DONE DEAL: Major shakeup As Cubs Officially Commits The Signing of The MLB Season

Just recently, I highlighted how the Cubs should absolutely pursue Japan’s star pitcher Roki Sasaki if his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, decided to post him. Now, it’s official: the Marines have announced they will post Sasaki.

Roki Sasaki, the premier young pitching talent in Japan, is set to make his way to the MLB next season. The Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball confirmed his posting.

Reflecting on this move, Sasaki stated, “Since joining [the Marines], I’ve always aimed to challenge myself in MLB, and I’m thankful to the team for officially approving my posting.”

However, because Sasaki just turned 23, he won’t be eligible for the massive MLB deals that older players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto have secured. Instead, he’ll be limited to a minor-league contract governed by teams’ international signing pool funds. Here’s how the process will work:

Once Sasaki is posted, all 30 MLB teams have 45 days to negotiate with him. If no deal is reached within that period, he would return to NPB for the 2025 season and would not be eligible for another posting until the following offseason.

Any MLB team signing Sasaki must pay a “release fee” to Chiba Lotte, set at 20% of the contract’s total value if it’s $25 million or less.

If Sasaki’s posting went through today, the 45-day negotiation period would close on Christmas Eve, December 24. It’s likely that teams, including the Cubs, will work hard to attract him.

Though some speculate that Sasaki might favor the Dodgers—where fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto play—the Cubs also have Japanese players Seiya Suzuki and Shōta Imanaga. This connection, along with the Cubs’ previous attempt to sign Ohtani in 2018, could give them a fair chance. (The lack of the DH in the NL at the time made Ohtani a challenging fit.)

For Sasaki, who is exclusively a pitcher, there’s no such issue.

Cubs President Jed Hoyer should make Sasaki’s signing a top priority in the next 45 days. Adding Sasaki would give the Cubs an elite arm under team control for six years while preserving budget for additional signings.

Imagine Imanaga and Sasaki starting the two games against the Dodgers next March in Tokyo—it’s a thrilling thought.

Get it done, Jed.