Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters on Wednesday that he expects superstar Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki to be a part of the 2025 international signing class.
With the 2024 class almost over, Sasaki will open up greater financial opportunities by waiting until the 2025 class, which begins on Jan. 15.
That has appeared to be the plan all along for Sasaki, and on Wednesday, Manfred confirmed just that.
Sasaki is widely expected to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he officially gets posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines. However, since he’s still considered an amateur free agent, he will only be eligible to sign for a team’s international bonus pool. That means it will be an even playing field for all 30 teams, and the bigger markets won’t have any financial advantages.
Still, the Dodgers offer plenty of advantages to Sasaki, who is reportedly looking for a team with great player development. The Dodgers are one of the best teams in MLB at developing prospects, and they also are home to two of the biggest Japanese stars in MLB in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
On top of that, the Dodgers are coming off a World Series victory, and will be the favorites to repeat in 2025. If Sasaki wants to win, play with fellow Japanese stars, and be with one of the best teams in terms of player developing, the Dodgers make all the sense in the world.
In addition to the Dodgers, the National League West rival San Diego Padres have been linked to Sasaki due to their player development, as well as the team’s ace, Yu Darvish, reportedly being a mentor of Sasaki’s.
However, it appears teams will have to wait another few months until they start finalizing their plans with Sasaki.
