The Yankees dealt long-time depth piece Billy McKinney to the Pittsburgh Pirates late Thursday evening. They received international signing pool money in exchange. On the surface, this may not appear to be a game-changing decision. However, with the recent announcement of yet another Japanese phenom’s desire to play in MLB, it’s a no-brainer. Roki Sasaki, a Japanese flame thrower, told his team earlier this week that he wanted to play in MLB. Because Friday was the deadline for Japanese players to be posted to MLB, he is unlikely to make the move in 2023. But, given his expressed desire to play in the league, there’s a good chance we’ll see him soon.
The Yankees announced on Thursday that they had acquired international signing money from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for OF Billy McKinney.
McKinney is traded to the Yankees for international signing bonus money.
Another question that fans have is why the Yankees require more international signing pool money. Sasaki’s situation is similar to Shohei Ohtani’s, who entered MLB before the age of 25. Why does this matter? According to the Japanese posting system, any player who wishes to join MLB before the age of 25 is considered an amateur. As a result, they will not be listed as a regular major league free agent like Yoshinobu Yamamoto is this offseason. Teams can only pay Sasaki through the international signing pool. So, why are the Yankees trying to amass international cash before posting Sasaki?
It’s anyone’s guess when Sasaki will be posted. However, he has a clause in his contract that states that his current team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, must post him if he requests it. That hasn’t happened yet, but it seems very likely in 2024. Why would the Yankees want to sign Sasaki? He’s the Jacob deGrom of Japanese baseball. Both have very similar physical builds and regularly throw over 100 mph as starting pitchers. Not to mention he nearly set the most absurd pitching record in professional baseball history. This is when he nearly threw back-to-back perfect games. He never got the chance, however, because his team was concerned about his pitch count and removed him early.
Sasaki is a dominating pitcher who helped Japan win the World Baseball Classic. If the Yankees can add him next year and possibly sign Yamamoto now, they will have the best staff in baseball and possibly the best of all time. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Nestor Cortes Jr. would be historic. Sasaki would be a fraction of the cost of the first three hurlers.
This is a no-brainer for the Yankees because it would put them in a prime contending position for years to come. Both of their Japanese stars would still be 27 or younger and significantly less expensive. If the Billy McKinney trade was a factor in the Yankees acquiring Sasaki, it could be the most underappreciated move in baseball history.
Leave a Reply