Roki Sasaki saga takes another turn

Roki Sasaki has had an interesting offseason even if nothing has come of it yet.

The Japanese pitcher had reportedly requested to be posted on December 9, just six days before the posting window would close. That report was believed to be the result of a mistranslation, with the expectation being that Sasaki would be posted after the 2024 season. Those expectations were furthered by an article on Bunshun claiming that Sasaki has a secret agreement with the Chiba Lotte Marines where he has to be posted if requested.

Questions about whether or not Sasaki will be posted have continued into 2024. He has yet to sign his contract for the upcoming year, fueling speculation that he will hold out. Furthering that speculation, Bunshun reported that Sasaki has left the Japanese Professional Baseball Players Association, their player's union.

There are some important caveats to this report. Participation in the union is voluntary. However, he is the only young player to have left the union, which has reportedly upset chairman Tsubasa Aizawa. Bunshun is a tabloid, and as the Yakyu Cosmopolitan noted, they are known for "controversial reports" and "stirring the pot." Nonetheless, where there is smoke, there is often fire. In this case, there is a lot of smoke.

One can understand both sides. Sasaki has been utterly dominant with the Marines, posting a 1.78 ERA and a 0.747 WHiP in his 91 innings last season, striking out 135 batters with 17 walks. He made history by firing 17 consecutive perfect innings, coming three outs from a second consecutive perfect game because he was pulled from the outing. The Marines, meanwhile, want to maximize the amount they would receive for his services through the posting portal, something that would not happen until he is 25 years old.

Sasaki still has something to prove in Japan. He has yet to last a full season without injury, his 129.2 innings in 2022 a career-best. The Marines have also yet to win anything with Sasaki, a typical prerequisite for a younger player to be posted. And yet, these rumors will not go away. Sasaki reportedly leaving the union is just adding more fuel to the fire.