The 23-year-old will become one of baseball's top free agents when he's posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines. But what will he bring to the table as a big leaguer?

YouTube Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, and now the baseball world has been set ablaze after the news that Japanese superstar pitcher Roki Sasaki would be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines.

For years, Seattle was regarded as a premier destination for Japanese players making the jump to Major League Baseball. The Mariners had strong ties across the Pacific: They had a longtime owner, Hiroshi Yamauchi,