"Shohei Ohtani was always in a different position" - MLB analyst claims Roki Sasaki's free agency not comparable to superstar compatriot's

Many have started to compare up-and-coming, young Japanese ace Roki Sasaki's free agency with three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani. Technically Sasaki is a similar international free agent, like Ohtani, who was also under 23 when he was posted in Nov. 2017, needing him to follow international signing rules.

However, Ohtani’s MLB career has set a precedent so unique that comparisons to his compatriot Sasaki may not be entirely fair, according to MLB analyst Dallas Braden. The analyst made his point on Thursday's episode of "Baseball is Dead" podcast hosted by Jared Carrabis.

"Sasaki’s not going to be able to do that," Braden said (27:30 onwards). "Should something happen for him, he’s not just going to DH for Team X, hit 50 homers, and steal 50 bases. That’s just not going to happen. Ohtani was always in a different position—always. That’s why this kind of stuff doesn’t compare. He’s a one-of-one. He’s a one-off. You can’t compare that."

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Dallas Braden shares his thoughts on Roki Sasaki's early move to majors

Another point of discussion concerning Roki Sasaki is that had he waited for another two years till he turned 25, he could have earned himself a deal similar to fellow countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-year, $325 million deal). However, Dallas Braden believes he made the right call, asserting it's better to come here and get injured than to stay in NPB and potentially get injured.

"That’s where people are asking, ‘Aren’t you afraid of that?’ And I think what we’ve started to see is the compensation teams are more than willing to sign a guy for a couple of years coming off an injury, knowing they’re essentially paying for one year or two," Braden said.

"But then you’re asking, ‘Do you want to ride out a two-year deal, knowing that one year is already spoken for because of injury?’ Instead of waiting two more years to get hundreds of millions of dollars, Sasaki might be saying, ‘No, man. I want the legacy to start now—and it’s got to start here.’"

Ultimately, Roki Sasaki’s decision to join MLB could boil down to starting his legacy sooner rather than waiting for the perfect moment.