The Chicago White Sox have reportedly signed Rōki Sasaki! Just kidding (sorry, White Sox fans, that was pretty mean). Sasaki has been posted by his NPB squad, the Chiba Lotte Marines, and while this is already an exciting and fun wrench thrown into the otherwise somewhat middling free agency class, some conditions make this into a full-blown event.
First, Sasaki is not a typical free agent; he's considered an "international amateur free agent" and "permitted only to sign a minor-league deal with a bonus paid from the team's international bonus pool," per an article by Stephen K. Nesbitt of The Athletic.
Therefore, there's a cap to what he can earn on the market. No Yoshinobu Yamamoto deals here; Sasaki can sign for as much as a team is willing to pay out of their international bonus pool. If a team wants to blow all their bonus pool money on Sasaki, no other international free agents can be signed.
This is all because Sasaki is being posted before the age of 25, unlike Yamamoto, who, due to his age, secured a $325 million deal from the Dodgers.
What does this all mean, and why is this a more exciting development? Well, for one, it means Sasaki is free to choose whichever team he thinks will be the best for his development, and he can select a team he truly wants to play for instead of just vying for the biggest dollar amount. So, it's not necessarily the usual teams you think of for big-name free agents.
Does this still mean he's likely to sign with the Dodgers or one of those other heavy hitters? Of course, they're the favorites for a reason, and the big-market teams offer considerable advantages in terms of resources for player development and setting him up with a chance to win. But here are a few other teams that could throw their hat into the ring and make a compelling case for the 23-year-old.
Milwaukee Brewers
Is this a too-cute-by-half choice? Perhaps, but the Brewers have one of the best player development systems in baseball and have shown a willingness to throw a bit of their bonus pool money around at big names. Their signing of Jackson Chourio to a deal with a $1.9 million signing bonus in 2021 is a good example.
Sasaki will be looking for a situation to win and a place that can best prepare him for when he's done with his six years of service time, and the Brewers hit both of those marks with flying colors.
Freddie Peralta, Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes, and Brandon Woodruff are all recent examples of the Brew Crew taking young pitchers and developing them into stars. Plus, the Brewers are still one of the best teams in the NL Central, with a real shot at winning the division in 2025 and beyond, especially with Sasaki bolstering their rotation.
San Francisco Giants
Now, the Giants might still be a bit more of a "big market" team than the Brewers, but their West Coast status is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here.
They're not going to compete for the division, even with Sasaki. The recent hiring of Buster Posey doesn't inspire confidence that the team will be on the cutting edge of many advanced analytics movements, and ownership has reportedly wanted to reduce payroll for the 2025 season.
I do not have much confidence in this selection, but the Angels weren't exactly doing much when they got Ohtani in a similar situation, so maybe the Giants will get lucky.
Seattle Mariners
Are the Mariners bold enough to do something like this? Not based on recent years of strange front-office moves that mostly spoke to a team trying to cheap out on deals, but Seattle's built-in geographic advantage combined with a potential need for starting pitching if they trade one of their starters for a bat would make it a fun match.
They've also managed some impressive developments of many quality arms, speaking to a team that probably wouldn't hold onto Sasaki much into his arbitration years but would set him up to earn a nice payday for another team.
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