Japanese Phenom Roki Sasaki's Mlb Deal Could Spur Chaos In Latin America. Here's Why

Roki Sasaki can sign with Major League Baseball teams during a nine-day window starting Wednesday, an unusual free agency with ripple effects for Latin American teenagers whose unofficial agreements worth millions are on hold pending his decision.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are considered the favorites to sign Sasaki, with the Toronto Blue Jays another contender.

A prized 23-year-old right-hander, Sasaki could have gotten a nine-figure major league deal if he remained healthy and waited until after the 2026 season to be posted by his Japanese club and join MLB. Yoshinobu Yamamoto followed that route and signed a 325 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December 2023, a record total for a pitcher.

Because Sasaki is under 25 and has not played six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, he is classified as an international amateur by MLB. That means he's limited to a minor league contract, subject to strict spending caps put in place by MLB and the players' association. The system was introduced in 2012 via collective bargaining, and a hard cap on spending was added in 2017 .

Why will Roki Sasaki's contract impact Latin American teenagers?