A key MLB free-agency domino may be set to fall.
Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki is expected to be posted at next week's winter meetings, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Saturday.
Sasaki, 23, pitched to a 2.35 ERA with 129 strikeouts over 111 innings with the Chibba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball last season.
When he is officially posted, it'll initiate a 45-day window in which team will attempt to lure him to their clubs. Because of Sasaki's age, the biggest cost for MLB teams will be paying the posting fee to Chiba Lotte, which could reach $12 million.
The process, per Passan, is expected to play out similarly to the original Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes when the two-way star signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017.
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