𝕏: ItsRickyLogan

Who is Roki Sasaki

Roki Sasaki is a 23 year old right handed pitcher out of Japan. He features a 4 seam fast ball that runs between 97-99 and has hit 102.5. His splitter has drawn comparisons to Paul Skenes and a power slider. He stands 6 feet 3 inches, through 4 seasons in Japan, his ERA is at 2.02, he averages just 2.2 walks per 9 and 11.4 strikeouts per 9 with an average of 6 hits per 9. Roki Sasaki broke onto the world stage during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Sasaki struck out 11 batters, walked just 2, and allowed just 7 hits. Many scouts have compared him to a young Noah Syndergaard, and Paul Skenes. Sasaki has the make up of a number 1 starter in MLB and I think the Reds should jump all over him. A future rotation of Greene, Sasaki, Lodolo, Lowder and Burns would be absolutely lights out.

Can The Afford Him?

How could the Reds afford an international player of this prominence? Since Sasaki is only 23, he is not subject to posting fees because he is younger than 25 years old and hasn’t reached six years of service time yet. He would also be subject to a minor league contract. Shohei Ohtani signed for $2.3 million and the Reds were actually rumored to be in contention before the Angels ultimately nabbed the superstar. We could see a similar bonus payout for Sasaki in the 2025 period.

Cincinnati is allotted $7.5MM in international pool money, tops in MLB and tied with the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays. Cincinnati has been very aggressive in recent years in the international pool and I could see that trend continuing. Some notable recent international signings are Elly De La Cruz, Ricardo Cabrera, Alfredo Duno and Adolfo Sanchez.

While there are some promising prospects this coming period, most notably shortstops Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez and Elian Pena, I want the grand prize in Roki Sasaki. You could potentially see Sasaki in the rotation in 2025, although I could see minimal time in the minor leagues to get him accustomed to America and getting a Major League routine. This would be a massive signing and a sign that the team is ready to win now with new manager Terry Francona.

What do you think? Should Cincinnati pursue Roki Sasaki? Or should they continue their recent trend of going after position players and fill out pitching via the draft?

Photo Credit; Yahoo Sports

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