Is There Another Japanese Superstar For Red Sox To Pursue?

All the talk this Major League Baseball offseason was focused on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and it appears a new face might enter offseason discussions for potential Red Sox targets.

Ohtani and Yamamoto are expected to earn massive contracts this offseason, and Boston also are linked to Shota Imanaga. Jung Hoo Lee is another big Asian name on the market, and Roki Sasaki reportedly wants in on the action, too.

The 22-year-old requested the Chiba Lotte Marines to be posted and enter the MLB offseason market, according to Sponichi Annex on Saturday. However, it’s unlikely the Nippon Professional Baseball club will let him walk.

The Los Angeles Times posted last month the Los Angeles Dodgers had done early scouting on the right-hander in hopes he would be posted this winter.

Sasaki, who is nicknamed “the Monster of the Reiwa Era,” pitched two games in this year’s World Baseball Classic for Team Japan. He had a 3.52 ERA and 11 strikeouts, which was tied for third in the tournament with Ohtani.

He’s a two-time NPB All-Star, and he made waves last year when he pitched a perfect game where he struck out an NPB record 19 batters. He also recorded 13 straight strikeouts, which was a world record, and the performance arguably was the best in baseball history.

It’s unclear what Sasaki would earn on the MLB market. Yamamoto could earn around $300 million due to his skill and age. Sasaki is three years younger and showcased an impressive fastball-splitter combo in the WBC, which arguably makes him just as valuable. However, it’s possible he might not earn that much on the open market and would wait at least two more years to be posted.

Sasaki likely would be on chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s radar given his goal of trying to improve Boston’s pitching staff.