JUST IN: Angels look foolish loosing out on $6.5 million international sensation target

There are Goliaths and then there’s the Los Angeles Dodgers. When the Dodgers set out to get a player, they always succeed. How about the most current example? They recently signed international sensation Roki Sasaki, who many considered the best non-Soto free agent. ESPN’s Jeff Passan predicted that once Sasaki was posted, there would be the “fiercest 30-team recruitment since Ohtani.” Not true. It was the Dodgers all along.

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, really tried to throw people off the scent with this quote:

“I think that there’s an argument to be made that a smaller, mid-market team might be more beneficial for him as a soft landing coming from Japan, given what he’s been through and not having an enjoyable experience with the media. It might be — I’m not saying it will be — I don’t know how he’s going to view it, but it might be beneficial for him to be in a smaller market.”

Joel Wolfe

So, it was a lie. The Dodgers were always Sasaki’s first choice, regardless of what his agent or national experts, who constantly defend the Dodgers, said. They are so effective at courting free agents that it almost feels like meddling. There was possibly also some tampering. The idea that Sasaki had narrowed down his prospective teams to the Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Padres was laughable…it was always going to be the Dodgers.

According to a source, the Dodgers will pay Roki Sasaki $6.5 million.

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez), January 18, 2025

The Angels were never in on Sasaki; they couldn’t even meet with him. They only hired a full-time scout before last season, and they had no relationship with Sasaki in the same way that Billy Eppler did with Shohei Ohtani. The defending champions are acquiring another top-tier starter on a minor league contract to partner with Ohtani, while the 99-loss Angels have not made a meaningful move in some time and remain in obscurity.

Maybe the Dodgers will give the Angels a break and trade one of their 19 starting pitcher options? The Dodgers’ six-man rotation now includes the following options: Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tony Gonsolin, River Ryan, Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, Landon Knack, Dustin May, Justin Wrobleski (Gavin Stone is projected to miss the entire 2025 season). They are also known for having incredibly effective bullpen days. They will most likely bring back Clayton Kershaw as well. Perhaps the Angels can truly go out and sign Jack Flaherty? In any case, things are gloomy for the Angels in Los Angeles, and they will never catch up to the Dodgers… ever.

After the 2004 season, the Anaheim Angels’ new owner, Arte Moreno, intended to rebrand the team. He renamed his team the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to emphasize the team’s big-market sensibility even more. Looking back on that decision in 2025, the squad appears stupid. The Dodgers have outperformed the Angels in every manner.