International Phenom and Yankees' Target Set to Be Posted

One of the most sought-after pitching targets will officially be available; will the Yankees land him?

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

It's official: highly-touted Japanese starting pitcher Roki Sasaki is coming to Major League Baseball.

On Saturday, ESPN insider Jeff Passan reported that the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) are officially posting Sasaki during MLB's Winter Meetings, which begin on Monday, December 9 in Dallas, Texas. The Marines had already announced Sasaki's intended entrance to the posting system back on November 9, but a date had yet to be revealed until now.

Interestingly, Passan named several teams considered to be significant players for Sasaki, but one big-market team was not mentioned: the New York Yankees.

News: Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki is expected to be officially posted at Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, opening a 45-day window Tuesday that will allow him to sign after Jan. 15, 2025, sources told ESPN. Story, free and unlocked, at ESPN: https://t.co/rvyFTBrMHf

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 7, 2024

Some of the teams mentioned included the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers. Of course, Passan also brought up the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes nearly eight years prior and mentioned how the Los Angeles Angels landed him, despite not being one of the favorites. So even if the Yankees aren't necessarily considered a favorite, they can't be ruled out of the Sasaki sweepstakes entirely.

The Bronx Bombers have massive incentive to sign "The Monster of the Reiwa Era" due to not only his sheer talent, but his affordability. Regarding skill, Sasaki is just 23 years old but is one of the brightest young pitchers in the world; in four seasons overseas, the hard-throwing righty has an unfathomable 2.02 ERA and 0.883 WHIP, averaging 11.5 strikeouts and just two walks per nine innings. Thanks to his combination of extreme velocity, high pitch movement, and excellent control, Sasaki has a laundry list of incredible feats; perhaps the most impressive is a streak of 17 perfect innings back in 2022, which included a 19-strikeout perfect game on April 10 of that year.

Despite this seemingly endless skill ceiling, Sasaki is limited to signing a minor league deal; at just 23 years old and four years of experience, he fails to reach the requirements (25 years old, six years of experience) to land a full major league deal. Had he waited until 2026 to be posted, the electric righty would have undoubtedly signed a nine-figure contract, while the Chiba Lotte Marines would have received a drastically larger posting fee as compensation.

This is a huge opportunity for the Yankees, who are one of the finalists in the Juan Soto sweepstakes and have been interested in expensive free agent pitchers such as Corbin Burnes and Max Fried. A contract for Sasaki would still be feasible if New York signed any of these other players (even Soto, who may get a contract worth over $700 million from them), and would be an absolute bargain given his potential.

Once Sasaki is posted next week, the Yankees and the other 29 MLB teams will have 45 days to negotiate with the ascending international star. But while the Bronx Bombers may not be considered one of the heavy favorites in these sweepstakes (at least according to Passan), they have everything to gain and nothing to lose by participating; if they are the last team standing, a rotation of Sasaki, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes Jr., Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil would be a terror to face.