Rintaro Sasaki officially joins the Miami Marlins; signing bonus far below NPB rates

Rintaro Sasaki, a Japanese slugger studying at Stanford University, recently updated his personal Instagram account, announcing that he has officially signed with the Miami Marlins, beginning his professional baseball career.

According to MLB.com reporter Jonathan Mayo, Sasaki's signing bonus is $210,200 (approximately RMB 1.53 million), far below the typical signing bonus for NPB rookies.

"I am reporting to everyone that on July 20, 2026 (local time), I have officially signed with the Miami Marlins. My new challenge is about to begin. To reach the stage of my dreams, all I can do is give my best," Sasaki wrote on social media.

In the MLB draft system, each team's total amount for signing draft players is limited by a "signing bonus pool." Teams must sign players selected from the 1st to 20th rounds within this total amount. Additionally, for each pick in the 1st through 10th rounds, a reference signing amount is set, known as the "slot value." If a player's signing bonus exceeds the slot value, it is called "over slot"; if it is below the slot value, it is called "under slot."

The standard signing bonus for Sasaki's draft slot was originally $239,200 (approximately RMB 1.74 million). However, according to Mayo, he ultimately signed for $210,200, which is an under-slot contract.

During high school, Sasaki attended Hanamaki Higashi High School, a renowned baseball school in Japan. As Shohei Ohtani's junior, he drew widespread attention for his impressive power-hitting ability and was once considered a top prospect in the NPB draft. However, after graduation, he chose to study at Stanford University in the United States rather than directly entering NPB, and this time he joined the Marlins through the MLB draft, taking a development path quite different from most Japanese high school stars.

Notably, compared to the typical signing bonuses for NPB rookies, Sasaki's signing bonus with the Marlins is not high. NPB teams generally have a consensus on the maximum signing bonus for draft rookies, which can be up to 100 million yen (approximately RMB 4.85 million), plus up to 50 million yen (approximately RMB 2.42 million) in incentive bonuses. If Sasaki had chosen to join NPB, for example, accepting an offer from the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, he would likely have received an amount close to that standard, resulting in a difference of at least two to three times.

Therefore, just from the perspective of the signing bonus at the start of his professional career, Sasaki's choice of the Marlins is indeed much "cheaper" than directly entering NPB. However, for him, the significance of developing in the United States goes far beyond the signing bonus. It allows him to enter the American baseball system earlier, gaining experience facing the MLB development environment and pitchers at different levels.

With the signing officially completed, Sasaki will now enter the Marlins' farm system. Whether this powerful slugger, who has drawn much attention from Japanese fans, can translate his power-hitting talent to the big stage of American professional baseball will also become a focus of attention for both Japanese and American baseball circles in the coming years.