Fastball

Here's When Japanese Star Roki Sasaki Could Sign His Major League Contract

Sasaki has officially been posted for Major League Baseball teams, but here's when he could actually put pen to paper.

Brady Farkas

Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park in 2023.
Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park in 2023. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki was officially posted for major league clubs on Monday morning, meaning he's now free to sign with any team.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the presumed favorites, with the San Diego Padres also in the mix, but an official signing is likely still more than a month away.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network had more on the Sasaki posting and his timeline:

With Sasaki’s posting period opening today, all signs point to him signing with an @MLB team between Jan. 15 and Jan. 23.

The new @MLB international signing period (for all players) begins Jan. 15, and Sasaki’s posting window closes Jan. 23.

@MLBNetwork

By waiting until the international signing period resets, each team would have more bonus money to allot to Sasaki. Because he's under the age of 25, he's restricted in his earnings to international signing money.

Armed with a low-100s fastball and a devastating splitter, Sasaki is the most intriguing free agent in this class not named Juan Soto. If he were to sign with the Dodgers, he'd join a rotation with Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and several other players coming back from injury like Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May.

If he were to sign with the Padres, he'd join Dylan Cease and Michael King atop the rotation. San Diego will miss Joe Musgrove for the entire 2026 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery during the playoffs. The Padres were eliminated by the Dodgers in the National League wild card round and finished second in the National League West.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.