Rumors have been circling for months around Team Japan’s star pitcher Roki Sasaki, as he might be coming to the MLB. If he does, the Boston Red Sox should be the first to greet him as soon as he lands.
Sasaki is a young, dominant pitcher in Japan. He played in and helped win the World Baseball Classic for Japan, and posted a 3.52 ERA against the best players in each country.
In Japan, he has done even better. In his past four seasons in the NPB, Japan’s highest level of professional baseball, Sasaki has a career ERA of 1.95. He is also the youngest pitcher in NPB history to throw a perfect game.
Keep in mind, Sasaki has done all of this before turning 23, so there is a lot of promise for him to get even better. And that is why the Sox need to get him at any means necessary.
As he is under 25, if Sasaki were to come to the MLB, he would have to adhere to the MLB's international amateur signing bonus pool rules, which would set a major cap on his contract. If he signed a contract, it would be similar to Shohei Ohtani’s original LA Angels contract of 2.395 million dollars.
The Sox desperately need an ace, and Sasaki could be that man. And, if they can sign him for a fraction of his true worth, they can still spend in the offseason on their other needs.
So, in the end, Sasaki should be a top three free agent target for the Sox if he decides to come to the MLB this season.
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