Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, baseball’s hottest international free agent, is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced on social media Friday.
The 23-year-old right-hander said he signed a minor league contract. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“I have signed a minor contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” he said on Instagram in a post translated from Japanese to English. “It was a very difficult decision, but I will do my best to make it the right decision when I look back on my baseball career. I want to roll up my sleeve and put on the Dodgers uniform at the inaugural conference, thanking everyone who have supported me up to this point.”
Sasaki is just the latest Japanese star to join the MLB. Reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season after six years with the Los Angeles Angels. The franchise also signed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2023 to a 12-year, $325 million contract. Both were instrumental in Los Angeles winning the 2024 World Series.
Sasaki’s long-awaited signing follows a suspenseful offseason, during which teams such as the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants courted the youngster. pitcher. For his initial meetings with teams, Sasaki requested that no players be present, leading to much speculation about his landing spot.
By Monday, Sasaki had narrowed his finalists to the Blue Jays, Dodgers and Padres. Many viewed the Dodgers as longtime favorites thanks to their experience playing with Ohtani and Yamamoto on the Japanese national team and the team’s star-studded lineup. The Padres were also seen as a top contender because Sasaki would be reunited with his former mentor, accomplished Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish.
Despite Sasaki’s draw, his contract is not the blockbuster that others like Ohtani have signed due to MLB rules. International players under the age of 25 are considered amateurs and can only sign a minor league contract with an additional bonus.
Sasaki, who played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League, has a 2.10 ERA with 505 career strikeouts and a 29-15 record. In 2022, he pitched a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes, the NPB’s first perfect game in nearly 30 years. His stellar performance earned him the nickname “the monster of the Reiwa era,” in reference to Japan’s current political era. Still, Sasaki has said he has more to learn in the MLB.
“Roki is by no means a finished product,” Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe told Sports Illustrated about his move to the U.S. “He knows it and the teams know it. He is incredibly talented. We all know it. But he is a guy who wants to be great. You don’t come here just to be rich or get a huge contract. He wants to be great. “He wants to be one of the best of all time.”
