Early on the morning of November 9th, the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) announced that ace pitcher Roki Sasaki would begin the process of being posted to MLB.
A young phenom such as Sasaki, who is 23, being posted is a rare occasion that often ignites a bidding war between interested teams (such as in Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s free agency in 2023). Sasaki’s case is unique however, due to MLB’s IFA (International Free Agent) policies.
In the eyes of MLB, any international player aged over 16 but under 25 is considered an amateur, and thus cannot participate in the traditional free agent process. These amateur players, such as Sasaki, are limited to IFA bonus pool money on top of a minor league contract. In 2025 each team has been allotted a bonus pool of at least $5,146,200, but can increase this value through trades and Competitive Balance drafts (MLB's official IFA policy).
MLB's CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) states, "Any player meeting that criteria (of an amateur player) becomes eligible to sign a Minor League contract with a Major League organization for a signing bonus that fits within said team's allotted pool."
Regardless of the financial limitations, Sasaki has been looking to be posted since his age 21 season. Not only were Sasaki's wishes granted, but as compensation for making Sasaki available to MLB teams, the Marines will receive a “posting fee”, which is simply payment from the MLB team that signs Sasaki.
The MLB posting fee conditions are as follows:
Contract worth less than $25 million: 20% of contract value;
Contract worth $25 million to $50 million: $5 million plus 17.5% of amount over $25 million;
Contract worth more than $50 million: $9.275 million plus 15% of amount over $50 million.
Because Sasaki is set to receive an amateur contract, the Marines will be compensated minimally for losing their ace. Sasaki’s posting is extremely surprising for this reason. The Marines drafted him with the #1 overall pick in 2020, and have strategically managed his workload to prevent injury. By posting him 2 years before his age 25 season, the Marines are likely losing out on over $50 million. While the Marines lose their ace in this head scratching move, an MLB team will certainly be happy to secure a future face of the franchise.
Once Sasaki begins his MLB career he will be held to the same standards as other rookies. He must reach 6 years of service time before hitting the open market of free agency. To sign a pitcher of this caliber under such a team friendly contract is every MLB GM’s dream come true.
In 2024, Sasaki pitched to a 2.35 ERA and 1.036 WHIP in 111 IP, while striking out 129 opposing batters. Even with such dominant numbers, Sasaki’s 2024 would be considered a down year by his standard. In 2021-23, Sasaki pitched to ERA’s of 1.84, 2.02, and 1.78 respectively. In 414.2 career IP, Sasaki has racked up 524 strikeouts to a measly 91 walks, all while pitching to a 2.02 career ERA. Sasaki also pitched to a 3.52 ERA and .233 BAA in the 2023 WBC (World Baseball Classic).
If his numbers aren’t convincing enough, in 2022 Sasaki threw a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes, while striking out 19 of 27 batters faced, an NPB record. He also routinely touches 100, a coveted skill in todays velocity driven pitching world.
Sasaki may very well be Major League Baseball’s next young superstar, and has taken immense pride in being given the opportunity to pitch in the United States. Sasaki responded to the Marine's intentions to make him available to MLB teams by saying, “I will work hard… and become the best player in the world” (Via Chiba Lotte Marines “X” account).
(Statistics found in: baseball-reference.com, mlb.com, baseballamerica.com)
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