Sasaki Rocky (22‧ Chiba Lotte) is clearly the pitcher that is receiving the most attention from major league clubs outside the North American continent. He threw a ball at 100 miles per hour (about 161 km) and left a strong impression on the Japanese professional baseball stage as well as the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Sasaki, who joined in 2020, took a systematic training course. Chiba Lotte looked at this huge talent for the long term. Until the time he joined, he was too skinny, and it was seen that he lacked the stamina to consistently throw more than 100 pitches per game. So he devoted himself to training and training rather than competing. From 2021 he slowly started to get into the game, and in the last year his potential exploded.
With this year likely to be his first full-time season, all eyes in the U.S. are on whether Sasaki can continue to grow and, if so, when he will challenge the major leagues. This is because the timing of Sasaki’s attempt at the major leagues is not yet clear. He has plenty of time left, so maybe it’s natural. Sasaki also said at the time of the WBC in March, “First of all, playing in Japan is a priority. I think the situation will become clearer later.”
Perhaps Sasaki will fall into the same dilemma as Shohei Ohtani (29‧ LA Angels). It is whether he goes first and plans for the future, or he waits a little and gets treated properly. It is related to the major league posting system (private competitive bidding) and the international contract system.
Posting is the way we know it. However, major league teams classify up to the age of 25 as international contract prospects. To sign these players, you will need to utilize the international signing bonus pool allocated to each team. Due to various regulations, the pool amount allocated varies slightly from team to team, but is usually in the mid-$5 million to $6 million range.
It is before the age of 25 when Sasaki is about to qualify for the Overseas Posting System (Private Competitive Bidding). Even if one team ‘all-in’ the bonus pool to Sasaki, Sasaki can only receive a down payment of 6 million dollars. He is well below Sasaki’s present value. In order to avoid this rule and be properly treated, 2027, when he turns 26, is the earliest time to challenge the major leagues.
Ohtani went boldly. Ohtani qualified for the posting after the 23-year-old season ended. Nippon Ham’s permission fell and he landed a hand in the Los Angeles Angels after picking and choosing presentations from numerous teams. Naturally, the posting amount of 20 million dollars, which was the upper limit, was deposited into the bank account of the original team, Nippon Ham, but Ohtani was before the age of 25, so of course he had to receive a down payment within the limit of the bonus pool. Thinking of it now, Ohtani crossed the Pacific Ocean with a down payment of only (?) $2,315,000 and the lowest annual salary in the major leagues.
Ohtani didn’t care. He recalls that his goal was to go to the United States as early as possible, build a good career, and enter the Hall of Fame. On the one hand, there is also a calculation that if he fills up six years quickly, he can qualify as a free agent (FA) when he enters his prime. He planned to give up the money now, hit the jackpot later, and it worked. If Ohtani came to the major leagues 2-3 years late, it might have been difficult to be recognized for his current performance or contract size because of his age, even if he could receive a large down payment. 먹튀검증
Sasaki can also refer to the Otani course. Age is very important in major league free agent negotiations. Depending on whether you get FA qualification in your 20s or 30s, the ransom value varies greatly. On top of that, there is a possibility that he will go to the United States to build his career and inflate his ransom when his physical ability is even a little better. The timing of Sasaki’s challenge is expected to continue to draw attention for the time being.