DEAL VERIFIED: The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to make waves as they close a whopping $120 million deal to sign a sensational Japanese pitcher who is regarded as a world class Top Pitcher..

Dodgers Reportedly Planning to Go All Out to Sign Another Japanese Superstar Pitcher

If you thought the hysteria around Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s recruitment process was considerable, just wait for the next wave of elite pitchers coming over to the Big Leagues from Japan.

Most notably, we’re talking about 22-year-old phenom Roki Sasaki.

Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki requests to enter MLB free agency, but there's a catch

A report on Sasaki came out Thursday morning courtesy of media outlet ShoTime News. Dodgers Nation journalist Noah Camras summarized the report in English for those who aren’t native speakers of the Japanese language:

Sasaki is no stranger to the spotlight. He made his professional debut in the NPB during the 2021 season. His coaches with the Chiba Lotte Marines have been extra careful in not overworking Sasaki. While limiting his innings and pitches thrown, Sasaki still is coming off back-to-back All-Star appearances.

Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki requests to enter MLB free agency, but there's a catch

In one game, he struck out 13 batters in a row. He finished the contest with a league-record 19 strikeouts. Sasaki was a member of the Japan team which won the gold medal in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Playing in front of both American scouts and fans for the first time, he averaged over 100 miles per hour on his fastball. One of his pitches reached 102 miles per hour.

Under normal international signing rules, these players are going up against a few restrictions. Essentially, a player has to be 25 years of age (with six years of service) to cash in on some sort of deal. In this case, Sasaki won’t turn 25 until 2027.

Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki requests to enter MLB free agency, but there's a catch

However, this doesn’t prevent a player from signing a deal with a Major League club — assuming it gets permission to ‘get posted’ by its current club. In this situation, Sasaki reportedly wants to come over to the Major Leagues after this season. He’s willing to sacrifice considerable money to make this dream happen. This will only happen if his current club signs off on him being made available.

Tags: Los Angeles Dodgers Roki Sasaki

Dodgers Reportedly Planning to Go All Out to Sign Another Japanese Superstar Pitcher

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Related News

You may have missed