Dodgers' Andrew Friedman Breaks Silence About Roki Sasaki Pursuit

Maren Angus-Coombs | 5 Hours Ago

Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman speaks in a press conference before game one against the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Joel Wolfe stood before a group of reporters in Dallas at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings and fielded questions about his prized client, Roki Sasaki.

Hours later, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called the 23-year-old international free agent a “major priority” for the team.

“He is someone that, obviously, is a major priority for us,” Friedman told reporters, including Dodgers Nation, in his suite at the Hilton Anatole. “We are 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."

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Officially posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines on Tuesday, Sasaki's 45-day negotiation period with MLB teams opened on Tuesday.

Friedman hopes Sasaki's Samurai Japan teammates, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, will help with the recruitment process.

“I’m sure that they talk. I’m sure that they will,” Friedman said of the teammates “I don’t know what their comfort level is, but I know that they would be honest with their opinions, and I think that would be really helpful for the Dodgers.”

Andrew Friedman says that Roki Sasaki is a major priority for the Dodgers:

"He is someone that obviously is a major priority for us and 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." pic.twitter.com/99dx6uzgEX

— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) December 10, 2024

The Dodgers will have some fierce competition for Sasaki. Unlike last December, when the Dodgers shelled out a record $325 million over 12 years for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the competition for Sasaki is a lot more even.

Because Sasaki is younger than 25, he falls under the international amateur free agent rules in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. That means teams are limited by their international bonus pools, and whichever team signs him will get six years of club control.

“We’re gonna put our best foot forward about what we feel like we can provide short-term, long-term, with our pitching group, veteran players, and do everything we can to put our best foot forward," Friedman added.

Sasaki heads to MLB after posting an impressive 2.10 ERA over 414.2 innings during his four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He also represented Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Friedman has only had the opportunity to watch Sasaki in person once but the youngster made an incredible first impression.

“He’s incredibly talented,” Friedman said. “Really physical, incredible carrying fastball. His split is well above the average major league pitch. He’s worked hard on his slider, and it’s a really good pitch.”

Friedman also touched on Sasaki's high expectations for himself, noting that he fully agreed with them, even though they are remarkably ambitious.

“He has talked about his desire to be the best pitcher in the world,” Friedman said, “and we believe he’s capable of being the best pitcher in the world.”

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