastating sinker that allowed him to go 10-5 this season with a 2.35 ERA, and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings.
The Royals already boast one of the top rotations in baseball with All-Stars Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo and the return of veteran Michael Wacha. But they did trade Brady Singer away and could always look for an upgrade. Sasaki is probably a long shot for them, but it never hurts to shoot your shot.
