Other teams instead of Ohtani and Darvish? He is different from other players in the 165km monster's destination, "Orimu."

Dec 31, 2024

Other teams instead of Ohtani and Darvish? He is different from other players in the 165km monster's destination, 'Orimu.'
Darvish (left) and Sasaki, who took a commemorative photo with a medal around their necks immediately after winning the WBC title in 2023. Sasaki, who is pursuing a major league challenge, is likely to wear a San Diego uniform next season. Photo capture = Japanese baseball team homepage



Other teams instead of Ohtani and Darvish? He is different from other players in the 165km monster's destination, 'Orimu.'
Sasaki (left) and Yamamoto, who played side by side as Pacific League All-Stars in 2023. Yamamoto, who moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, won seven games in his debut season. Photo Capture = Orix Buffaloes SNS
Other teams instead of Ohtani and Darvish? He is different from other players in the 165km monster's destination, 'Orimu.'
Otani played only as a batter this year, recording 54 home runs-59 steals. Sports Chosun DB
Which team is the destination of Rocky Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marines), who is trying to challenge the U.S. stage. He first denied the public view that the Los Angeles Dodgers are anyway.

Since joining the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Chiba Lotte, Sasaki has been under fire for repeatedly emphasizing his move to the Major League.

Lotte did not take the mound in the first year of its debut, and it was controversial that it suggested a major league challenge every winter while developing its skills through thorough management, such as adjusting the number of innings according to its age every year. In the conservative Japanese baseball community, there is no "minimal royalty.", There was a lot of negative public opinion, saying, "You have to do something for the team to post."




The skills shown in the country's league are certain, but the number of innings is still small. Instead, he successfully appealed himself to the U.S. stage through the World Baseball Classic (WBC). There was only one Japanese pitcher besides Shohei Ohtani who threw a fastball of more than 160km. A powerful fastball from his tall, slim body, standing at 1 meter 92, was enough to make Major League Baseball officials fall in love with him.

Other teams instead of Ohtani and Darvish? He is different from other players in the 165km monster's destination, 'Orimu.'
Sasaki met with the Chicago White Sox, following the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs. Former Chiba Lotte manager Iguchi seems to have played a role as a link with the White Sox. Photo capture = Chiba Lotte Marines SNS
In the end, Sasaki posted on the U.S. stage this winter. Sasaki's agent Joel Wolf said on the 31st (Korea Standard Time) through ESPN and other U.S. local media, `We have already received love calls from 20 teams", showing confidence.

However, the posting is 'closed tender'. The list of 20 teams has not been released.




However, Sasaki's destination is expected to be revealed between January 16 and 24.

Major League Baseball has a `25-year-old rule.' Players over the age of 25 are considered FA from abroad. The down payment and annual salary can be negotiated relatively freely.

On the other hand, players under the age of 25 have an international bonus set for each club. January 16 is the time when this bonus pool will be reset. You can get the maximum amount of the new season as not much as you spent last season.




Other teams instead of Ohtani and Darvish? He is different from other players in the 165km monster's destination, 'Orimu.'
사사키 로키. AP Yonhap News
At least, compared to the case of going to the FA like Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LA Dodgers), the amount of money returned to Chiba Lotte is not much.

The same goes for the money given to Sasaki himself. However, his agent emphasized a few things, saying, `Sasaki is different from other Japanese players.'

First, I don't care about whether there are Japanese players in the team. This means that they will not be swayed by the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres, who called through Japanese baseball legends such as Ichiro Suzuki, Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Darvish Yu, respectively. Sasaki seems to have countered the atmosphere of the Dodgers anyway raised in the U.S.-Japan region.

Second, he declared that he was not very interested in money either. If money was a problem in the first place, it would be nice if you entered after the age of 25. He emphasized that he would focus more on the environment that fosters pitchers rather than money. As a baseball player, I want to grow further and challenge myself to the big stage.

Other teams instead of Ohtani and Darvish? He is different from other players in the 165km monster's destination, 'Orimu.'
Yamamoto, who won the Sawamura Award for three consecutive years and moved to the Dodgers, pitched 90 innings in his first year in the Major League and won seven games. Photo capture = LA Dodgers SNS
The agent "Equitable environment is important. The meeting with all clubs will be held within two hours." Sasaki is well aware that he is not a complete player himself. Instead, the talent is amazing. He reiterated that "the best player of all time" is Sasaki's goal instead of being rich."

"Even when Otani challenged the U.S., it took several years before he actually performed very well. He has played with Darvish and Otani in the WBC, and he has also watched Shota Imana (Cubs) play this season. In the end, if Sasaki was to become a player like, or more like, Ohtani, she had to challenge herself to the U.S. stage as soon as possible."

It is known that the posting negotiation process was presented with brochures and video-oriented portfolios produced by each team enough to be called the 「Sasaki Film Festival」.

Other teams instead of Ohtani and Darvish? He is different from other players in the 165km monster's destination, 'Orimu.'
Kikuchi won nine games for Toronto and Houston this season. Sports Chosun DB
The team that has met Sasaki in person so far has not been officially disclosed, but it is known as the Dodgers, the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs, the Texas Rangers, and the San Francisco Giants. The agent drew the line "It's best for everyone to keep it a secret until possible". Various interviews are being conducted in various negotiations with club officials such as Avant, the general manager, assistant to the general manager, manager, pitching coach, and trainer without the player himself attending.

Will the Japanese monster in the face also command the Major League. Or will it prove to be too early greed. Either way, it's clear that it's enough talent to excite the U.S. local community.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.