"$275-300 million if Roki Sasaki was in an open market" - Top MLB scout previews Japanese pitching ace's potential impact

This week, NPB's Chiba Lotte Marines announced that Roki Sasaki would soon be posted to MLB. With major league clubs being given 45 days to ink the pitching ace from when the posting is announced, the sweepstakes are already getting started.

Due to regulations imposed by the international bonus pool rules, Sasaki will not be able to garner any more than a $5.75 million deal. This is because Sasaki is under 25 years of age.

While Roki Sasaki will not see contracts of the same scope that were given to Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one insider believes he is worth it. In recent comments to MLB.com, scout James Dykstra had his say:

"I think it would be $275-300 million if he was in an open market, for 10 years -- that’s what I would think he’d get,” he said. “The sky is the limit for this guy.”

James Dykstra is a former right-handed pitcher who was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 2013 draft. Dykstra played alongside Sasaki on the Lotte Marines for the past two seasons, and has referred to the 23-year-old as "probably one of the greatest pitchers I’ve ever seen live."

Roki Sasaki's story is one of overcoming adversity. After losing his father and grandparents in the 2011 Japanese Earthquake, Sasaki focused on baseball, eventually becoming one of his homeland's most esteemed arms.

"Roki Sasaki has filthy stuff! I think he'll easily be a top 5 starter in the league for many years. Which team will land him?" - Ruben Sierra

Sasaki's pitching arsenal is something to behold. In addition to boasting an effective slider and curveball, Sasaki's fastball regularly exceeds 100 miles per hour. In April 2022, Sasaki tossed a perfect game, posting 13 consecutive strikeouts to set an all-time pro baseball pitching record.

Roki Sasaki is already drawing comparisons to the greats

A personal friend of Shohei Ohtani who played with the Dodgers star in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, LA has certainly been identified as a contending club. As another scout claimed in comments to MLB.com:

“In my opinion, he’s a top-end starter, I wouldn’t say he’s Ohtani, but from a pitching standpoint, it’s very comparative. I’ve been seeing him since he was 19, and saw him on the national team. It’s an explosive arm.”

Already being compared to some of the top players in the world, it is likely that Roki Sasaki's tenure in MLB will carry some exciting surprises alongside it.