Categories: sports

Roki Sasaki signs with Dodgers: Japanese ace agrees to deal with World Series champions

USATSI

Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki is signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced Friday on Instagram. Sasaki, 23, was considered the best pitcher in the world, not yet employed by an MLB organization. The terms of his contract were not immediately clear following the announcement.

The Blue Jays and Padres were also considered finalists for his services.

During four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball league, he compiled a 2.35 ERA and a 5.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His strikeout percentage of 26.8% is by far the best among active starting pitchers to move from NPB to MLB.

Here is his Instagram post:

Sasaki’s age and lack of service time caused him to be classified by MLB as an amateur free agent. As a result, his earning potential was limited to what teams could offer from their international amateur signing pools. In turn, Sasaki was placed at No. 7 on our free agent list – a ranking that is based largely on expected average annual value. Here is what we wrote at the time:

Sasaki has been on the world’s radar since throwing a perfect game 19 strikeouts as a 20-year-old in 2022. He combines elite speed with a devastating splitter/forkball. Sasaki has dealt with his share of injuries, limiting him to 33 starts combined over the past two seasons. His earning potential is completely removed due to his classification as an amateur free agent. Nonetheless, a fully refreshed Sasaki has a chance to make an immediate impact in the majors.

Sasaki’s designation as an amateur free agent delayed his signing, as he waited until the bonus pools reset on January 15 to make his decision. The Marines, for their part, will receive a posting fee based on the total value of his contract. Here is how this figure is calculated:

  • Contract worth less than $25 million: 20% of the contract value
  • Contract worth $25 million to $50 million: $5 million plus 17.5% of the amount over $25 million
  • A contract worth more than $50 million: $9.275 million plus 15% of the amount over $50 million

Sasaki is part of the Dodgers’ Opening Day rotation and teams with Japanese World Baseball Classic teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the roster for the defending World Series champions.

CBS Sports will have more on this story shortly.

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