Mets Have 'Extreme Interest' in International Star Pitcher

The Chiba Lotte Marines will post Rōki Sasaki, the star Japanese pitcher who has already drawn interest from the New York Mets.

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The New York Mets, along with many other MLB teams, received the news they were hoping for this offseason.

On Saturday, the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball announced they would begin the process of posting Rōki Sasaki, the 23-year-old right-hander widely regarded as one of the most talented pitchers in the world. This move makes Sasaki available to all 30 major league teams, setting the stage for his MLB debut in 2025—if he reaches an agreement.

#佐々木朗希 投手について、ポスティングによる米国メジャー・リーグ・ベースボール(MLB)球団への移籍に向けた手続きを開始することにいたしましたので、お知らせします。

▼松本球団本部長コメント… pic.twitter.com/iwEjGoUS1C

— 千葉ロッテマリーンズ (@chibalotte) November 9, 2024

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Saturday morning that both New York teams have "extreme interest" in Sasaki, aligning with comments made by Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns at the GM meetings on Wednesday. Stearns, who traveled to Japan in September to watch Sasaki pitch, signaled the Mets’ interest with his personal presence.

"[Sasaki] is a unique talent," Stearns told Mike Puma of the New York Post. "He’s 23 and throws 100 [mph] and a nasty splitter."

Sasaki is considered an international amateur free agent and can only sign a minor league contract, which limits the financial terms of his deal and how much Lotte can receive from the 20% posting fee. Players who are at least 25 and have six years of experience in a foreign league can sign major league contracts when posted, as Kodai Senga did when he joined the Mets on a five-year, $75 million deal in December 2022 after leaving the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

If Lotte had waited until 2026, it could have received tens of millions of dollars in posting fees from the acquiring team. Had Sasaki held out, he might have landed a deal worth hundreds of millions, similar to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last winter.

Instead, Sasaki, who requested to be posted last year but was denied by his team, is following a similar path to that of Shohei Ohtani, the superstar who signed with the Los Angeles Angels for a bargain $2.3 million when he made the jump to MLB at 23.

"I am very grateful to the team for officially allowing me to post," Sasaki said in a statement posted by the Marines. "There were many things that did not go well during my five years with the Marines, but I was able to get to this point by concentrating only on baseball, with the support of my teammates, staff, front office, and fans. 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 live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me."

Sasaki has captivated MLB fans since his 19-strikeout perfect game at age 20, followed by eight more perfect innings in his next start before being pulled. He further raised his profile on the international stage by averaging 100.5 mph in his semifinal start against Mexico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. This season, Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA, striking out 129, walking 32, and allowing just two home runs in 111 innings.

102.

Roki Sasaki is not messing around tonight 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/yIP4FHjCbh

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 20, 2023

Given how inexpensive Sasaki will be to acquire, numerous teams are expected to compete for his services during his 45-day negotiating window, which has not yet opened and the timing of which remains unclear. In addition to the New York Yankees and Mets, Passan noted that Sasaki will be strongly linked to the Dodgers, though he cautioned that assuming he joins Ohtani and Yamamoto in L.A. would be premature. 

Sasaki’s strong relationship with right-hander Yu Darvish could make the San Diego Padres an attractive landing spot. Passan also listed the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Rays as teams with potential appeal, though the list of interested clubs is expected to be much longer.

The Mets have a significant need for starting pitching, as three of their top arms from 2024—Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and José Quintana—are currently on the free agent market. They recently extended qualifying offers to both Manaea and Severino.