NEW YORK (AP) — Aki Sasaki has nine days to sign with a Major League Baseball team starting Wednesday. unusual free agent It will have a ripple effect on Latin American teenagers, whose unofficial contracts worth millions of dollars are on hold pending his decision.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are believed to be the frontrunners to sign Sasaki, with the Toronto Blue Jays also being another candidate.
Sasaki, a prized 23-year-old right-hander, could have earned a nine-figure major league contract had he stayed healthy and waited until the end of the 2026 season to be posted by a Japanese team and transferred to MLB. Yoshinobu Yamamoto also followed this line, $325 million, 10-year contract He will play against the Dodgers in December 2023, which will be the most by a pitcher.
Sasaki is classified as an international amateur by MLB because he is under the age of 25 and has not played six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. That means he is limited to a minor league contract and is subject to strict spending limits set by MLB and the players union. The system was introduced in 2012 through collective bargaining. Hard caps on spending were added in 2017.
Why does Aki Sasaki’s contract affect Latin American teenagers?
Players residing outside of the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Canada are grouped together for baseball’s international amateur free agent system, and Sasaki is primarily a 16-year-old, specifically from September 1, 2007 to 2007. He will join the 2025 group consisting of players born before September 1, 2025. August 31, 2008. The signing period begins Wednesday morning.
Sasaki’s contract with an MLB team is limited due to a separate 45-day posting window stipulated in the agreement between MLB and NPB. That means he must sign by January 23rd at 5pm EST, or his rights will remain with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Pacific League.
Most international amateur free agents are Latin American teenagers. Last year, there were 546 international amateur athletes from the Dominican Republic, 365 from Venezuela, 52 from Mexico, and fewer from Panama (26), Colombia (24), Curaçao (11), and the Bahamas. (9 players) and Nicaragua (7 players). ), Australia and Taiwan (6 each), Aruba (5), Brazil and Japan (2 each), Costa Rica, Germany, Haiti, and Uganda (1 each).
The 2025 class can’t officially sign a contract until Wednesday, but handshake agreements are common in countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Venezuela, where players as young as 14 years ago have given hundreds of donations to children from impoverished backgrounds in some cases. They once signed an agreement promising $10,000.
Each team’s bonus pool ranges from approximately $5.1 million to $7.6 million. If Sasaki lands, every penny could be made, and the team will almost certainly be forced to back out of the handshake agreement to free up space in the bonus pool. It could be difficult for dumped players to find another suitor, as other teams are also likely to have handshake deals for a significant portion of the pool.
Last year, 290 contracts were concluded. the day the window opened. Clubs appear to have put some deals on hold this year to make room for Sasaki, and could potentially try to delay the deal until 2026. There is also a possibility that the players may change their plans ahead of time. Baseball America reported that Dominican shortstop Darrell Morel will sign with Pittsburgh instead of the Dodgers.
What is a bonus pool?
Each team has a limit on how much it can spend on international amateur free agents each year, and the amount is determined by the major league team’s performance in the previous year, spending on top free agents, and other factors.
In 2025, eight teams will be allocated the maximum amount of approximately $7.6 million: the Athletics, Cincinnati, Detroit, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Seattle and Tampa Bay.
Six clubs hold approximately $6.9 million: Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, Colorado, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Twelve teams have about $6.3 million: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets and Yankees, Philadelphia, San Diego, Texas, Toronto and Washington. Houston and St. Louis are at the bottom with about $5.6 million, while the Dodgers and San Francisco are at the bottom with $5.1 million.
Starting Wednesday, teams can make trades that increase their signing bonus allocation by up to 60% from the original number. Allotments traded must be in increments of $250,000. The exception is when a team can trade its entire remaining allocation in a single swap.
Why would the team spend all its quota on Sasaki?
Sasaki is an elite talent who has already proven himself in high-level professional leagues and international tournaments. If he were a professional free agent, he could make hundreds of millions of dollars. But as was the case with Shohei Ohtani in 2017, playing at the highest level is more important to Sasaki than getting the most out of his first MLB contract.
Pitching in the 2023 World Baseball Classic using Statcast tracking, Sasaki threw 21 of his 66 pitches at over 100 mph. Group stage match starts against Czech Republictop speed is 161.9 mph.
During the game’s four innings pitched, 26 of 64 pitches exceeded 100 mph. Semi-final vs. Mexicoincluding a strikeout of major leaguer Randy Arozarena on a leadoff pitch of 161.8 mph.
Sasaki played in 18 games last year, limited by shoulder inflammation, going 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA and striking out 129 batters in 111 innings, but will start 15 games in 2023 due to a torticollis injury. He had 7 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 1.78. . He has a career record of 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA in four seasons with the Marines, and pitched a perfect game against Orix in April 2022.
If Sasaki is selected as a major league player for the 2025 season (which is likely), he would earn a minimum annual salary of $760,000 during his time in the major leagues. He will be eligible for arbitration after the 2027 season and could become a free agent after the 2030 season.
Thanks to the posting system, the Marines will receive a relatively small termination fee equal to 25% of Sasaki’s contract bonus. Ohtani experienced a similar system. Signed with Los Angeles Angels for $2.315 million in bonuses. Ahead of the 2018 season.
Arriving early worked out well for Ohtani
After sacrificing money in favor of an early start in MLB, Ohtani’s salaries in his first three seasons were $545,000, $650,000 and $259,259 (in the pandemic-shortened 2020). He earned $3 million, $5.5 million, and $30 million in three years of arbitration eligibility; Signs $700 million, 10-year contract with Dodgers For the 2024 season.
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