Sasaki reiterates 'desire to play' in MLB -- but how soon?

Rōki Sasaki only has three seasons under his belt pitching for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball, but the 22-year-old ace is already eyeing his next move: a career in Major League Baseball.

Sasaki made his intentions clear after signing a one-year deal with Chiba Lotte this week.

"I have the desire to play in the U.S. Major Leagues in the future," the flamethrowing righty said during a news conference Saturday, according to the Kyodo news agency. "I've been communicating every year. I believe the club understands it, too."

• Get to know Japanese ace Rōki Sasaki

As for when he might want to make the move? Sasaki wouldn't say.

“I believe it's important to play well in the season that's right in front of me,” Sasaki said when asked about his future plans.

It's possible Sasaki could be posted as soon as next offseason. Reports out of Japan suggest he has a provision in his contract that would force Chiba Lotte to post him at his request, though neither the team nor the player has confirmed those reports.

Sasaki saw fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto make the jump from NPB to MLB via the posting system in December, signing a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers. Yamamoto's former team, the Orix Buffaloes, received a $50.6 million posting fee -- which is based on the value of the contract -- from the Dodgers in the transaction.

Many consider Sasaki, who is three years younger than Yamamoto, to be a better prospect. However, if he is posted by Chiba Lotte prior to his 25th birthday, he wouldn’t be eligible to land a megadeal like Yamamoto’s. Players under 25 who have not reached six years of service in a foreign major league are subject to MLB's international amateur signing bonus pool rules, setting a cap on their contracts.

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was subject to those same rules when he was posted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2017. The Angels signed Ohtani for $2.315 million. After reaching six years of MLB service time, Ohtani entered unrestricted free agency this past November and signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers.

American baseball fans got a good look at Sasaki when he joined Ohtani and Yamamoto in helping Japan win gold at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, defeating Team USA in the championship game.

Sasaki was limited to 91 innings during the 2023 NPB season due to an oblique injury, but he posted a sparkling 1.78 ERA with 135 strikeouts and only 17 walks. In three seasons for Chiba Lotte, Sasaki owns a 2.00 ERA with a 6.71 K/BB ratio.

In 2022, Sasaki became the youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game in Japan, recording 19 strikeouts while twirling a perfecto against Orix.