An interesting though unlikely option for the Marlins

The Miami Marlins finally have a new manager! This is great, as now Peter Bendix can focus on improving the team with the rest of the moves. The off-season has just begun, so hiring a manager early was a very important part of the off-season plan. It's good news, considering there were some not as exciting news revealed earlier. Should The Fish target Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Roki Sasaki?

Roki Sasaki would be an interesting option for the Miami Marlins this off-season.

Roki Sasaki is going to be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines from the NPB. As he's just 23 years old and not yet 25, he's not going to get a big contract. He will instead have to settle for just a few million dollars from a signing team's bonus pool. He will also have to go through the arbitration system.

So what is being said about Sasaki? It seems as if he projects to be a top of the rotation type of arm. He actually hits triple digits on his fastball! He also has a very good splitter and a solid slider. His fastball velocity is of course what is getting all of the attention, but he clearly has the stuff to dominate with his splitter as well. It's been said that it is in fact his best pitch.

Baseball America has said that he would've been the number one overall pick in the draft. He did have an oblique injury last season and there are some concerns. That said, it does appear as if he's largely healthy going into the 2025 season.

It's interesting to point out that the Miami Marlins are one of the teams with the largest bonus pools. The Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, the Athletics, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners are the other teams. It will be interesting to see if The Fish will even remotely consider signing Roki Sasaki. It would be a good signing, but with the competition and the dominant rotation already, there is a case to be made that he won't be signed.