DALLAS — The Los Angeles Dodgers have thought about the possibility of signing Roki Sasaki for years. Whether they wind up getting him will be determined over the next 45 days.
The posting window is officially open for the 23-year-old Japanese right-hander, with the Colorado Rockies of all teams among the first to formally submit video presentations to Sasaki’s representatives at Wasserman and agent Joel Wolfe saying formal meetings with interested clubs could begin in earnest as soon as next week. The Dodgers, the presumptive favorites for Sasaki’s services, are set to submit their pitch soon, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Tuesday in the first public comments the organization has made confirming their long-known interest in the Chiba Lotte Marines prospect.
For every club, especially the free-spending Dodgers, Sasaki represents a unique opportunity: a hard thrower who will command a few million rather than hundreds of millions because he was posted ahead of his 25th birthday. His appeal is obvious.
“He’s incredibly talented,” Friedman said. “Really physical. Incredible carrying fastball. His split’s a well above-average major league pitch. He’s worked hard on a slider and it’s a really good pitch. He has talked about his desire to be the best pitcher in the world and we believe that he is capable of being the best pitcher in the world.”
And even for a Dodgers team that has committed $1.3 billion to starting pitchers the last two offseasons (including fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto), signing Sasaki will be a “major priority,” Friedman said.
“We’re going to do whatever we can, and know that there are a lot of other teams that are going to do the exact same thing,” Friedman said. “So what that ultimately means at the end, I don’t know. But as long as we have thoughtfully put our best foot forward, then I feel good about at least the effort.”
Roki Sasaki, 92mph Splitter and 102mph Fastball, Overlay. pic.twitter.com/EIf8bh6Qdf
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 21, 2023
Wolfe’s scrum with reporters Tuesday at the Hilton Anatole for the annual Winter Meetings divulged little on what Sasaki himself will actually value when it comes to evaluating potential landing spots. He noted a potential openness to a small market for a “soft landing” as he adapts to Major League Baseball. He emphasized organizational success, though it was unclear if recent results would be outweighed by prospective teams’ future outlooks. Playing with former World Baseball Classic teammates such as Ohtani and Yamamoto (or Yu Darvish, with the San Diego Padres) “could be” an attraction, but Sasaki “wouldn’t say he would necessarily need it to succeed,” Wolfe said.
The Dodgers have long been seen as a logical landing spot, with manager Dave Roberts often repeating the idea of “painting Japan Dodger Blue” through the club’s signings of Ohtani and Yamamoto last winter. Their success over the last decade is unparalleled, and they are coming off their second World Series in five years. Their pitching development staff has drawn rave reviews.
Sasaki’s priorities are still largely unclear, and so are his potential landing spots. Friedman said it’s still uncertain even how much Ohtani and Yamamoto will be part of the club’s overall pitch for Sasaki (Ohtani, after winning the MVP last month, said he hadn’t done any direct recruiting yet with his former Samurai Japan teammate). There are parallels to the Dodgers’ failed attempt to sign Ohtani in 2017, though Friedman insisted each of these rare instances should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
What is clear: Even as the Dodgers enter the 2025 international signing class with the smallest possible bonus pool, the difference in potential bonuses is “negligible,” Wolfe said. In theory, the Dodgers’ brand connections in Japan developed over the last few months could help Sasaki cash in off-field to make up whatever difference there would be.
“If everything were about money, then I think timing, everything would be different,” Friedman said. “We’re gonna put our best foot forward about what we feel like we can help provide short-term, long-term, development with our pitching group and our veteran players, and do everything we can to put our best foot forward. Ultimately, this is a personal decision, and we’ll respect whatever that is. But we want to feel like we represented our organization and our city to the best of our ability.”
(Photo of Sasaki: The Yomiuri Shimbun via Associated Press)
