The Los Angeles Dodgers recently had an in-person meeting with Japanese free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Prior to this, Sasaki had met with several teams, including the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, and San Francisco Giants, while the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies had also expressed interest, although it is unclear whether they were granted meetings.
The Dodgers have long been considered the favorites to sign Sasaki, with the San Diego Padres also heavily linked to the 23-year-old right-hander. Sasaki is subject to bonus pool restrictions due to his age, similar to Shohei Ohtani’s situation in 2017, which limits the amount a team can offer him. Sasaki won’t be able to sign until the 2025 international signing period opens on January 15, with his posting window closing on January 23, giving him a tight one-week window to finalize a deal.
Over his NPB career, Sasaki posted a 30-15 record with a 2.02 ERA and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He showcased his talents in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he earned a Gold Medal and impressed with his 102 mph fastball. Sasaki, a two-time NPB All-Star, threw a perfect game and set the single-game strikeout record in 2022. Despite battling shoulder soreness in 2024, Sasaki maintained a strong performance, finishing with a 2.35 ERA and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings across 18 starts.
Although the Dodgers won the World Series in 2024 and already boast an impressive starting rotation with Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May returning, plus the addition of Blake Snell and a host of other strong pitchers like Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they could still benefit from adding Sasaki to their roster.
Sasaki could join fellow Japanese stars Ohtani and Yamamoto by signing with Los Angeles, offering him a supportive environment with veteran pitchers. This setup would allow him a smoother transition into MLB, taking some of the pressure off his shoulders in his early years. However, if Sasaki prefers not to play in a major market like Los Angeles or doesn’t want to be overshadowed by Ohtani and Yamamoto, the Dodgers’ pitch may not be enough to sway him.
