Yankees Named Landing Spot for ‘LeBron James of Japanese Baseball’

Getty LeBron James reacting with a scrunched face

Major League Baseball might not just have one generational talent on the market this winter in New York Yankees‘ star Juan Soto. Japanese superstar pitcher Roki Sasaki could be on the market if Chiba Lotte Marines post him.

If Sasaki is posted, he’d instantly become one of the hottest names on the market, if not the hottest, due to his low price. Jim Bowden of The Athletic highlighted that the Yankees have “committed significant resources to scout him,” naming them one of the landing spots for his services.

“It is unclear if Roki Sasaki’s team in Japan, the Chiba Lotte Marines, will allow him to leave for MLB this offseason, but with the Marines out of the NPB playoffs, we should know soon. If he is coming, he will be the most coveted international free agent as the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and Diamondbacks all committed significant resources to scout him this month, including sending top executives to see him pitch,” Bowden wrote on October 24.

“How much teams would be willing to offer Sasaki could depend on his medical reports as he didn’t pitch for two months in the middle of the year because of arm troubles, which limited him to 18 games and 111 innings… Since Sasaki is under 25, he would be subject to international bonus pool restrictions; if he’s posted after this season, he’d only be allowed to sign a minor-league contract, which is what Ohtani did with the Angels in 2017.”

Bowden predicted that Sasaki would land a minor league contract due to international signing rules that prohibit players under 25 years old from signing free agency deals.

Sasaki Compared to LeBron James

Sasaki has been among the elite of the elite in Japan. Some have called him the best pitching prospect in the world, while Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs compared him to Los Angeles Lakers star and arguably the best NBA player ever, LeBron James.

“Sasaki has been the LeBron James of Japanese baseball since his junior year, a known generational high school talent who has gone on to deliver on and perhaps exceed expectations at the highest level of Japanese baseball. Sasaki turns 23 in November and his feats of strength are already legendary.

“He touched 101 in high school and once threw nearly 500 pitches in an eight-day span, including a 12-inning, 194-pitch complete game during which he also hit the game-winning two-run homer,” Longenhagen wrote on August 6. “He was the first pick in the 2019 NPB Draft by the Chiba Lotte Marines, had a sub-2.00 ERA in his 2021 rookie season, and then transcended the sport in 2022 when he threw 17 consecutive perfect innings that April.”

Whenever a player gets compared to James, it’s clear how talented they must be. The New York Yankees must have a similar feeling, too, as they’ve scouted him heavily.

Sasaki’s Impressive Professional Career

Multiple Japanese players have come to Major League Baseball and found success. Sasaki is expected to be the next one.

His stats during his young professional career certainly warrant that belief, as he’s posted a 2.41 ERA in 414 2/3 innings pitched.

Factoring in his 524 strikeouts with his elite ERA, it’s clear Sasaki could have a big future in Major League Baseball. If the New York Yankees are in the mix, they could be in a good position to sign him due to his contract not having an affect on Soto’s.