Roki Sasaki posts 1-word message as he delivers formidable pitch while prepping for 2025 MLB season – Source: Getty

Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki will make his MLB debut in the majors in 2025. The 23-year-old was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball in December and is considered one of the best pitchers yet to play in the majors.

Sasaki seems to be in town, prepping to show scouts in talent. While his exact whereabouts are unknown, he’s in the USA. On Wednesday, the right-hander offered a glimpse of what to expect when he makes his major league debut in 2025.

Sasaki posted a video on social media where he threw a fastball from the mound. It was a high rising fastball cutting the corner of the plate, which is a tough pitch to hit in baseball. His motion was captured from the headcam over the catcher’s helmet as he captioned it:

Latest update on Roki Sasaki’s MLB free agency

For those thinking Roki Sasaki to the Dodgers is a foregone conclusion might want to hear this.

Sasaki, an international free agent, isn’t one on whom you could splurge money and sign him. Instead, MLB teams will have to use restricted purse from their international pool money as per rules for signing anyone below 25 for the majors.

According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Dodgers won’t be an ideal place for Sasaki, as he would be the second or the third best player on the team. That’s because the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have emerged as bonafide MLB stars who have signed long term deals with the franchise.

“I’m not in that camp because I think endorsement deals with Japanese companies are going to be important for him financially since he won’t be eligible for arbitration for three years or eligible for free agency for at least six years. In Los Angeles, he’d be in the shadow of both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, lessening his endorsement ceiling,” Bowden wrote.

Moreover, Roki Sasaki’s free agent Joel Wolfe shared his client’s priorities for opting to come to the majors at 23.

“He’s not coming here just to be rich or to get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever,” Wolfe said.

Apart from the Dodgers, the New York Yankees and the San Diego have emerged as landing spots for the Japanese ace. The Yankees had hosted his childhood idol Masahiro Tanakam while the Padres have Yu Darvish with whom Sasaki could take guidance from.