The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially signed starting pitcher Roki Sasaki, widely acknowledged as the top international prospect over the past two years.
The 23-year-old’s announcement on his Instagram account left 29 MLB teams feeling disheartened, as he will now be playing for the reigning World Series champions.
Roki Sasaki announced on his Instagram he’ll be joining the Los Angeles Dodgers 🌟 pic.twitter.com/3siuaqmMKL
— MLB (@MLB) January 17, 2025
This signing means the Dodgers now boast three of the premier Japanese-born talents, with Sasaki joining Shohei Ohtani (10-year/$700 million) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-year/$325 million).
Japan 🇯🇵 ➡️ LA 🌴
Roki Sasaki joins Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers! pic.twitter.com/XNh6KpGt88
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 17, 2025
Given the Dodgers’ already formidable pitching rotation, which also features aces Tyler Glasnow (five-year/$137 million) and newly acquired Blake Snell (five-year/$182 million), many MLB fans are expressing that Sasaki joining the squad feels “unfair.”
Now that absolute stud Roki Sasaki has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB should go ahead and CANCEL the season because they allowed this to happen… they let Shohei Ohtani mess with his contract last offseason, they win the World Series, everybody wants to go there, no… pic.twitter.com/HGxLuzhVmq
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) January 17, 2025
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Several fans are calling for the MLB to implement a salary cap, arguing that the Dodgers “can’t keep getting away with this.”
In light of this, MLB insider Jim Bowden suggested that there could be a scandal brewing in Los Angeles, as other teams might request an investigation into Sasaki’s signing.
Although the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were also seen as potential landing spots for Sasaki, speculation indicates the Dodgers might have had a pre-arranged deal.
“I think you’re going to find that there are going to be multiple teams that will approach the Commissioner’s office to look into this signing,” Bowden remarked. “I can tell you that several front offices felt there was an agreement in place between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Roki Sasaki prior to the commencement of negotiations.”
Notably, it appears that Sasaki has been an ardent fan of the Dodgers since childhood, and his desire to play alongside his Japanese teammates Ohtani and Yamamoto played a significant role in his decision—he even accepted a lesser contract to join them.
Everyone is angry at the Dodgers for “throwing money” at top free agents.
So with Roki Sasaki, they couldn’t.
The Dodgers actually had the least amount of money between every team in MLB to give Sasaki.
And yet, Sasaki chose the Dodgers.
What a testament to the organization. pic.twitter.com/QwIvd1JEtV
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.AIAD— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) January 17, 2025
Any allegations of tampering have been dismissed by Sasaki and his representatives, despite some perceiving it as a “done deal” even before other franchises had the opportunity to approach the emerging Japanese star.
“Almost every front office told me this is where he was going to end up,” Bowden added. “I truly believe this will prompt an investigation from the Commissioner’s office at some stage.”
It remains to be seen if Sasaki can replicate his prior success from the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) in the MLB, but one thing is sure: excitement is high in LA as the Dodgers may now possess one of the most talented pitching staffs in history.
During his four seasons in Japan, Sasaki accumulated a record of 29-15 with a stellar 2.10 ERA, a .89 WHIP, alongside 505 strikeouts and just 88 walks.
In summary, fans of the other 29 MLB teams were hoping for Sasaki to sign elsewhere, as the Dodgers appear poised to pursue back-to-back championships.
Image Source: MLB @ YouTube
