Shohei Ohtani who is the highest paid Athlete in the World has recently helped Los Angeles Dodgers win MLB World Series against New York Yankees. Ohtani now has paved a way for his fellow countrymen showing them a glimpse of how things can turn out in MLB. Roki Sasaki, the highly regarded Japanese pitcher, has been given the green light to pursue a move to Major League Baseball, following in the footsteps of Shohei Ohtani.
Sasaki's new team
Sasaki, considered one of the top talents in Japan’s professional league, will now be posted for an MLB move, his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, announced on Saturday.
This means that MLB teams will have the opportunity to bid for the 23-year-old right-hander during the upcoming offseason, in accordance with the agreement between Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and MLB. Sasaki made headlines in April 2022 when he threw a perfect game, and he was also part of Japan's victorious World Baseball Classic team last year, alongside Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani.
Sasaki, in turn, expressed his deep gratitude to the Marines for allowing him the opportunity to pursue his dreams of playing in the United States.
"I have nothing but gratitude for the Marines for agreeing to post me. You only get one baseball career, and I don’t want to have any regrets. I want to meet the expectations of everyone who has pushed me," Sasaki said
Sasaki 's journey
Sasaki’s journey to this point is all the more poignant given the personal tragedy he endured. In the aftermath of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Sasaki lost his father and grandparents, and his family’s home was swept away by the tsunami. The disaster, which left around 18,500 people dead or missing, also led to the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Now, with his future in MLB on the horizon, Sasaki is looking forward to the next chapter. The Chiba Lotte Marines confirmed that they have begun the process of posting Sasaki, making him eligible to sign with an MLB team. The Los Angeles Dodgers, in particular, have long been considered the favorites to land the young star.
In his announcement, Sasaki included a heartfelt message:
"Since I joined the team, the team has been listening to my thoughts about my future challenge in MLB, and I am very grateful to the team for officially allowing me to post now. There were many things that did not go well during my five years with the Marines, but I was always supported by my teammates, staff, front office, and fans, and was able to come this far by concentrating only on baseball. I will do my best to work my way up from my minor contract to become the best player in the world, so that I will have no regrets in my one and only baseball career and so that I can live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me this time."
Because Sasaki is just 23 years old, he is eligible to sign a minor league contract with an international bonus pool as his signing bonus, which lowers his price tag for MLB teams. This makes Sasaki an even more attractive prospect, and it’s expected that nearly every MLB team will be competing for his services, with the Dodgers being the frontrunners.
Sasaki’s manager also expressed support for the young pitcher’s decision:
"Ever since he joined the team, we have heard from him that he dreamed of playing in America. After making a comprehensive judgment over the past five years, we have decided to respect his wish. We hope he will do his best as a representative of Japan. We are rooting for him."
While it’s still unclear whether Sasaki will ultimately land with the Dodgers, the team will certainly be in the mix for the talented pitcher.
