The San Diego Padres could luck up on Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki in 2025 after he gets posted this week.
Padres could land Roki Sasaki on larger deal in 2025
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Sasaki is set to be posted to the MLB this week. Passan broke the news on X on Saturday, saying this (h/t MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and Mark Feinsand):
“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,” Passan wrote.
The 45-day window that Passan mentioned would work wonders for the Padres’ chances to lure Sasaki to southern California. As it stands, San Diego only has $2,200 in international bonus pool money left for 2024, per the Associated Press (via The Porterville Recorder). That falls short of the seven figures that the Dodgers have. However, should he sign after Jan. 15, San Diego will then have $6.26 million at their disposal to offer him in the class of 2025.
Sasaki is transitioning from the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League over to MLB this offseason. The 23-year-old is a special talent that multiple teams greatly desire. He is viewed as a potential future ace that franchises yearn to add on a budget-friendly deal.
Sasaki is an elite pitcher who could lift the Padres over the top
Across his four-year professional tenure, Sasaki owns a career 2.02 ERA and 0.883 WHIP with an average of 131 strikeouts per year. He is efficient, precise, and has immaculate stuff, as shown in his ability to throw a 100-plus mph fastball.
The Padres are heavily linked to the impressive star. Sasaki has ties to the Padres star Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, which makes San Diego a strong sell.
The Padres have to fend off the Los Angeles Dodgers who are also in the running to land Sasaki with two of his compatriots Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on their roster.