Baseball analysts believe that Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki could make his way to the Los Angeles Dodgers if he is posted by his team in Japan, the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Sasaki, 23, is expected to move to Major League Baseball in the 2025 season, potentially joining fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the Dodgers, ESPN reports. Sasaki, who gained worldwide recognition for his 19-strikeout perfect game, along with eight perfect innings and 14 strikeouts in 2022, is considered one of the “most in-demand players,” according to the outlet.
Hailing from Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, Sasaki reportedly rejected a contract offer from the Chiba Lotte Marines, the team he has been with since 2019, earlier this week. In his four seasons in the NPB, Sasaki has posted a 2.02 earned run average (ERA) with 524 strikeouts over 414 2/3 innings.
While a move to the Dodgers is possible, some scouts suggest he might start his MLB career in a smaller market. There’s also a chance that Sasaki may not be posted this offseason, as it could be unfavorable for the NPB. MLB rules state that foreign players under 25 with fewer than six years of professional experience are subject to international bonus pool limits.