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Japanese Ace Sasaki Heading To MLB Next Season

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MLB



 
Ace Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki appears headed to the Majors next season.

Sasaki, the consensus top young pitcher in Japan, was made available by the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB, the team announced.

"Since I joined [the Marines], I have continued to listen to my future MLB challenges, and I am grateful to the team for officially allowing me to post.

My five years with the Marines did not go well," Sasaki said of his posting.

"There were a lot of things that happened, but I was able to get to this point by focusing solely on baseball, with the support of my teammates, staff, front office, and fans, so I don't have any regrets in my baseball career.”

Sasaki should inspire an all-out pursuit reminiscent of Shohei Ohtani’s initial contract with the Angels, in league-wide interest and financial scope. Ohtani agreed to a $2.315 million signing bonus with the Angels in the winter of 2017-2018.

An unfettered market would have yielded a much larger contract, but the CBA classified Ohtani as an international amateur because he was not yet 25 years old. Sasaki, 23, falls into the same category now.

The Dodgers, whose global brand never has been more powerful, are seen as a top candidate to sign Sasaki when he becomes available.
 
 

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