Roki Sasaki Posted to MLB: Everything You Need to Know About the Standout Japanese Pitcher

Sasaki had what some consider the greatest pitching performance in baseball history in his 19-strikeout perfect game in Japan.

Roki Sasaki (14) of Team Japan reacts after an out in the third inning against Team Mexico during the World Baseball Classic Semifinals at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida, on March 20, 2023. Eric Espada/Getty Images

With Juan Soto agreeing to a historic contract with the New York Mets, the top MLB free agent is off the board. However, Soto’s subtraction from free agency is, somewhat, offset by the addition of a potential ace. Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki was posted to MLB teams on Monday and will be eligible to sign with teams starting on Tuesday through January 23.

He is being posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). The posting system is the same route that Shohei Ohtani took to join MLB from NPB back in 2017. It’s also the same route that pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kodai Senga, and Shota Imanaga have gone through over the last two years, with all of them having immediate success on the mound in the United States.