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The deGrom comp, however, applies to more than just Sasaki’s stat line. He’s topped out at 129 1/3 innings pitched in any year, and just 91 and 111 in 2023 and 2024. Sasaki missed time with a shoulder strain in ’23 and a couple of months last year with an oblique strain. He’s not an imposing physical specimen, seeming to max out his effort to generate the velocity he does. Until we see otherwise, Sasaki gets a prominent place on the “great or unavailable” list, and there’s certainly medium-term reliever risk here. I’d go further than that and suggest that Sasaki is more likely to save 100 games in the majors than win 100.
