Dodgers Rumors: MLB GMs Unanimously Agree Where Roki Sasaki Will Sign

Maren Angus-Coombs | Nov 20, 2024

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Japanese pitching star Roki Sasaki is expected to enter the Major Leagues in 2025, with the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly emerging as the overwhelming favorite to sign him. While he likely won’t be eligible to join a team until after Jan. 15, industry insiders already see a clear frontrunner.

During the Nov. 14 episode of Baseball Tonight, ESPN’s Buster Olney discussed Sasaki’s free agency prospects after speaking with all 30 MLB general managers.

“In theory, he could play for any one of the 30 teams because he’s not going to get a big free agent deal the way (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto did last winter. He’s going to wind up taking a very minimal deal the way Shohei Ohtani did,” Olney said. “I had a conversation with executives about this. Thirty out of 30 teams believe he’s going to the Dodgers. That’s the reality, right? But we don’t really know what’s in his heart. You won’t really know until he actually is having these conversations.”

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Sasaki made a splash in Japan as a 19-year-old in 2021, recording an impressive 1.84 ERA across 16 starts. His dominance on the mound gained international attention during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he joined an elite Japanese rotation featuring Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Standing 6-foot-3, Sasaki has been a force in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) over four seasons, boasting a career 2.02 ERA, 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings, 2.0 walks per nine, and 6.0 hits per nine innings. His talent has drawn comparisons to some of the best pitchers in the world.

The big question now centers on what Sasaki could earn in MLB once he establishes himself. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reported that a top international scouting director believes the pitcher’s potential earnings are massive: “A lot.”

While Yamamoto recently signed a record-setting 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers, Sasaki’s youth and skillset suggest he could command a similarly monumental contract down the line. Another executive speculated, “I think it would be $275-300 million if he was in an open market, for 10 years — that’s what I would think he’d get. The sky is the limit for this guy.”

As Sasaki prepares for the next chapter in his career, the baseball world eagerly awaits his impact in the majors.

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