Cody Snavely
With the Chiba Lotte Marines offically set to post 22-year-old right-handed pitcher Rōki Sasaki this offseason, all eyes will be on the Los Angeles Dodgers as they have heavily been linked with the Japanese star for the last two seasons.
The Dodgers’ interest in Sasaki is for good reason. Despite battling some health issues, the righty has been dominant in the NPB, with a record of 30-15 and a 2.02 ERA in 414.2 innings pitched in his four seasons. He also helped Team Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
However, despite being linked with the Dodgers because the righty was posted before his game twenty-five season and had under six years of service time in the NPB due to Major League Baseball rules, Sasaki will be limited to signing as an international amateur free agent, which essentially translates to a minor league deal, which makes him affordable to all Major League Baseball teams.
If Sasaki is posted during this international signing period, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have the most money remaining in their international pool, at $2.5 million. If the righty is posted after December 15th, that money resets, but it still leaves the Dodgers with around five million dollars.
However, in an interview with Joel Sherman of the New York Post, former American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, a former teammate of Sasaki, stated that the Dodgers are heavy favorites and that he heard rumblings of a “done deal” with Los Angeles during his short two months in Japan.
I heard some, some rumblings about a done deal with the Dodgers — you know, having a plan for him. And if I was Vegas, I would definitely put them as the favorite, but I don’t know. We never really talked about that.
If that rumor is true, it is not uncommon to happen with international prospects, as many teams have preapproved deals with players. Once the new signing period opens, they ink those contracts on day one.
The Dodgers have long been coveting Sasaki. Due to the Dodgers’ being on the West Coast, having two of the top Japanese players in the world on their team, having sustained success and a great coaching/training staff, just coming off a World Series Championship, and the amount of money of off-the-field endorsement potential in LA, it’s not hard for Sasaki to choose the Dodgers.
Time will tell if Sasaki’s interest is real. Right now, it is all pure speculation, and we still do not have a set date for when he’ll be posted. But you can bet the Los Angeles Dodgers will be heavily invested as they begin their quest for back-to-back championships.
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