Despite the obvious fit, the Braves signing Roki Sasaki is nothing but a pipe dream

International pitching sensation Roki Sasaki has garnered a lot of attention from Major League Baseball teams. He's received as much attention as top free agents like Juan Soto and Max Fried.

However, Sasaki is not like most free agents in the sense that he is young at 23 years old and will be treated similarly to a top prospect. He's shown he can succeed on the international stage but still needs a bit of refining to compete at the MLB level.

Sasaki won't sign with a team until after January 15 when the international signing period begins. Teams have to rely on their international pool of money to land his services. This means the talented Japanese pitcher will be considered an international amateur free agent and has to sign a MiLB deal with a bonus.

Many around the league believe he will end up with the Dodgers alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. However, he may not want to live in their shadows and consider going elsewhere to make a name for himself.

Each team's bonus for international signings is around $7 million, give or take. Every team theoretically has a chance to use their entire bonus pool on him if they choose. Atlanta has a bonus pool of $6,261,600 for the 2025 class.

This is why some believe Los Angeles may not be where he ends up.

Roki Sasaki touted as a perfect fit for the Braves but fans should temper expectations

MLB insider Jim Bowden stated that when he spoke with league sources, including" front-office decision-makers", they felt it's unlikely the Dodgers land Sasaki.

Plenty of teams are looking to add a pitcher of his caliber and, as a bonus, he isn't arbitration-eligible until 2028. Free agency is even farther away in 2030. Controllable starting pitching is a luxury hard to come by.

Bowden tied the talented pitcher to a few different teams including the Padres, Rays, Mets, and Braves.

Yes, you read that right. Bowden believes the Atlanta Braves are a potential fit for Roki Sasaki. His reason is that the youngster still needs some development and Atlanta is a fantastic organization known for developing young and talented arms.

He would certainly be in a place to make a name for himself and the ability to get endorsement deals. Being in the same market as Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Darvish could affect his ability to get those brand deals.

His only remote competition in the division would be Kodai Senga and this would allow the Braves to tap into the Japanese baseball market, bringing in a whole new demographic of fans who adore the sport.

He fills an obvious need for the Braves and has the talent to be a difference-maker. I'm sure Atlanta would love nothing more than to add him to the roster. However, despite the perfect fit, it's realistically a pipe dream.

Sasaki will likely land in a major market like New York, Toronto, or San Diego. But the thought of him being an Atlanta Braves is an exciting thought.

If you don't know much about Sasaki, he made his NPB debut in 2021 and has dominated in four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines. He features a fastball that touches 100 mph with a devastating splitter, and a plus slider. He has a career 2.02 ERA with 524 strikeouts and 91 walks over 414.2 innings.

Sasaki experienced a down year in 2024, with a 2.35 ERA, a strikeout rate of 28.7%, a 7.1% walk rate, and a K/BB ratio of 4.03. His fastball velocity dropped 2.7 mph as well but Bowden reports that is more due to learning how to pitch well than injury concerns.

The Braves will at least consider adding Sasaki if they feel it's the right move but it would be unwise to bet on Atlanta being the final destination. Atlanta is expected to sign power-hitting Cuban OF Diego Tornes, who is considered Baseball America's #5 best player in the 2025 international class.

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