【要約】Sasaki gets back to business after weeks of speculation about future (The Japan Times Weekend Feb.10-11)

【はじめに】
記事に出てきた単語や表現を使う練習として、The Japan Time Weekend Feb.10-11 の"Sasaki gets back to business after weeks of speculation about future"の要約をしました。要約の過程は、記事を読む→使いたい単語を辞書を引くとともにノートにメモする→後日、記事を見ずに内容を思い出して要約をする→もう一度記事を読む→要約を修正する、といった流れです。

色々な表現を使って、自分の表現力を高めることを目的としているので、「適切に要約ができているか」という観点から文章を読むと良い要約ではないかもしれません。要約内容が間違っているかもしれませんので、孫引きをしないようにご注意ください。もし要約中の表現や内容にご意見ある方は、根拠を示すとともに助言をいただければ幸いです。また、要約中の太字は記事の中から引用した、特に使いたい表現となります。

【要約】
Roki Sasaki, the most talented pitcher in Japan, is now hard at work at a spring camp base in Ishigaki. “Monster of the Reiwa Era” was back at work after weeks of rampant speculation, Chiba Lotte Marines. On February 1st, he stepped into the bullpen for the third time and threw 35 pitches. He threw mostly fastballs, mixing in a few sliders and forkballs. Former MLB player, Hideo Nomo, was among those watching his pitching.

Sasaki was the last NPB player to sign his contract. There were rumors that the negotiations were at a standstill and that the standoff stemmed from his insistence that team post him after the 2024 season. Sasaki requested a move to MLB through the posting system during the offseason and the team denied the request. During a press conference, Sasaki said that he had a desire to play in the U.S. major league and had had a proper communication with the club every year. Lotte executive, Naoki Matsumoto, denied that the disagreement over the posting system held up contract negotiations.

Sasaki may have extra motivation at the World Baseball Classic last spring, having impressive showing in the semi-final against Mexico. He was 7-4 with a 1.78 ERA for the Marines in 2023, striking out 135. However, he missed out a significant amount of time due to an oblique injury. Team President, Shunsuke Kosaka, did not comment on Sasaki when cornered by medias in January, but said, “The team wants to support those players who have already contributed in their efforts to move to the majors.” Shohei Otani had won an MVP award and helped the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters win a Japan series before his team posted him after his fifth season. Sasaki has pitched just three seasons, and his 129 and 1/3 innings in 2022 are his career high.

A big issue is likely money. He will lose a king’s ransom if he moves to MLB before turning 25. MLB’s collective bargaining limits dealing with under 25 players who have not played six pro seasons. In fact, Shohei Otani faced the same situation and was limited to a minor league deal with Los Angeles Angels. On the other hand, 25-year-old Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who became a Dodger this year, received 12-year, 325 million dollars deal this offseason. Since the posting fee is based on a percentage of a player’s contract, the Marines would simultaneously lose their star pitcher and miss out on a huge payday if Sasaki makes the jump before 25. The Buffaloes received over 50 dollars for Yamamoto.

If Sasaki has a clause saying the Marines have to honor his wishes, the team’s hands may be tied. Questions about the negotiations will return the second the 2024 season ends, but some of the noise will die down until then. The monster is now solely focused on the next season ahead in Ishigaki right now, sharpening his claws and spelling trouble for hitters of other teams.