Few pitchers could command a stronger market than Roki Sasaki, a Japanese-born starter to whom the Yankees have paid plenty of attention during the NPB campaign. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Bronx Bombers are among teams including the Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks who have “committed significant resources” towards scouting him over the last month, with Bowden adding that these teams have sent top executives in the process as well.
After missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter, who the Yankees will likely face in Game 2 of the World Series, the Yankees could have another crack at one of the best pitchers in the Nippon Baseball League.
Roki Sasaki Could Be One of the Yankees’ Biggest Free Agent Targets
Across 414.2 innings in the NPB, Roki Sasaki has an impossibly low 2.02 ERA with 524 strikeouts, and while injuries have been a concern for him, there’s no denying the talent-level here. He sports a 100 MPH fastball with plenty of vertical movement alongside some excellent secondary pitches, but the Chiba Lotte Marines have zero incentive to post him ahead of the 2025 season as they wouldn’t get the large posting fee the Orix Buffaloes did for Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Sasaki would not be entitled to a normal free agency the way that Yamamoto was, having a situation more similar to what Shohei Ohtani did after the 2017 season. The Yankees were also in on Ohtani, who turned them down and went to the Angels before signing with the Dodgers last winter. MLB’s Collective Bargaining Agreement only allows international players under the age of 25 to sign for the league minimum with a bonus, effectively giving Sasaki a rookie contract.
For the Yankees, this would potentially allow them to add a frontline pitcher at the age of 22 who wouldn’t come close to hindering their chances of bringing back Juan Soto.
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Juan Soto is the most prized name in this upcoming free agent class, a 25-year-old superstar in his prime who just came off of his best season in the big leagues. In just one year with the Yankees, Soto has delivered multiple iconic moments including his go-ahead single against Josh Hader in the first series of the season and a three-run blast in Game 5 of the ALCS to punch the Yankees’ ticket to the World Series.
He’s one of the best players in the sport and will be compensated accordingly, with many baseball experts projecting at leats a $500 million contract. Roki Sasaki would appeal to any team in baseball, but the Yankees have an added interest since signing Sasaki would significantly boost their rotation and come at no real cost to the team from a prospect or financial standpoint.
It would allow the team to build a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Roki Sasaki, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil for the foreseeable future, all while not touching a single dime of the money they are preparing to offer to the most beloved player in New York right now.