Like Ohtani 7 years ago... Sasaki scramble, not "Money Game", and the winner is the Dodgers again?
Like Ohtani 7 years ago... Sasaki scramble, not "Money Game", and the winner is the Dodgers again?
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It instantly became the biggest fish in the market. Where will Sasaki be heading.
The Chiba Lotte Marines officially announced on Nov. 9 (Korean time) that it would allow the posting of its "fastball pitcher" Sasaki, who has become the team's biggest star. Everyone knew that Sasaki had a plan to play in the Major League, but the Lotte Giants wanted to keep Sasaki longer. However, the team eventually allowed him to cross the Pacific Ocean this winter.
The Korean team has yet to submit an application for posting, but the big league is heating up. It is widely believed that Japanese ace pitchers who dominated the Japanese pro baseball arena can also be credited in the Major League. As has been the case with many Japanese aces so far, Sasaki has emerged as the biggest fish that shakes the market.
Sasaki, who spent four seasons with the Lotte Giants, pitched 394.2 innings in 64 games, recording 29 wins and 15 losses with an ERA of 2.10 and 505 strikeouts. In this season, he pitched 111 innings, 10 wins and 5 losses with an ERA of 2.35 and 129 strikeouts in 18 games. Although he could not play as many innings due to various injuries, he pitched faster than Shohei Ohtani (LAD) in high school, drawing attention as a monster pitcher.
A pitcher who throws a fastball over 160 kilometers per hour is one of Sasaki's biggest attractions, which lies in his age and annual leave. Born in November 2001, Sasaki has just turned 23. He only played for four seasons in Japan. The Major League stipulates that players under the age of 25 and those with less than six years of experience outside of the U.S. should be classified as "international amateur players" and signed under the same level of contract. As he is classified as an amateur player who signs a minor league contract, he can only sign a contract at that level.
It is the same situation as Ohtani, who is 23 years old and signed an amateur contract worth a total of $2.315 million with the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 2018 season, not Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who applied for posting with 12 years and 325 million dollars of experience in NBP. At that time, Ohtani rushed to recruit all 30 big league teams as he did not need much money to recruit.
As it is not a "money game," it is possible to recruit small market clubs. However, the likely candidates are the big market clubs. Players are more attracted to fancy big market clubs than to small market clubs.
Sasaki's expected destination seems to be narrowing. The Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, two Western teams, are already considered likely destinations. According to MLB.com , the leaders of the National League pointed out that the Sasaki recruitment match is not a two-way race, but the Dodgers and San Diego are the most likely destinations.
The Dodgers have Ohtani and Yamamoto and have topped this year's World Series. Undoubtedly, it is currently the strongest team in the big league. From Sasaki's point of view, who naturally has dreams of playing in the World Series, it is attractive to play in a team that already has the power to win a championship with Japanese stars. The Dodgers is currently the most popular Major League club in Japan.
The San Diego Padres have Darvish Yu, who is known to be close to Sasaki even though the team's strength is somewhat unstable compared to the Dodgers. Like the Dodgers, the team is located on the western coast, which is favored by players from Asia. San Diego has top stars such as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.
Of course, other teams want Sasaki, too. According to MLB.com , a number of teams including the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, the San Francisco Giants, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Texas Rangers, and the Chicago Cubs are watching Sasaki. The Mets, whose owner Steve Cohen's wallet is not dry, are considered the most dark horse except for the West Coast team.
He has various injury experiences and lacks experience in playing many innings. To be honest, he is a pitcher who has many risk factors compared to his name value. However, "amateur contract" offsets everything. Even if Sasaki does not meet expectations, it will only cause 2-3 million dollars in losses. For clubs, "low risk, high return" is a gamble they have nothing to lose. Of course, everyone has no choice but to jump in. 메이저놀이터
Money is not an important factor in this contract, but it cannot be ignored at all. Sasaki is expected to post after Dec. 15, when the international down payment slot money is newly filled.