Fact Check: Did Yu Darvish try to fast-track an MLB move for Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki with petition appeal? Debunking viral report

Roki Sasaki is going to be one of the next big-name players to make a move from Japan to the US and make a splash in the MLB. The 22-year-old is a huge star on the international stage and his 19-strikeout perfect game in 2022 put him on everyone's watchlist.

The Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher is being compared to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and made headlines after requesting to be posted for MLB consideration, according to Yahoo Japan. Due to his age, Sasaki cannot be treated as anything other than an amateur free agent in the MLB. This would result in him being as underpaid as Shohei Ohtani was when he joined the league.

Sasaki was not posted, which has led to some discussion about his contract and motives for wanting to be posted at his age.

Regardless, a report emerged that San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish had called on Marines fans to sign a petition to send Sasaki to the MLB next year. Darvish had been on "Stand FM" and been discussing his desire to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers as a Padre, as well as his wish to see more Japanese players on the San Diego roster.

Yakyu Cosmopolitan hit X with the report:

"Yu Darvish is calling on Lotte fans to sign a petition to send Roki Sasaki to MLB next year"

This was followed up by another tweet expanding on the theory.

While this may all make good copy and be logical, it was not what Darvish said. Darvish did not petition fans to send Sasaki to the MLB. Darvish took to X to debunk the theory:

"If you listen to the radio, you'll probably understand, but I'm not saying we should seriously start signing petitions 😅."

Roki Sasaki could be the next Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Roki Sasaki is highly touted and has been compared to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who recently signed a $325 million contract to join the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both pitchers were an integral part of Japan's World Baseball Classic-winning team in 2023 and are expected to light up the MLB for much of the next decade.

Sasaki's exact timeline for joining the MLB is a mystery at present, as a team would have to pay millions in posting fees if they signed him before late 2026. However, this wouldn't stop the big spenders, as the Dodgers just paid a $50.6 million posting fee to the Orix Buffaloes for Yamamoto.

What is certain is that when he is available, barring any setbacks, MLB teams will flock to sign him and Roki Sasaki will garner an incredible contract.