Roki Sasaki Prediction Wouldn’t Favor Philadelphia Phillies in MLB Offseason

The Philadelphia Phillies will have to wait to see what happens with the right-hander in MLB free agency.

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

The Philadelphia Phillies have made it a goal over the past few years to improve their international scouting department. To find success in Major League Baseball, they need to be elite in that area.

From the sound of things, the Phillies are excited about what they've done in that department, a promising sign as there could be a few international players who will enter the league in the coming months.

Among those players is prized possession, Roki Sasaki. Sasaki, on paper, is believed to be a top five pitcher in the world. Whenever he enters Major League Baseball, fans should expect him to come in and dominate.

That's, of course, much easier said than done, but his stuff is just different. He's a complete pitcher from top to bottom and has the makings of a multiple-time Cy Young Award winner.

For Philadelphia, they'll have to hope that the right-hander gets posted, as there are still concerns about that happening.

That includes concerns from Jim Bowden of The Athletic, who predicted that the Chiba Lotte Marines, who he pitches for in Japan, won't post him.

"Roki Sasaki is not posted by his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. The talented Japanese righty has to wait another year to become a free agent and join the major leagues, disappointing the Dodgers (among other teams), who wanted to sign him this offseason."

Now, Sasaki has reportedly requested to be posted, but that's common among international players. Most highly touted prospects want to come to Major League Baseball because they have a chance to make life-changing money.

The issue with the flame-thrower, however, is that the Marines don't have a reason to grant that wish. If they were to post him now, they wouldn't receive much money. If they waited until 2026, the price they would get would be significantly different.

Jeff Passan of ESPN highlighted what the difference would be.

"Sasaki's relationship with the Marines was damaged accordingly, and he wants to leave again. The Marines plan to decide whether to put Sasaki in the posting system after the season. Were they to do so before 2026, they would receive a posting fee of less than $2 million."

It's a lot to remember this winter, as one could make a strong argument that when he's posted, he'll be the most coveted free agent on the market.

Sadly, that doesn't look too likely to happen for multiple reasons.