Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki will have the chance to sign with a Major League Baseball (MLB) organization after his team in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, the Chiba Lotte Marines, announced on Saturday that they will post the 23-year-old right-hander for MLB availability.  

"Since joining the Marines, I've been hearing about my future challenges in the Major Leagues, and I’m grateful to the team for allowing me to officially enter the posting system,” Sasaki said in statements collected by the official MLB.com website.  

The Marines will post Sasaki in the Japanese baseball system, which grants MLB teams a 45-day window to negotiate with the star pitcher, widely considered the top player in the Asian league today.  

Sasaki, who has played four seasons in Japan, is not yet 25 years old and hasn’t completed the six years of professional experience required in the NPB to negotiate an unrestricted deal with a Major League team.  

This situation categorizes him as an international amateur player, allowing him to sign a contract for just over three million dollars, similar to what his countryman Shohei Ohtani received when he decided to join the Major Leagues, also at age 23.  

In contrast, Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is now also with the Dodgers, had the six years in the NPB and was 25 years old, which qualified him to negotiate unrestrictedly with MLB teams.  

As a result, Yamamoto secured a record-setting $325 million contract for a pitcher with the Dodgers before the start of last season.  

According to MLB regulations, the team that reaches an agreement with Sasaki will hold his rights during his first six MLB seasons, including salary arbitration processes, before he can opt for free agency.  

Additionally, that team will need to pay a release fee to the Marines, typically reaching 20% of the contract value agreed upon with the player for his years of service.  

A Star in Japan

Supported by a fastball that reaches 100 mph (160.9 km/h), along with a splitter and a slider, Sasaki holds a record of 30-15 in 64 NPB starts, with a 2.02 earned run average, 524 strikeouts, and 91 walks over 414.2 innings pitched.  

His achievements include pitching the 16th perfect game in Japanese baseball history, setting strikeout records in a single game (19), and the most consecutive batters struck out (13).  

Sasaki has also shown his talent internationally, representing Japan in the recent World Baseball Classic, where he won alongside Ohtani and Yamamoto. 

Following in the footsteps of his compatriots, the Dodgers have been mentioned as one of the frontrunners to acquire Sasaki and potentially form a Japanese trio in their rotation with Ohtani and Yamamoto.