Since the beginning of winter, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to Roki Sasaki, who is likely to sign during the next international signing period, which begins on January 15. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Dodgers continue to be the favorites in the Sasaki sweepstakes.
“The Dodgers remain favored, followed by the Padres,” Heyman wrote. “The Dodgers established themselves as the team for Japan’s stars, but Sasaki’s admiration of Padres ace Yu Darvish and a clear path to be their ace gives them a shot.”
The Dodgers are one of six teams that have previously met with Sasaki during the first round of in-person discussions. However, Sasaki’s representative, Joel Wolfe, confirmed that 20 teams have sought out. Sasaki is being dubbed the best deal in baseball because he can only sign a minor-league contract with an international bonus and no signing bonus.
A starting pitcher of his caliber is generally expensive, but Sasaki is considered an international amateur free agent. In four NPB seasons, Sasaki went 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Last season, he struggled with injuries but finished 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA.
It’s no surprise that the Dodgers have the lead in the Sasaki sweepstakes. As the current World Series champions, the team has a lot to offer a young, developing pitcher like Sasaki. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were also former WBC colleagues of the 23-year-old standout.
If the Dodgers learned anything from the 2024 season, it’s that there can never be enough starting pitchers. Adding Sasaki to the rotation would cap another excellent offseason for the Dodgers.
Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, stated that the team hopes to avoid engineering transactions at the July trading deadline. Having said that, the Dodgers will need to strengthen their roster by the end of the winter to do this.
