Fresh off of winning the 2024 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are poised to make another massive addition in free agency. Just a year removed from acquiring Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers are seen as the favorites for Roki Sasaki, who is trending towards being posted this free agency period. Unlike both Ohtani and Yamamoto last winter, who combined for over $1 billion in their contracts, the cost for Sasaki’s services would be minimal for the 2025 season.
Kiley McDaniel of ESPN reports that the Dodgers are “heavily favored” to land Roki Sasaki, and they could end up landing a frontline starter with ace upside to pair with their already dominant roster.
Dodgers’ Rotation Might Get a Massive Boost With Roki Sasaki
This past season wasn’t as excellent as one would have hoped for Roki Sasaki, who dealt with injuries and saw his ERA and strikeout rate worsen from 2023. Still, he posted a 2.35 ERA and struck out 129 of the 450 batters he faced (28.7%) while flashing elite-level upside. One of the concerns that scouts and analysts have with Sasaki is that his injuries have hurt his fastball, with his velocity and vertical movement on the pitch declining.
If there’s an organization that could get Roki Sasaki back on track mechanically, it’s the LA Dodgers, who have the resources and track record to entice any pitcher looking to take their game to the next level. No team in baseball has a better player development system than the Dodgers, and fresh off of winning the World Series, they’ve become the premiere organization in the game right now.
With Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto already finding great success in Los Angeles, it’s not hard to see why Roki Sasaki would trust that organization most with his development.
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For the longest time, the consensus opinion was that Japanese stars wouldn’t want to play alongside each other at the Major League level, but Ohtani and Yamamoto have seemingly broken that stigma. That doesn’t mean Roki Sasaki is a guarantee to sign with the Dodgers, as McDaniel reported that some scouts believe he could prefer a smaller market team, but it does help that Los Angeles has captivated Japanese viewers with these two megastars.
Every team in baseball will be interested in Roki Sasaki, especially since he won’t be able to sign for more than $2.5 million as his signing bonus. Sasaki would account for less than $1 million and be as affordable as a random Minor League call-up, and there’s a chance he would win a Cy Young Award within the first three seasons of coming over to the United States.
He’s not as polished as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but he has arguably the best upside for any pitcher on planet Earth, and the Dodgers maximize talent better than anyone else in the sport.