The dream of building an indoor practice field at his alma mater, Ofunato High School, has disappeared… “Adult speculation” surrounding Akinori Sasaki, whose contract has been protracted.
On January 26, just before camp, Akinori Sasaki, 22, a pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines, signed a one-year contract with a salary of 80 million yen (estimated amount), which is the same as his current contract.
Sasaki’s brother is a “hostage”!
At the press conference held on January 27 after the contract renewal, Sasaki began by apologizing, “First of all, I haven’t had a chance to make any comments in public, so I have caused concern to my fans through the media. I have not had a chance to make any comments publicly. He continued, “I have been communicating and talking with the team since the beginning of my career.
Before Sasaki signed the contract, it was reported by Bunshun Online and other media that he had resigned from the Japan Professional Baseball Players’ Association, giving the impression that he was selfish, but Naoki Matsumoto, general manager of Chiba Lotte, said, “It is not that Sasaki was selfish or disobedient (as the reason why the contract took so long ). There were also some faults and shortcomings on the part of the baseball team.
A source in his hometown of Rikuzentakata, who is well acquainted with the Sasaki family, asserted, “Akinori was a player of his own volition, but he was not a player of the team.
Akinori is not the kind of boy who would take the initiative to withdraw from the athletes’ association on his own initiative, or to get into trouble with his contract. It is unthinkable. He is a shy boy. Lotte had been trying to nurture him carefully over a long period of time, but I can only think that big money is involved and that the adults around him are making moves according to their own agendas.
Big money…that is the annual salary that Sasaki is expected to receive if his long-sought challenge to the big leagues comes true and he is signed to a major league contract. The Los Angeles Dodgers Nation YouTube channel reported that Sasaki’s salary could be as high as $400 million (¥59.2 billion) after the 2014 offseason if he is able to sign a major league contract.
Sasaki has asked his attorney to negotiate a contract that includes a future move to the majors. That agent is also a member of the management company he established in ’19, when he turned pro, with his mother and aunt as executives. In his second year as a pro, he became the youngest player in history (20 years and 5 months old) to complete a perfect game, and Dentsu, a major advertising agency, has been playing a central role in Sasaki’s commercials and his own promotional activities.
Sasaki’s eldest brother joined Dentsu after graduating from university. A source in Rikuzentakata City, mentioned above, continued, “Akinori’s brother joined Dentsu after he graduated from university.
It may be an overstatement to say that Akinori’s brother is a “hostage” to Dentsu, but considering the possibility of big money in the future, there are all kinds of speculations.
