Some of the greatest and most interesting players in Major League Baseball have joined as foreign signings, including Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Elly De La Cruz, and numerous others. Another possible superstar is expected to arrive in Major League Baseball this year from abroad.
That would be Roki Sasaki, a 23-year-old Japanese pitching prodigy who once came within one inning of throwing consecutive perfect games—something that no other pitcher in Major League Baseball or the Japanese professional leagues has ever done. At least seven of the 20 organizations reportedly vying for Sasaki’s services have met with the young righty in person. Sasaki’s fastball has been recorded at 102 mph. Sasaki and his American agent Joel Wolfe have received written proposals from about 13 additional people. On December 10, Sasaki was formally posted, meaning he was made available to MLB teams.
He has 45 days to choose a team and accept the terms of the deal, according to the guidelines that MLB and the Japanese leagues agreed upon. Sasaki will have until January 23 to decide. He will have to remain in Japan and continue to pitch for his current team, the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League, if he misses that deadline. Sasaki has a little more than a week to sign because MLB’s international signing window doesn’t start until Wednesday. Who is he going to pick? Due to their West Coast locations, proximity to Sasaki’s home in Japan, and the fact that both teams feature Japanese great players, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have been widely regarded as the favourites to sign Sasaki.
Yu Darvish, an experienced pitcher who is starting his 13th Major League season, is a member of the Padres. The Dodgers, the current World Series champions, are home to great pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and 2024 National League MVP Shohei Ohtani. However, a well-known sports talk radio broadcaster in New York now believes that Sasaki will ultimately join the New York Yankees on the East Coast. More MLB: The Red Sox are still in the running for the Roki Sasaki signing sweepstakes. However, Chris, the WFAN personality, said, “I’m starting to get hyped up,” McGonicle uttered the words “C-Mac” during a show last week. “I’m going to raise my expectations because I’m afraid they won’t be met.
The fact that Roki Sasaki is a Yankee is beginning to excite me. McGonicle reasoned that Sasaki, who has stated that his primary goal is to become a great pitcher rather than just make the most money, would find the “Yankee pitching lab” very appealing.One of the best pitching coaches in the game is (Matt) Blake. What the Yankees have done with the bullpen and their pitching staff,” the WFAN host added. “They made Clay Holmes into a player that the Mets will use on a regular basis. In San Diego, Michael King will excel. I’m getting a little thrilled.” Wolfe has warned not to expect his young client to make a decision on the opening day of the signing period, even though Sasaki is allowed to make his announcement as early as Wednesday. McGonicle’s prognosis has some validity because Wolfe has emphasized that Sasaki will give a team’s pitching development program a lot of weight when selecting judgments.
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