Home Sports With Roki Sasaki set to make a decision, Dodgers hope their pursuit pays off

With Roki Sasaki set to make a decision, Dodgers hope their pursuit pays off

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Roki Sasaki smiles as he pitches for Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March 2023.

Roki Sasaki smiles as he pitches for Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March 2023. The Dodgers are one of three MLB teams still in the running to sign Sasaki. (Eric Espada/Getty Images)

A little over a year ago, the Dodgers He saw an opportunity on the horizon.

Going into last offseason, the team was familiar with the Japanese two-way star. Shohei Ohtani was entering a historic free agency. They knew the decorated Japanese ace. Yoshinobu Yamamoto I was planning to come from Japan to the majors. And they met another Japanese generational arm, Roki Sasakiwould not be left behind.

It was an opportunity, as some members of the club have called it, to “paint Japan blue” and improve both the talent of the squad and the team’s international brand.

This week, the team hopes to turn the last part of that dream into reality.

they have already done it signed Ohtani. they have already done it signed Yamamoto. And now, they are believed to be finalists for Sasaki, who could sign as soon as Wednesday, when the 2025 international signing period officially opens.

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“He’s someone who is obviously a big priority for us,” the Dodgers president of baseball operations said. Andres Friedman he said of Sasaki earlier this winter. “We’re going to do everything we can and we know there are a lot of other teams that will do exactly the same thing.”

When the Dodgers embarked on this search last year and targeted each member of the Japanese trifecta as a potential cornerstone of their long-term future, it initially seemed doubtful they would land all three players, let alone more than one.

Back then, there was a belief in the industry that Japanese players preferred to play for different major league teams. And while Dodgers decision-makers didn’t necessarily subscribe to the theory, they admitted they weren’t sure if the dynamic would impede their trans-Pacific triple play.

There were also financial dynamics that added complexity to the activities. It was clear that Ohtani would get a record signing. Yamamoto’s young age (he was only 25 when he signed) made him another candidate for a lucrative, big-money deal. And although Sasaki is limited to signing only a minor league contract with a modest signing bonus since he will reach the majors before he turns 25, the Dodgers faced obstacles there too. Thanks to MLB sanctions against teams exceeding the league’s luxury tax threshold, the club had the smallest international signing bonus pools in the 2025 class.

However, the Dodgers were not intimidated.

Roki Sasaki meets Japan during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Roki Sasaki meets Japan during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

They went all out for Ohtani, then celebrated when he presented, and accepted, a 10-year, $700 million contract last offseason in which almost all of his salary would be deferred.

That created a domino effect with Yamamoto, who credited Ohtani’s presence (and his personal recruiting efforts) with the Dodgers as a key reason for his signing to a 12-year, $325 million deal a few weeks later.

And now, it looks increasingly likely that Sasaki could follow in his footsteps this week, as he embarks on an eight-day period to sign with an MLB club before his release window closes on January 23.

The Dodgers have long been viewed as the leading contender for Sasaki, a hard-pitching starter who had a 2.10 ERA in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League, for myriad reasons.

First, they are the defending World Series champions and the consensus betting favorites to defend their title in 2025; the kind of instant contender who could help Sasaki’s personal goal of becoming “the number one player in the world.”

Their long history of recent pitching injuries aside, they are also viewed as one of the most pitching-savvy franchises in baseball; the kind of place where Sasaki, who only surpassed 100 innings twice in his four-year NPB career, could continue to develop as a young starter in the majors.

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Sponsorship dollars could also play a role. Thanks to Ohtani and Yamamoto, the Dodgers are now considered the most prominent MLB brand in Japan, where They will open their season in March with two games against the Chicago Cubs. And since Sasaki’s signing bonus will be limited to nothing more than the $5 million to $10 million range, the Dodgers could present him with solid opportunities to maximize his off-the-field earnings.

Then, of course, there is the Ohtani and Yamamoto effect. Both played with Sasaki on the Japanese team that won the title in the World Baseball Classic 2023. Both have personal relationships with the pitcher, something that could work in the Dodgers’ favor as it did with Yamamoto after signing Ohtani last offseason.

Of course, the Dodgers aren’t alone in the Sasaki sweepstakes.

The San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays are also finalists in his free agency, as ESPN first reported. Both teams have their own unique draws, as well as histories with other star Japanese players. Fellow Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, another friend and former teammate of Sasaki’s in the World Baseball Classic, currently headlines the Padres’ rotation.

Still, the Dodgers have been optimistic about his chances. Last week, speculation about Sasaki’s arrival in Los Angeles was further fueled when one of the best players in the Dodgers’ 2025 international class, shortstop Darrell Morel, reportedly changed his commitment to the Pittsburgh Pirates. a move that would theoretically open up more possibilities for the $5.146 million available to the Dodgers in their 2025 bonus pool (tied with the San Francisco Giants for the smallest pool in the older ones).

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“We are going to do our best in what we believe we can help provide short- and long-term development with our pitching group and our veteran players, and we will do everything we can to do our best,” Friedman. he said at the winter meetings about how the Dodgers would court Sasaki. “Ultimately, this is a personal decision and we will respect whatever it is. But we want to feel like we represented our organization and our city to the best of our ability.”

Sasaki’s list of contenders has been narrowed in recent days. Giants general manager Zack Minasian revealed on Monday that Sasaki’s camp had informed his club that he was out of the running. This was followed by later reports that the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and others had received the same message.

That left the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays remaining. Reports from The Athletic this week indicated that Sasaki had visited the latter two cities after recently returning from Japan for a holiday.

Next week, Sasaki will have to make a final decision.

And the Dodgers remain hopeful that, like last season, they can attract another top Japanese talent to Los Angeles.

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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.

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