The Cardinals must do everything they can to win over Roki Sasaki

I'm probably wasting my breath even writing this, but if Roki Sasaki somehow hasn't already made up his mind to join Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals should do everything in their power to try and win over the young Japanese ace.

Long considered the most talented Japanese pitcher ever, Roki Sasaki is coming to Major League Baseball this offseason, and the team that acquires him won't even have to pay him $1 million next year. Early Saturday morning, the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's NPB announced they would be posting Sasaki for MLB teams. While Sasaki had expressed his interest in making the jump to MLB, this move comes as a bit of a surprise from Lotte. Because Sasaki is not yet 25, he is only eligible to sign a Minor League deal with the team he chooses, and his former team will receive considerably less for his posting fee.

Sasaki's posting is similar to that of Shohei Ohtani following the 2017 season, though Sasaki doesn't have the same clause in his contract allowing him to be posted whenever he decides. According to Lotte's GM, Sasaki's posting was purely the team's decision. This gives the Cardinals, and every other MLB team, a unique chance to sign one of the world's best pitchers for extremely cheap. Sasaki has pitched four professional seasons in Japan, recording a 2.10 ERA and 11.4 strikeout rate per 9 innings through 64 appearances.

Though Sasaki isn't as polished of a pitcher as Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he arrived in MLB this season, both his age and superior pedigree make him a more intriguing name. With the recent successes of Japanese starters such as Kodai Senga, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Shota Imanaga, it's clear that NPB players are drawing ever closer to the level of MLB players. Despite some injury concerns in recent seasons, Sasaki is sure to become a star the moment he steps foot on a Major League field in 2025.

As the Cardinals gear up for a youth movement in 2025, Sasaki is the free agent that fits best with their future plans. He won't increase their payroll at all, and the six years of control he'd have in St. Louis would provide them the cost-controlled arm they haven't been able to develop in recent years. With Chaim Bloom revamping the Cardinals' development system with a pitching lab, there's an outside chance Sasaki would want to establish his value in MLB with many rising stars in St. Louis.

Again, it's extremely unlikely to happen, as Sasaki is largely expected to join the World Series champions out west in LA, but the Cardinals still need to make an all-out effort to land Japan's newest star pitching prospect. Players like Sasaki don't often make the jump from NPB to MLB at such an affordable cost, and unlike Ohtani, he likely won't take as much time to develop into one of the best players in all of baseball. Sasaki would provide a surefire boost to get a historic Cardinals organization back to its winning ways as soon as possible.