Pirates Among Most Intriguing Teams For Japanese Star
No team could ever have too much starting pitching, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are on their way to proving that adage true with how much depth they have throughout their system.
But even with a solid rotation led by 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes and three top-100 pitching prospects in MLB Pipeline's rankings on the cusp of the big leagues, there's a way Pittsburgh could elevate its pitching to another level.
MLB.com listed the most intriguing team in each division for Japanese star Roki Sasaki and tabbed the Pirates for the NL Central, citing how electric it would be to have the flamethrowing right-hander alongside Skenes atop their rotation for years to come.
"Sasaki and Skenes would make the Pirates THE must-watch rotation in baseball," MLB.com's David Adler wrote. "They're two of the most hyped young pitchers ever. Sasaki is 23. Skenes is 22. They're going to be lighting up the Major Leagues for years to come, so imagine them doing it together."
Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA over 18 starts and struck out 129 batters over 111 innings pitched for the Chiba Lotte Mariners of Japan's NPB. He also represented Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2023, starting two games and going 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA and he struck out 11 batters over 7.2 innings pitched.
Meet Roki Sasaki, Japan's 23-year-old fireballer coming to MLB next season 🇯🇵
— MLB (@MLB) November 12, 2024
Where will the coveted international free agent land? pic.twitter.com/IcucRwCNQZ
Had Sasaki waited until he was 25, he'd be in line to sign a mega deal similar to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason. Since he didn't accrue enough service time internationally, he'll be limited to what teams have in their international bonus pools in 2025. MLB.com lists Pittsburgh as having $6.9 million to spend, which is the second-most in baseball.
That would theoretically give Pittsburgh a chance to pursue Sasaki if it so chooses. Adding the Japanese right-hander to the same rotation as Skenes would immediately give the Pirates one of the game's most formidable one-two punches atop their rotation. Adler even compared that to the Yankees having Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
While it appears to be a longshot, Pittsburgh would be remiss not to at least see if there could be a possible avenue to add Sasaki.
"Skenes and Sasaki both have 100-plus mph fastballs," Adler writes. "They both have a signature secondary pitch -- Skenes' splinker, Sasaki's splitter -- that is among the nastiest pitches in the world. They might be dueling for the title of "best pitcher in baseball" for the next decade. Why not do it as teammates?"
