Former Stanford first baseman Rintaro Sasaki was selected by the Marlins in the eighth round of the MLB draft on July 12. | IMAGN IMAGES / VIA REUTERS
Jul 20, 2026
Rintaro Sasaki made the best decision for himself. Japanese baseball will have to live with it.
The 21-year-old slugger made his future plans official on Sunday in announcing his decision to sign with the Miami Marlins, who selected him in the eighth round of the MLB draft last week, during a news conference in his hometown of Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture.
In doing so, Sasaki is turning down the chance to play for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who selected him in the first round of the NPB draft in October. He is also turning down a lot of money. Sasaki has a slot value of $239,200, or just under ¥39 million as the 235th pick in the MLB draft, according to MLB.com. The Hawks were likely prepared to pay him upwards of ¥150 million.
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