The Boston Red Sox need a new ace pitcher. What if it hardly costs anything to land one?
At this stage of the Major League Baseball offseason, all eyes are squarely focused on superstar outfielder Juan Soto. But if and when Soto signs in early December, there will be a new top bidding war, and it won’t cost nearly as much.
Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who is only 23 years old, is expected to be posted by his Japanese club, the Chiba Lotte Marines, in January. With a 102-mile-per-hour fastball and perhaps the most devastating splitter on the planet, Sasaki could be a game-changing talent from day one in the big leagues.
Not only that, but because Sasaki is under 25, he is subject to the international bonus pool restrictions, meaning he can only sign a minor-league deal, and his signing bonus cannot exceed the entirety of one team’s bonus pool, which is just over $7.5 million for the richest teams.
Any team would be over the moon to have Sasaki on their side, but only one team can land their next cost-controlled ace. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been considered the favorites, because of the two Japanese stars already on the roster, but it’s still anyone’s game at this point.
On Tuesday, Paul Casella of MLB.com named the Red Sox as the best fit for Sasaki among the American League East teams, mentioning a combination of potential for endorsements and Boston’s readiness to compete for the playoffs.
“Since Sasaki won’t be signing a massive deal along the lines of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason, he could look to offset some of that sizable gap with endorsement deals, as mentioned by The Athletic’s Jim Bowden,” Casella said.
“Boston presents a major market — and plenty of opportunity… With superstar Rafael Devers being joined by blossoming stars Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu in the lineup, the Sox could certainly use a top-tier starter to anchor a young rotation that showed flashes last season with Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello.”
Signing Sasaki would be an incredible win for Boston this offseason, but with all 30 teams hypothetically in the running, it’s also smart to factor in the distinct possibility of him signing elsewhere when making their 2025 plans.
