The MLB offseason changed dramatically Saturday with the announcement by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pro Baseball that they will post star pitcher Roki Sasaki. The righthander is as attractive a free agent to all 30 teams as it gets: young (23 years old), dominant (2.02 career ERA and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings) and cheap (a signing bonus of $2 million or so and a minimum rookie salary).
Once the Marines officially post Sasaki, he has 45 days to come to agreement with an MLB team. If he is posted this month, he will likely sign before Dec. 15, when a 30-day dead period begins, after which clubs’ international signing pools are reset. If he is posted next month, he likely signs after Jan. 15, when pool money is higher (and thus, his bonus).
