The stars are aligning! Japan’s ace Roki Sasaki is on the brink of a Major League debut, poised to electrify fans stateside in the 2025 season. The Chiba Lotte Marines have announced they’ll be posting Sasaki, the consensus top young pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball. The 23-year-old phenom, who turned 23 on November 3, has dazzled in NPB since his 2021 debut, wielding a fiery fastball that blazes past 100 mph, a lethal splitter, and a rapidly developing slider. Over four commanding seasons, he’s recorded a lifetime 2.02 ERA, punching out 524 batters while walking only 91 across 414 2/3 innings.
The posting process will open a 45-day negotiation window for all 30 MLB teams. If a deal isn’t reached, Sasaki will return to the Marines for another season, with his next eligibility for posting in 2026. His posting also requires the signing MLB club to pay a release fee to Chiba Lotte: 20% for any Major League contract guaranteed at $25 million or below.
As Sasaki enters the scene, many eyes turn to the Dodgers, a powerhouse in the international market, who recently signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a record-breaking $325 million deal. With a hefty bonus pool and Andrew Friedman likely angling for more, the Dodgers are well-positioned for a high-stakes bid. Sasaki, alongside Japan’s elite like Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto, brought home the 2023 World Baseball Classic title, proving his big-game prowess. Now, he stands ready to bring that fire to the Majors, setting the stage for an era-defining journey.
The Dodgers have the most international signing bonus money available ($2,502,500) and could get more with a trade involving Gavin Lux, Bobby Miller, Tony Gonsolin, or others. Look for Andrew Friedman to try and grab more signing bonues money. Could this be the Dodgers rotation next season?
- Glasnow
- Yamamoto
- Sasaki
- Kershaw
- Ohtani
- Buehler
Aces all!
The Giants are Coming!
The San Francisco Giants are coming back and will again be a force for the Dodgers to recken with. It would happen overnight, but it will happen. Buster Posey is part of the equation and so is Daniel Lurie, the new Mayor San Francisco. During his first speech as mayor-elect, Lurie committed to “clean and safe streets for all, tackling our drug and behavioral drug crisis, shaking up the corrupt and ineffective bureaucracy, building enough housing, so our neighbors can afford to live here, supporting our small businesses and breathing life back into downtown.”
My wife isfrom the City by the Bay and for the past severl years, she has said, “They ruined my city.” Frankly, it was/is a shithole. Legendary former Giants catcher Buster Posey, who is now a part-owner of the team as well as President of Baseball Operations, spoke candidly in a recent interview with Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic about what he views as a “free-agent slump.” Posey hinted that perceptions of the Bay Area were making it harder for the Giants to win over free agents.
“Something I think is noteworthy, something that unfortunately keeps popping up from players and even the players’ wives is there’s a bit of an uneasiness with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, with crime, with drugs,” Posey said in the interview with The Athletic. I was told by many on another site that I was wrong and SF was a wonderful city, but Poset agreed with me and went on to say:
“Whether that’s all completely fair or not, perception is reality. It’s a frustrating cycle, I think, and not just with baseball. Baseball is secondary to life and the important things in life. But as far as a free-agent pursuit goes, I have seen that it does affect things.”
–– Buster Posey
Posey is a straight shooter and that honesty along with cleaning up San Francisco will help them attract more free agents. The Giants have not had much success with signing key free agents recently. Some of it is the chilly weather at times and you can’t change that (except with a dome), but you can transform it to a beautiful town from the cesspool it has become. New Mayor elect, Daniel Lurie said this:
“I entered this race not as a politician, but as a dad who couldn’t explain to my kids what they were seeing in my streets. In our house, when you love something as much as San Francisco, you fight for it. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. Our biggest opposition was cynicism itself. A gnawing sense that maybe it has to be this way. But I can tell you after 250 meet-and-greets, 150 merchant walks, and our team knocking over 140,000 doors and thousands of open and honest conversations in every neighborhood across seven square miles, hope is alive and well in San Francisco.
— Daniel Lurie
Our mandate is to show how government must deliver on its promises: clean and safe streets for all, tackling our drug and behavioral health crisis, shaking up the corrupt and ineffective bureaucracy, building enough housing so our neighbors can afford to live here, supporting our small businesses and breathing life back into downtown.”
Get Ready! The Dodgers – Giants Rivalry is about ready to be restored. Now Dodger fans can hate both the Giants and the Padres. I used to love to go to San Francisco and as my wife’s hometown, we used to visit frequently. We have not done that as much lately and I look forward to going back more often and a renewed Dodger-Giant rivalry.
My wife is excited to get her city back.
Discussion (14)
Disagree, not disagreeable
you’re right. but when i say “restock “ i mean just add. we all know he won’t spend big money on the bullpen, he’ll just get the best arm at budget value. they lose hudson. i’m not sure honeywell returns. Casparius? nice arm, but what’s his role? With Gonsolin coming back, Dustin May coming back, Sheehan coming later, where’s everyone going? I believe May goes into the bullpen or gets traded. Gonsolin and Miller could compete for a starting job depending on ohtani’s health, Walker Buehler being signed or not, Sasski being signed, or maybe even Fried. I e wonder how much Brasier has left in the tank? i can see AF trying to get another lefty for the pen. we have it bad! just 2 weeks from a world series championship, and we’re already for spring training! … Happy veterans day to all that served and sacrificed, and those still serving! Thank you all for protecting us and our freedom to do the things we love! We all need to step back, take a deep breath and start respecting each other. Civility shouldn’t be obsolete. Thanks again to the men and women who have or still wear those uniforms!
Bullpen: LHP – Vesia, Banda
RHP – Treinen, Phillips, Kopech, Graterol, Casparius, May
No need to re-stock. Just bring back Treinen.
soto is destined to be a DH within 5 years. not a very good outfielder. average at best! excellent hitter but i hope they pass on him . sign Teo, Fried,Sasaki, Adames, and restock the bullpen!
thanks mark! this site starts my day every day. it’s an uplifting read every day! everyone has an opinion and it’s important that we all respect that opinion. Hey! i’m the best GM in my town! … totally agree with signing Adames and letting Soto go somewhere else! There are just some players that you don’t want to be a dodger! machado, tatis, soto, BREGMAN, altuve, Correa, Springer. never wanted Bonds, ASSROD, McGwire, Palmero, why isn’t every player like Clayton? like mookie? like teo? like freddie? like Edman? like ohtani? you get the picture! good players,great people! that’s the dodger way!
like it all Mark, except the bench. i don’t see rojas having another stellar season at the plate. Defensively? yeah, he is fine. Taylor? his swing is long and most of the time, ugly as sin! Barnes? another year older and he didn’t get off the pine in the world series. Kike? put him in standby till the playoffs!! it’s early to speculate, but can’t you see AF. finding a way to dump taylor? ….. Personally, i would sign. Fried rather than give up a kings ransom for Crochet. Glasnow, Yamamoto,,Fried,Sasaki,Buehler, and Clayton later on. Dustin May and Bobby Miller could both be dealt. Maybe involving a deal for Williams from Milwaukee. Trienan? i hope he comes back…….. Been a great weekend so far! my brother in law turned 80 yesterday. a retired teacher, band director, athletic director, and so called retired minister! well as i type this, he’s probably on his way to a church in Tazewell county to give a sermon. Big Orioles fan! Boy did i rub it in at his party last night!! Great guy and friend! I have a great family, been blessed! Good Sunday everyone!
I still see Adames as SS at 6 years/$160M+
I see Teoscar at 3 years/$80M
Crochet is a possibility with the Sox picking Rushing or DePaula ,(their choice), Lux, Outman, Freeland, and Bobby Miller.
If Sasaki is posted that’s all they need!
1. Ohtani DH
2. Betts 2B
3. Freeman 1B
4. Teoscar RF
5. Muncy 3B
6. Smith C
7. Adames SS
8. Pages LF
9. Edman CF
Bench: Rojas, Kike, CT3, Barnes
A few days ago, Jared Diamond wrote a really goodpiece in the Wall Street Journal about FreddieFreeman. Here it is in it’s entireity:
He Never Wanted to Join the Dodgers. Now He’s Their World Series Hero.
Freddie Freeman never wanted to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He was perfectly happy at the Atlanta Braves, and intended to spend his entire career with the organization that drafted him and developed him into one of the best players of his generation.
Then the cruel business of baseball intervened. Contract talks unexpectedly stalled when Freeman reached free agency following the 2021 season, the winter after he led his beloved Braves to a championship. So as a backup plan—in a move that stunned the entire industry—Freeman settled for the Dodgers.
None of that matters much now. Freeman this week delivered his signature moment with Los Angeles. Then another. Then another. And one more after that, in an October performance that ranks among the greatest in World Series history. On Wednesday, he did more than just win another title and add an MVP trophy to his mantel—he cemented himself as an all-time legend for the team he never meant to join.
Freeman, 35, finished with four home runs, tying Lou Gehrig in 1928 for the most in any Fall Classic that lasted fewer than six games. That includes the first walk-off grand slam ever hit in the World Series, a jaw-dropping blast that might not have knocked the New York Yankees out, but certainly left them battered.
Meanwhile, his 12 RBIs matched the record previously set by Bobby Richardson in 1960. Except Richardson needed seven games to drive in that many runs. Freeman did it in just five.
“To come through in those situations,” Freeman said, “that’s what you dream about as a kid, doing that in the World Series.”
To this day, exactly what derailed Freeman’s negotiations with the Braves remains unclear, especially considering his publicly stated desire to remain in Atlanta, his home for 12 seasons. The Braves made Freeman multiple competitive offers. But for some reason, fearful that a deal would never materialize, the Braves ultimately traded for another first baseman—a decision that blindsided Freeman and left him heartbroken.
Though the Dodgers entered that offseason with significant interest in acquiring Freeman, like everyone else they assumed the Braves would bring him back. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he thought “the odds of it happening were incredibly low,” so he put the idea to one side and explored other options.
Only after the Braves landed Matt Olson did the Dodgers believe they could lure Freeman to Los Angeles. Days later, Freeman signed a six-year contract with the Dodgers worth $162 million.
“When the opportunity presented itself, we jumped on it,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. “I will say no one could have adapted to us any quicker than Freddie did. You can see the love he has for everyone here.”
At the plate, Freeman immediately looked at home in his new surroundings, immediately justifying why the Dodgers invested so much money in him. But for a while, at least, he couldn’t stop his love for the Braves from bleeding through.
Freeman repeatedly burst into tears during his first trip to Atlanta as a visiting player in June 2022—at a news conference, when receiving his World Series ring, and during an extended ovation before his first at-bat. The outpouring of emotion for the Braves, while wearing a Dodgers uniform no less, suggested that he still hadn’t fully processed what had happened.
That reaction didn’t go down terribly well in the Dodgers clubhouse, either. “I hope we’re not second fiddle,” Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said afterward. “It’s a pretty special team over here, too. I think whenever he gets comfortable over here, he’ll really enjoy it.”
Now in his third season with the Dodgers, Freeman appears to belong.
Even so, the idea that Freeman would emerge as the Dodgers’ World Series hero in 2024 appeared all but impossible just a few weeks ago. He suffered a severely sprained right ankle near the end of the regular season, leaving him hobbled throughout the playoffs.
During the first two rounds, Freeman could barely walk, each step visibly sending shock waves of pain through his body. He would arrive at the ballpark seven hours early to undergo treatment in the trainer’s room. In the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, he hit just .167, raising questions about whether he should be on the field at all.
The Yankees wish he had sat out. By the time the World Series began, Freeman’s gait had notably improved. He even legged out a triple in Game 1—before delivering the grand slam that set the tone for the entire series.
And Freeman didn’t stop there. He homered again in Game 2…and in Game 3…and in Game 4. On Wednesday, he picked up a key two-run single. In a Dodgers lineup that also featured Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, nobody tortured the Yankees more than Freeman.
“We weren’t sure what we were going to see,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “From the jump obviously, he was Freddie Freeman at the plate. He hurt us.”
Freeman still has three seasons left on his contract with the Dodgers. At this point, he seems to be ensconced, regardless of any bitterness he still harbors about how his tenure with the Braves ended. And this season made it abundantly clear that Dodgers fans view him as one of their own.
Freeman had to step away from the team for 10 days this summer after his 3-year-old son contracted Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition. When he returned to Dodger Stadium, he was greeted with a longstanding ovation, during which Freeman fought back tears.
This week, Freeman repaid that love with a World Series for the ages.
“I don’t think that script would’ve been accepted,” Friedman said. “I think it’d have been, like, ‘Ehhh, it’s too unreasonable.’”
In the AFL All-Star Game, Zyhir Hope made the start in right field, where he stood out on defense, snagging a fly ball from Alejandro Osuna at the wall for the second out of the fourth inning. Hope struck out in his first two at-bats, but worked a walk in the sixth inning before swiping second base and scoring on a sac fly.
Righty Eriq Swan threw two scoreless innings, including a 1-2-3 fourth, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout.
Sign Sasaki, sign Buehler, bring back Blake Treinen and sign Kim and Kiké. Trade Lux and or Taylor. Kim comes back healthy by mid season and makes the middle infield rock solid and deep.
Sign Sasaki and trade for Crochet.
If Sasaki’s is as good as advertised he will get his money. There is no better place to get endorsements than LA. His contract money will come when it comes if he performs. What better place for a secondary income than LA?
This year’s international free agent signing period ends on Dec 15th and the 2025 window opens on January 15th.
Although Sasaki’s team has let it be known they are going to post him, they haven’t indicated during which of the two periods that will happen.
If they wait until January, more teams will have more money to spend, although Sasaki will still be giving up a huge amount of signing money by not waiting a couple of years.
Obviously, we’d be better off if it happens during the current period since we have the most money left (having saved it for just this purpose).
Sasaki’s agent is the Wasserman Group who also represent Yamamoto…………………………..but they also represent Darvish, with whom Sasaki is very close. We shouldn’t count our chickens (or starting pitchers) before they hatch.
New SF Mayor Lurie is an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune.
Like the optimism about Sasaki. When we signed Ohtani, I wanted two championships during his reign. If we get Sasaki, double that.
Report: Giants expected to reduce payroll for 2025 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
“After a lackluster 2024 MLB season where the Giants finished fourth in the NL West, San Francisco reportedly will take a different approach next year when it comes to the team’s coffers.
Under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey, the Giants are expected to be more frugal with their spending this offseason, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly reported in a piece published Friday, citing a league source familiar with the team’s plans”.
If the Giants field basically the same team in 2025, they will finish 4th in the Western Division. Nothing to worry about here.Also they will be without Snell.