DALLAS — The clock started ticking on Tuesday official brand for Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki, that he will be free to sign with the teams of his choice as early as January 15th, and as late as January 23rd.
Sasaki, 23, is considered one of the top Japanese players who has expressed interest in coming to play in Major League Baseball. He has a 100 mph fastball and two other top pitches as part of his repertoire. Adding to his value is the fact that because he is classified as an international amateur free agent, despite several years of pitching in Nippon professional baseball, teams can only use their international bonus money to sign him to a deal minor league
That means, rather than the $325 million the Los Angeles Dodgers gave compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto last year, Sasaki’s signing bonus is unlikely to exceed $7.5 million, which is the ‘top end of any team’s 2025 international bonus pool.
How the Red Sox struggle to outbid other teams for top-of-the-rotation starters in the traditional free agent market, losing Max Fried to the Yankees on Tuesday and with no guarantee he can win the battle for Corbin Burnes, Sasaki represents a much more affordable option, and much younger.
Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said his client is eager to pitch at the highest level of the game and is willing to give up, for now, the biggest payday for a chance to pitch on the year coming to North America.
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“Some of it is Japanese culture, some of it is just Roki Sasaki,” Wolfe explained. “There are no absolutes in baseball, there are no absolutes in life and through the eyes of Roki Sasaki, and if you look at some of the things that have happened in his life, some of the tragedies that have happened (Sasaki lost the (his father) in a Japanese tsunami in 2011) and in his life, he takes nothing for granted.”
Sasaki will meet with a few teams at a centralized location next week and then, after the holidays, will return to the US with the possibility of visiting a select number of cities in person.
Asked what his client’s decision-making will entail, Wolfe said, “I’m not entirely sure yet because I’ve known Roki for a little over two years and it’s been a little difficult to really determine which It’s his decision. -The drafting process would be to choose a team because his focus has been mainly on whether he will be able to post or not. The best I can say is that he has paid attention to what the teams have been doing makes for overall success both this year and in past years.”
Craig Breslow, the Red Sox head of baseball who traveled to Japan in September to scout the right-hander in person, left little doubt that the Red Sox will make their case for Sasaki.
“This is somebody who improves any rotation the moment he joins,” Breslow said. “As we think about pursuing rotation options, I think it makes sense to look at the entire landscape and be as aggressive and strategic as possible.”
The Red Sox have had success integrating Japanese pitchers in the past, from Daisuke Matsuzaka to Junichi Tazawa to Koji Uehara, and that experience should fuel the Red Sox’s efforts to try and land Sasaki.
“We have a long history of success in making a smooth transition and creating an environment where … Japanese pitchers can thrive,” Breslow said. “We have a strong infrastructure and a number of long-term support staff from massage therapists and strength and conditioning coaches to athletic trainers that I think can help and I think there’s a significant difference between hiring to build the infrastructure in response to a particular pursuit vs. having these people integrated into the organization and understanding what a season is like, they have many, many years of experience and an intimate knowledge of how to help with the transition.
“Specifically, there’s a legacy of Japanese stars that have come to contribute to World Series championships, whether it’s Daisuke or Koji or Taz and others. So it can be a very valuable recruiting tool, just to the extent that they have had great experiences here and continue to return and visit or even make Boston their home (like Matsuzaka).
Past success with Japanese pitchers is a decidedly positive plus for the Red Sox in their recruiting pitch for Sasaki. Other factors, however, are not so encouraging.
Wolfe noted that Sasaki had been concerned about negative media coverage in Japan regarding his desire to come and play in Major League Baseball, and said that as a result, the pitcher might be more comfortable being out of the spotlight, instead of working in a market with as much attention as Los Angeles, New York or Boston.
“There’s an argument to be made that a small or mid-market team might be more beneficial for him as a soft landing for him coming from Japan.”
Then there is the matter of geography. Several Japanese players—Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto, and others—have chosen the West Coast, both for the climate and its (relative) proximity to Japan, compared to East Coast cities.
Wolfe noted that there are now more direct flights from Japan to major U.S. cities, suggesting that location will not be as big a factor as some have predicted. If, however, Sasaki prefers to cut six hours of travel time back home, the Red Sox will be at a disadvantage.