CHIBA, Japan — Japanese ace Roki Sasaki will be available to Major League Baseball teams this offseason.

The Chiba Lotte Marines announced Saturday that they have elected to begin the process of transferring the pitcher to a major league club in North America via the posting system.

Sasaki, who turned 23 this month, is expected to become one of the most sought-after pitchers on the open market. The right-hander went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 games this year, striking out 129 batters in 111 innings.

Because he is under 25, Sasaki will be classified as an international amateur free agent subject to bonus pool limits, per MLB rules. That means his first contract would be a minor league contract not exceeding seven figures.

The Marines will receive a percentage for his assignment, the amount of which will be determined by the size of his contract.

It is not yet known when Sasaki will be assigned, beginning the 45-day deadline for him to sign with a major league club. The 2024 international signing period ends on December 15 and the 2025 period opens on January 15.

Most teams spent most or all of their bonuses on Latin American prospects in January. The Los Angeles Dodgers have retained the most available space in their signing bonus pool for 2024 at $2,502,500.

The day before the World Series began, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman refused to answer a question about how much was left open, saying, “It’s outrageous.” You want to talk about our hitting philosophy and player development, seriously, that’s not important right now.

Baltimore has $2,147,300 left, the New York Yankees have $1,487,200 and San Francisco has $1,247,500. The other teams have less than $1 million, including Tampa Bay and Texas with no money available and eight other clubs with less than $100,000.

The last day to post a player is December 15, so in the meantime, the Marines could extend his availability until the new signing period.

This year the pools range from Arizona at a high of $7,129,800 to Atlanta, Boston, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets at $5,925,000.

When Shohei Ohtani agreed to join the Los Angeles Angels in December 2016, at the age of 23, he received a signing bonus of $2,315,000.

After the Dodgers signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract last December, Los Angeles won the World Series and drew a record Japanese average of 12.9 million viewers for the five. games against the Yankees.

When asked during the NL Championship Series whether the success of the team’s brand in Japan could help recruit Sasaki if he became available, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts responded: “I hope so. absolutely. We think the same thing now.

Sasaki helped Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His fastball has been clocked at 102.5 mph and he has a career record of 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA over four injury-shortened seasons with the Marines. He pitched a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes in April 2022 – accumulating 13 consecutive outs and finishing with 19.

“Since joining the team, the team has listened to my thoughts on my future MLB challenge, and I am very grateful to the team for officially allowing me to post,” Sasaki said in a released statement by the Marines on the social platform. x.

“There were a lot of things that didn’t go well during my five years with the Marines, but I was able to get to this point by focusing solely on baseball, with the support of my teammates, staff , from the front office and the fans. I will do my best to progress from my minor contract to become the best player in the world, so that I have no regrets in my one and only baseball career and live up to the expectations of all those who have supported me. supported. »