In May, Chelsea James of The Washington Post reported that teams expected Nippon Professional Baseball star Roki Sasaki to be posted this offseason. Those expectations came to fruition on Saturday.
The Chiba Lotte Marines announced on X that Sasaki will be posted this offseason. ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted that it is unknown when Sasaki will be made available before Dec. 15, the next international signing period. The signing pools would reset for 2025, so the Marines should push that signing window as late as possible.
The sentiment around baseball is that the Dodgers are the prohibitive favorite to land Sasaki. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that while all 30 teams will attempt to sign Sasaki, he’s expected to sign with Los Angeles. The Dodgers have plenty of intrigue with two-way star Shohei Ohtani, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and being fresh off of a World Series title.
L.A. is not the only team that should be considered a favorite. The Padres are the home of pitcher Yu Darvish, who signed a six-year, $108 million extension to keep him in San Diego through 2028. He is Sasaki’s mentor, which Passan noted when he listed possible destinations for the phenom. Darvish also helped Sasaki develop his slider, turning it into another weapon in his arsenal.