Slowly, the attention is shifting from Juan Soto to Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old Japanese pitcher is now one of the highlights of the off-season. Just when his Japanese team announced the move, teams in the MLB became ready. They have been eyeing the young player for a long time. Now the time has come that the MLB teams will be offering him deals.

It is not been decided when the posting will begin but when it does, Sasaki will have a 45-day window to sign with a team. He could initially have a minor-league contract then the team will upgrade him to major-league when the season starts. It seems that Roki Sasaki is eligible for the international bonus pool. Bearing that in mind, the Dodgers have an advantage. 

Dodgers get bonus pool advantage  

Since Roki Sasaki would fall under the 2024 bonus pool, teams with a large signing bonus pool would have an advantage over other teams. And guess who has the largest remaining international signing bonus left? The Dodgers. They are left with a bonus of 2.5 million. So it is natural that they could make a huge offer to him. That being said, we should also note the player’s age. He is only 23. So he is bound to some international bonus pool restrictions. 

Not only his age, but he also has less than six seasons of experience in a foreign land. Given all these restrictions, we will not be seeing a huge deal like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but one like Shohei Ohtani, which he made with the Angels is likely possible. The Dodgers are not only a favorable team because of their huge international bonus signing pool but also the fact that they have given their Japanese players a long-term contract. While the teams are not allowed to talk, long-term with the posted players. Things like coming off fresh from winning a world title also adds to the charm. 

Roki Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani 

There is a lot of speculation going around about why the player is being posted at only 23. The Chiba Lotte Marines could have made a huge amount off of Sasaki if posted after two years. Like the Orix Buffaloes made with Yamamoto. According to the MLB rules, a player below the age of 25 coming from NPB is only allowed to sign a minor league deal with a bonus. This bonus is paid from the international bonus pool of the team.   

Roki Sasaki’s situation is comparable to Shohei Ohtani’s in some ways, especially when you look at their entry into Major League Baseball and the timing of their respective posting processes. Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels at age 23 for $2.3 million. Had Ohtani stayed in Japan for another year or two, he would have been eligible for a much larger contract, more in line with what players like Kodai Senga or Yoshinobu Yamamoto have received. The longer players stay in NPB, the higher their posting fee typically becomes, and that also means they would sign a larger initial contract in MLB. 

Ultimately, Sasaki’s choice could come down to a mix of financial opportunities and career ambitions. He may be drawn to MLB now for the challenge, The timing of the posting, combined with his readiness, might be the perfect combination to secure him a long-term deal afterwards in the U.S., which could set the stage for his own version of a Shohei Ohtani-like MLB career. Do you think Sasaki’s best move is to jump to MLB now, or does staying in Japan for a couple more seasons make more sense for him financially and in terms of readiness?