Coveted Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki announces he’s signing with the Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers, a franchise that has been up-front about its intention to corner the Japanese market, has — perhaps unsurprisingly — secured its latest marquee addition.

Roki Sasaki, the standout 23-year-old pitcher from Japan, announced that he was signing a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Instagram. The Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki’s Japanese team, will receive a posting fee from the acquiring MLB team equal to 25 percent of the signing bonus he receives.

Roki Sasaki announced on Instagram that he has signed with the Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/bYbOkmU82R

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 17, 2025

Sasaki is both a bargain and a coup for a franchise that committed more than a billion dollars just last winter to Japanese-born superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The franchise has spent the better part of the past few years dreaming of embracing an Asian market they’ve historically dominated, leveraging business connections in the area to help maximize their reshaped roster.

At his age and talent level, Sasaki folds in perfectly for a Dodgers club that was already planning on running a six-man rotation this coming season. It marked an obvious opportunity for the Dodgers to sign a player they’ve coveted for years and who seemed destined to land in Los Angeles even before he was officially posted. On the day the pitcher was posted, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the quiet part out loud: Signing Sasaki was a “major priority” for the reigning World Series champions, and across the industry, the Dodgers were widely viewed as the favorite to land the pitcher.

Sasaki ranked as the No. 3 player on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board, behind only Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes.

255 Seconds of Rōki Sasaki’s Stuff from the WBC.

“The Next Big Thing.” #RokiTheRocket pic.twitter.com/Mu0ye8iGf3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) December 22, 2023

Unlike those two stars, Sasaki’s earnings faced restrictions because he was an international amateur. Clubs could only sign him using their international bonus pools, making him a financial fit for every team.

Also, interested teams hoped he could arrive ready to be a front-line starter. With a 100-mph fastball and a devastating splitter, Sasaki profiles as a potential ace. Thus, the initial list of potential suitors ran long.

Once Sasaki was posted during baseball’s Winter Meetings in December, 20 teams submitted materials about their organizations for the right-hander and Wasserman, his agency, to consider. The San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers and the Dodgers were among the teams that reportedly received an in-person meeting.

On Jan. 13, the pack narrowed to three finalists: the Padres, Blue Jays and Dodgers. Over the final days before Sasaki’s decision, two of those finalists took divergent paths. The Padres, after telling their international commitments to look elsewhere, began trying to reassemble their class with the signing of left-hander Carlos Alvarez. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, took on center fielder Myles Straw’s contract from the Cleveland Guardians to obtain $2 million more to add to their bonus pool, presumably to make a run at Sasaki.

He landed in Los Angeles regardless, joining a rotation that already added two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell this winter and that also projects to include Tyler Glasnow, Yamamoto, Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw — among others —as the Dodgers defend their title.

The intense interest in Sasaki reflected his unique standing in the market. Most international prospects are teenagers. Most domestic free agents are around 30 years old. Clubs viewed Sasaki as a special opportunity because of his age and talent.

“He reminds me of Jacob deGrom,” one industry source said. “He’d develop into a No. 1.”

Considering Sasaki’s age, though, it’s likely that clubs’ track records for developing players and their specific plan for advancing his career carried weight during the selection process. While the Dodgers have been successful in developing multiple homegrown big-league arms, a run of pitching injuries in 2024 led Friedman himself to call for a self-audit of the club’s development and injury prevention processes. Earlier this winter, general manager Brandon Gomes said those conversations had already begun.

Pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball last season, Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA and a 1.036 WHIP. He struck out 129 and walked 32 in 111 innings for the Chiba Lotte Marines. Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe confirmed that Sasaki dealt with shoulder inflammation and soreness and an oblique injury last season. In four NPB seasons, Sasaki had a 2.10 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.

Sasaki could’ve waited until he turned 25 to sign for more money and not be restricted by international bonus pool allowances. That’s what Yamamoto did in the 2023-24 offseason, and he signed for $325 million last winter. Sasaki didn’t want to wait, though, for a chance at playing in MLB.

“Roki is by no means a finished product,” Wolfe said in late December. “He knows it, and the teams know it. He’s incredibly talented. We all know that. But he is a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here just to be rich or to get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever.”

GO DEEPER

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(Photo: Eric Espada / Getty Images)

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