Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki set to join LA Dodgers

LOS ANGELES: Roki Sasaki, who many believe to be one of the most dangerous new prospects in Major League Baseball, announced on Friday that he has made the decision to join the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I will do my best so that when I look back on my baseball career, I can say that it was the right decision,” wrote Sasaki on Instagram.

“At the press conference, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me up to this point as I put on the Dodgers uniform.”

The Dodgers, fresh off the back of a second world series victory in the past five years, are the scariest team in the entire league. Three former MVPs, including Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and the recently crowned, record breaking, World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, provide the Dodgers with arguably the most daunting hitting line-up in baseball.

In terms of pitching, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed the largest contract ever for a pitcher prior to the 2024 season, posted an ERA of 3 in the regular season, and was a dominant force in the World Series. Now, the Dodgers are adding Sasaki to their bullpen.

Also read: Who is Roki Sasaki? MLB’s future star

This is why it’s such a big deal.

Sasaki, 23, put up incredible numbers in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, posting an incredible 2.1 ERA over the four years he’s played in his home league. He has tormented hitters with a fastball that has reached 102.5 mph in the past – which tied Ohtani’s record for fastest pitch – and a stupefying splitter that falls off the face of a cliff after Sasaki’s victims commit to a seemingly speedier pitch.

In the 2022 season, Sasaki showcased his pitching prowess, setting the NPB record for most strikeouts in a row at 13, while becoming the youngest player ever to pitch a perfect game in the league, and the first since 1994. The next season, he posted astounding numbers, striking out 135 batters in 91 innings, and earning a 1.78 ERA.

Despite some injury worries, which may have been the cause for the slight drop off in velocity his fast ball saw, Sasaki will indubitably be a lethal force in the MLB.

So what will the Dodgers pay him?

The Japanese pitcher will play for the league minimum salary, which is expected to be $760,000 this next season, and will receive a $6.5 million signing bonus according to reports by The Athletic and Forbes. That may be a lot of money for most, but it is ways off the earth-shattering contracts that Sasaki’s compatriots, Ohtani and Yamamoto, have received in recent years.

However, that is par for the course. Players who are under 25 and have less than six seasons under their belt in an MLB recognised foreign league are deemed international amateur free agents. Players with this classification are subject to international bonus pool restrictions, and thus are only eligible to sign a minor-league deal and receive a bonus from a team’s international bonus pool.

Also read: Manchester United and Scotland great Denis Law dies at 84