The reigning, defending, undisputed World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed international star pitcher Roki Sasaki. The right-handed pitcher has been playing baseball professionally in Japan since 2021. The coveted Sasaki was said to have narrowed his selection down to three teams including the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, before ultimately signing with the Dodgers.
This doesn’t come as much of a surprise with the “Japanese Babe Ruth” Shohei Ohtani leading the way in LA. He, Ohtani, and fellow pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto were members of the championship Japanese team in the World Baseball Classic. The exact details of the contract have not yet been released but he expects to join the rotation this season.
What Sasaki Brings To LA
There is a reason Sasaki was sought after by almost every team in Major League Baseball. The 23-year-old put up stunning numbers in Japan. That could lead to a big deal with the Dodgers since LA is known for spending dough. In four professional seasons, he has a 30-15 record with a 2.02 career ERA! The Japanese phenomenon has also proven he is a strikeout wizard, averaging 11.4 Ks per 9 innings pitched.
The Dodgers may have solidified having the best pitching rotation in MLB! The early prediction of the rotation looks like Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Ohtani, and now the newcomer Sasaki. Life seems like it’s going to be just fine for Dodgers fans in the post-Kershaw and Buehler era, and they should be the favorite to win the World Series this upcoming season. Japanese players are taking the U.S. game by storm, and this is just another example of it.
Final Thoughts
Well, well the rich get richer in the “City of Angels!” The wildfires in California aren’t the only thing that is on fire in LA. The Dodgers added to an already deep payroll by adding Sasaki. I think Major League Baseball should implement an International Players Draft when the current CBA is up in 2026. It will allow an equal opportunity for every team to seek out and scout international players. Small market teams have little to no chance of signing these international superstars.
Teams like the Dodgers can literally use Ohtani as a marketing tool to bring in other Japanese players. I will admit I used to love when my Detroit Tigers would do this with the Latino players but it needs to change to level out the playing field. Baseball is already unique in not having a hard salary cap but an international draft would help keep the league competitive.
