The Chiba Lotte Marines announced on Saturday that they will allow pitcher Roki Sasaki to move to MLB this winter via the posting system.

“Since I joined the team, the club has continuously listened to me about my future MLB challenge,” Sasaki said in a statement released by the Marines. “I have nothing but gratitude for the team for officially allowing me to be posted at this time.”

The 23-year-old right-hander, dubbed “The Monster of the Reiwa Era,” is viewed as one the best young pitchers in the world.

Sasaki's fastball has been clocked at 163 kph (101 mph), and he has a devastating splitter. He was on the MLB radar as a high schooler at Ofunato High School in Iwate Prefecture before being drafted by the Marines in 2019.

Sasaki threw the 16th perfect game in NPB history on April 10, 2022, setting an NPB record with 13 consecutive strikeouts and tying the NPB mark with 19 overall against the Orix Buffaloes.

Sasaki was 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings in 2024, posting the first 10-win season of his career. He pitched in Lotte's playoff opener, striking out nine over eight scoreless innings against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

The team did not reveal when it intends to begin the posting process, but Sasaki will be one of the most coveted arms on the market.

“From the time he initially joined the team, we had heard from him that his dream is to play in America,” the Marines said. “Taking the last five years into consideration, we have decided to respect his wishes.”

Sasaki is 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394⅔ career innings in NPB.

Because he is attempting to head to MLB before his 25th birthday, Sasaki will be classified as an international amateur under the current MLB collective bargaining agreement. That means he can only sign a minor league contract worth far less than he would receive without any restrictions. It also means that almost every MLB club will have a real chance to sign him.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for example, was posted by the Buffaloes last offseason, when he was 25, and received a 12-year deal worth a reported $325 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sasaki signing a minor league deal will also severely impact the amount the Marines receive as a posting fee — a percentage of the player’s first contract.

The situation is similar to what Shohei Ohtani faced when he moved to MLB at the same age in 2017. Ohtani signed his first contract with the Los Angeles Angels for the league minimum and received a $2.315 million signing bonus. A key difference is that Ohtani was grandfathered in under a previous posting agreement, so the Fighters received a posting fee of $20 million.

“I will do my best to climb up from the minor league contract and become the best player in the world in order to live up to the expectations of everyone and to not have any regrets in my one baseball life," Sasaki said.

Sasaki is from the town of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. The town was among the areas hit the hardest by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011, and Sasaki lost his father and grandparents in the disaster.

His family eventually settled in nearby Ofunato, where he began to play baseball.

Sasaki excelled as a high school pitcher and was scouted by MLB clubs. He entered the NPB draft and was selected by four teams in the first round, with the Marines winning the ensuing lottery for his rights.

The Marines brought Sasaki along slowly to prioritize his health and future with the club.

The young ace did not make an appearance on the top team or in the minors in 2020. He pitched in just 11 games for the NPB club in 2021 when he struck out 68 in 63⅓ innings.

His prodigious talent was on full display in 2022. Sasaki followed up his perfect game against the Buffaloes with eight more perfect innings — and 14 more strikeouts — in his next start against the Fighters. He finished the season 9-4 with a 2.02 ERA and struck out 173 batters in 129⅓ innings, with the team still monitoring his workload.

Sasaki pitched for Samurai Japan alongside Ohtani, Yu Darvish and Yamamoto during the 2023 World Baseball Classic and got the start in the semifinal round. He pitched 91 innings in 15 starts for the Marines during the NPB season, finishing with a 1.78 ERA and 135 strikeouts.

Losing Sasaki will be a massive blow to Lotte's pitching staff.

“Of course it's a big blow to the team,” manager Masato Yoshii, who pitched in MLB for five seasons, said in the team’s statement. “However, I played in America, so I understand the feeling. I also understand the feeling of wanting to challenge while still young.

“To be honest, there are some areas where he is incomplete, but I think he can improve himself in America and raise his level.”