Roki Sasaki's Teammate Expects Him to Join Dodgers

Valentina Martinez | Nov 11, 2024

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Dallas Keuchel spent the last two months of the season as the teammate of Roki Sasaki on the Chiba Lotte Marines. The 2015 AL Cy Young winner confirmed one of two things about the Japanese phenom: Sasaki is the real deal and the Dodgers are strong favorites to sign the 23-year-old pitcher.

“I heard some, some rumblings about a done deal with the Dodgers — you know, having a plan for him,” Keuchel told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. “And if I was Vegas, I would definitely put them as the favorite, but I don’t know. We never really talked about that.”

There has been speculation that the New York Yankees and New York Mets are also heavy favorites to land Sasaki, but Keuchel insisted the Dodgers are the most powerful contender in the running.

“We talked about those two east coast teams," Keuchel added. "I just think the Dodgers have the upper hand just because of Shohei, Yamamoto and even Darvish pitching there for that playoff run in ’17. Anywhere you went [in Japan], the Dodgers were on TV in the morning, just because of those guys. So we briefly spoke about the pinstripes and about the Mets, but really, there was no central team that we talked about.”

Los Angeles teams of the past and present have had some of the best pitchers from Japan, including Hideo Nomo, Yu Darvish, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Keuchel believes Sasaki has the potential to surpass them all.

The latest insight should only further convince Dodgers fans that the team has a good chance of signing Sasaki, despite the speculation that the Dodgers aren't actually the top contender.

There have been reports that Sasaki would want to go to teams such as the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, or Toronto Blue Jays. These teams are said to have over $2 million in the next signing period that opens Jan. 15, 2025.

But it's evident that the Dodgers are the most popular MLB team in Japan. Sasaki could be in a Dodgers uniform very soon if Keuchel's insights are correct.