League: NPB Sport: Baseball Country: Japan Category: Transactions

Rintaro Sasaki signs with Marlins, rejects NPB contract

ESPN MLB • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 19, 2026, 5:01 PM

Last updated Jul 19, 2026

Rintaro Sasaki signs with Marlins, rejects NPB contract

Summary

Rintaro Sasaki, the Japanese slugger, has chosen to sign with the Miami Marlins, forgoing a professional career in Japan. The Marlins selected him in the eighth round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft after he spent two seasons at Stanford, where he hit 16 homers. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks selected Sasaki in the first round of the Nippon Professional Baseball draft, but he opted for the challenge of playing in the U.S. Sasaki expressed his internal struggle during a news conference, citing a desire to test his limits in American baseball. He aims to define his career by the courage to take on new challenges.

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Key Details

•Sasaki is Japan's all-time high school home run leader with 140.
•He played under Shohei Ohtani’s father, Toru, during high school.
•Sasaki hit.262 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs as a sophomore at Stanford.
•He deliberated extensively before deciding to join the Marlins.
•Sasaki's signing represents a notable shift in his career trajectory.

Latest Updates

6:18 PMESPN MLB — Sasaki to join Marlins, forgo pro career in Japan
5:01 PMYahoo Sports — Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki to sign with Marlins, forgo professional career in home country

What they're saying

"
Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki will sign with the Miami Marlins and forgo a professional career in his home country. The Marlins selected Sasaki out of Stanford in the eighth round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft last week, but the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks also selected him in the first round of the Nippon Professional Baseball draft. The difficult decision had Sasaki fighting back tears during a news conference in his hometown on Sunday.
— Yahoo Sports