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Afternoon Edition

November 21, 2024

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Roki Sasaki is one of the most gifted pitchers on the planet, and in 2025, some team will get him for a bargain rate: a signing bonus capped at $7.56 million, then six cost-controlled seasons.

Every franchise is interested. And that spells bedlam for MLB’s 2025 international signing class, as teams delay or renege on deals they committed to before Sasaki became available.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Roki Sasaki Pursuit Could Lead to Chaos in 2025 International Class [[link removed]]

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There is now a more defined pathway for Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki to join Major League Baseball [[link removed]], but his entry is poised to create collateral damage across the sport.

Soon after Sasaki’s current team, the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball, announced plans to post him, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the 23-year-old will likely be part of the league’s 2025 international signing period [[link removed]] that begins Jan. 15. That makes the most economic sense for Sasaki, as the international bonus pools will be reset for all 30 clubs, and the pitcher will be in line for a bonus perhaps as high as $7.56 million [[link removed]]. It’s also the most beneficial for the Marines, who will gain a posting fee equal to 20% of his contract’s guaranteed value.

The situation, however, also means MLB clubs that already have non-binding, verbal agreements with international players, particularly Latin American teenagers, will almost certainly back out of some of those deals to conserve bonus pool money to pursue Sasaki. The pitcher is a potentially generational talent, having already put up a 2.02 career earned run average and 524 strikeouts in just 414.2 innings in four seasons of pro experience in Japan.

Ordinarily, a top-of-the-rotation MLB pitcher of Sasaki’s caliber would command a salary well into eight figures annually, and far above what his forthcoming bonus will be. As a point of context, Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers last year, when he was 25.

The Sasaki situation also exposes two long-problematic situations in MLB’s international signing system: placing established Japanese professionals under 25 years old in the same talent pool with unproven amateurs from other parts of the world, and the lack of structure around verbal deals that precede the formal beginning of the signing period. In Latin America, particularly, the talent development system is still rife with corruption [[link removed]], even as the league has sought to root out problems. Unwritten deals with international amateurs are technically banned, but their continued existence is an open secret in the sport.

The Dodgers remain a favorite to sign Sasaki, given the club’s extensive ties already in Japan, and rumors of a likely deal there have already grown to the point where his agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, recently sought to quell that chatter [[link removed]]. Manfred, meanwhile, said the league office will be seeking to keep the entire process in line with established rules.

“We’re going to see what happens there,” he said. “If there’s any reason to believe that there was a violation of one of our rules, you can rest assured that we will thoroughly investigate and try to get to the bottom of it.”

World Tour Winnowed

Manfred, meanwhile, said that previously planned international games for 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City will not happen. Economic issues were part of the decisions, but MLB is also looking to put more emphasis on a two-game series in Tokyo between the Cubs and Dodgers that will open the 2025 season.

“We had a really, really aggressive international play undertaking last season. … But we’ve been to Mexico the last few years in a row, and we’re taking one year off. We’ll be back, though,” Manfred said.

MLB is also looking to return to San Juan as soon as the 2026 season. The Tokyo games, however, will additionally mark a homecoming for Los Angeles stars Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto, and follow record-setting viewership [[link removed]] posted in Japan during the recent Dodgers-Yankees World Series.

“Tokyo is really our focus right now for very, very good business reasons,” Manfred said.

From WWE to D.C.: Trump Taps Linda McMahon for Education Secretary

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On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of WWE cofounder Linda McMahon as the next Secretary of Education.

Should McMahon’s appointment receive congressional approval, she would be tasked with administering Trump’s plan of shutting down the Department of Education [[link removed]]. She will also have significant influence over the enforcement of Title IX [[link removed]], the gender equity law in college sports.

While McMahon left her role as the president and CEO of the WWE in 2009, she, alongside her husband, Vince McMahon, was integral in the company’s rise to become the most prominent wrestling promotion in the world—even amid several scandals that loom over the company to this day.

Linda served mostly behind the scenes for the nearly 30 years she was with the WWE. Vince made the creative decisions and played himself in several on-air storylines, while Linda focused on bolstering other points of growth like merchandise sales. She did occasionally appear on television, including when she was on the receiving end of a piledriver from Glenn Jacobs [[link removed]], known in wrestling as Kane, who has served as the Republican mayor of Knox County, Tenn., since 2018.

Trump was the subject of a WWE storyline in 2007, which culminated in a “Battle of the Billionaires” [[link removed]] match in Wrestlemania 23, where Trump and Vince were both represented by professional wrestlers in the ring.

One of the biggest scandals during Linda’s tenure with the WWE related to steroids and the health and wellness of wrestlers. The first case came in 1993 when Vince was charged on suspicion of supplying steroids to professional wrestlers [[link removed]]. The case was dismissed in July 1994.

The WWE faced a congressional inquiry in 2007 following the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit, who, in the 2000s, was one of the faces of the company. While the inquiry did not lead to a court case, the spotlight was on the WWE to properly implement its wellness program [[link removed]] and was a catalyst for many of the changes today, including the ban of the aforementioned piledriver and steel chair shots to the head.

The promotion has also faced several cases involving sexual abuse. Linda was named a defendant in a case filed in October [[link removed]] by five former “Ring Boys” who say the McMahons “knowingly allowed” a former ringside announcer to sexually abuse them in the 1990s.

In 2016, former WWE star Ashley Massaro alleged she was sexually assaulted at a U.S. military base in Iraq during a WWE live show in 2006 when Linda was still with the WWE. Massaro died in 2019, but an affidavit was released in February when she detailed incidents of sexual assault against her during her WWE tenure [[link removed]], particularly by Vince.

In January, a lawsuit filed by Janel Grant [[link removed]] alleged “physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking at WWE,” though Linda was no longer with the company during the time frame of the abuse.

Editors’ note: To read more about Linda McMahon’s nomination as Secretary of Education, her pivotal role in WWE’s rise, and the controversies surrounding her tenure, click here for the full story [[link removed]].

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ONE BIG FIG Pelican$ on the Bench

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92%

Percentage of the Pelicans’ payroll that was inactive during Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers. New Orleans was missing seven of its highest-paid players—including Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Dejounte Murray—due to injuries. The combined 2024–2025 salary of the missing players was more than $160 million, while the team’s overall payroll is about $174 million.

The Pelicans have been hit so hard with injuries that they signed veteran point guard Elfrid Payton on Wednesday [[link removed]] and immediately placed him in the starting lineup [[link removed]] against Cleveland.

FOS EXPLAINS Pat McAfee’s Unconventional Media Career

FOS illustration

Pat McAfee went from above-average NFL punter to a sports media mogul with a $500 million empire. Learn how a shocking arrest in Indianapolis led to his transition into the world of sports entertainment, featuring stints with Barstool Sports, a groundbreaking deal with FanDuel, and his record $85 million contract with ESPN. FOS Explains dives into the story behind The Pat McAfee Show, his success in WWE, and his massive influence on sports talk media.

You can watch the video here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Giannis Antetokounmpo ⬆ The Bucks star’s venture capital firm, Build Your Legacy Ventures, is investing in Unrivaled [[link removed]], the 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league cofounded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier [[link removed]]. The firm already has a stake in the Milwaukee Brewers and Nashville SC.

LPGA ⬆ The tour is in talks with TGL—the new indoor golf league cofounded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy—about creating a mixed event or even a standalone women’s league, a source told Front Office Sports. Read more [[link removed]] from David Rumsey.

Sixers ⬇ Joel Embiid addressed a Tuesday report by ESPN [[link removed]] that said costar Tyrese Maxey called him out for being late to team activities: “Whoever leaked that is a real piece of shit,” Embiid said [[link removed]]. Philadelphia has had a rough start to the season dealing with varying injuries among its three stars—Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George—and off-court issues [[link removed]]. It has a 2–12 record, last in the NBA, but still has 17 remaining nationally televised games [[link removed]]—including a Christmas Day battle against the defending champion Celtics.

League One Volleyball ⬆ Atwater Capital, Ares Management, and Left Lane Capital are investing $100 million [[link removed]] in the U.S. pro league debuting Jan. 8. The league has now received more than $160 million in funding, including from Candace Parker, Kevin Durant, and Lindsey Vonn.

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Conversation Starters LPGA Tour golfer Jeeno Thitikul earned a $1 million bonus from winning the season-long Aon Risk Reward Challenge. She joined the latest edition of The FOS Interview [[link removed]] to talk about increased prize money on the LPGA Tour and why women’s golf is more popular than the men’s game in Asia. Formula One’s Las Vegas Grand Prix extended weekend starts Thursday—and the $500 million paddock it built last year is ready to go. Take a look [[link removed]]. Disney and ESPN are launching a Mickey Mouse–themed alt-cast for the NBA Christmas Day game between the Spurs and Knicks. Check it out [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Mark Davis to Unload More of the Raiders [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]He’s agreed to give 15% to new owners, shortly after the Brady sale. Companies Are ‘Misleading’ Athletes About Settlement Money, House Lawyers Say [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Lawyers are asking the judge to take action to protect players. F1 Grand Prix Upended Vegas Last Year. Stakes Are High for Its Second Act [[link removed]]by Bob Williams [[link removed]]Stakes are high as F1 gears up for a successful second act. DISCLAIMER

*NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NO BANK GUARANTEE

There are risks involved with investing in ETFs, including possible loss of money. ETFs are subject to risks similar to those of stocks. Investments focus in a particular sector, such as technology, are subject to greater risks and are more greatly impacted by market volatility, than more diversified investments.

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