Roki Sasaki is officially entering the MLB. At least that’s what The Chiba Lotte Marines announced Saturday in Japan. Japanese players have a rich history of coming into the MLB and making waves; just look at Shohei Ohtani. He’s a phenomenal player breaking records, so Sasaki, too, comes with a lot of promise. The Lotte Marines confirmed that they will be planning a move to the US for the player. While we are not sure when the process will start, once it does, there is going to be war.

The teams in MLB will have 45 days after Roki Sasaki’s posting to win him. Sasaki’s age is also a huge factor in this case. While some feel it’s a good thing – his young energy can help teams do better, others think Sasaki might be too young for the Marines to post him. In the team’s statement, they included remarks from Sasaki himself, as well as comments from the general manager and manager, acknowledging the significance of this move. Sasaki, at 23 years old, expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity, particularly for the support he’s received from the Marines throughout his career.

Roki Sasaki said: “From the beginning, the team has listened to my future desires to pitch in MLB and I am incredibly grateful that they are allowing me to be posted at this time. I will do my best to climb up from a minor league contract and become the best player in the world so I have no regrets about my one and only baseball career and can live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me so far.” Sasaki’s impressive resume with the Marines speaks for itself – in over four seasons, he compiled a 2.02 ERA, racking up 524 strikeouts in 414 2/3 innings.

Sasaki’s combination of velocity and off-speed mastery has made him one of the most sought-after young pitchers in the world. Now, after a remarkable career in Japan, Roki Sasaki is ready to make his mark on Major League Baseball, with the goal of becoming the best in the world. But despite this good news, there seems to be concerns about why the Japanese player is being brought into the MLB so young.  

Roki Sasaki’s downside as a young player in the league

Sasaki is very young for a player to be joining the MLB. Especially as someone coming from Japan – given he would not be worth very much; not just statistically, but financially. So, this move by the Marines has sparked debates, considering a portion of the money that a player receives in MLB goes to the NPB team. But the reason behind this choice is still not known. 

Roki Sasaki will not be able to get a huge deal out of teams. He will receive a signing bonus, which was over 7 million this year. Then, after signing, he will go through six years of rehabilitation and arbitration salaries. After that, Sasaki may reach free agency and can hope to make as much as his fellow native Shohei Ohtani. But if the Marines had waited for just two years, they could have gotten a bigger amount, much like what the Orix buffaloes gained when Yashinobu Yamamoto was posted. 

Nonetheless, all’s well that ends well. Fans are hoping this ends well for Roki Sasaki, some Japanese baseball observers have also noted that he may have some sort of side deal with the Marines, which is making the team post him at such a young age. This could create a hindrance to the MLB teams here in America, but it’s all rumors and chatter for now – nothing is confirmed yet.