The highly coveted Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki will line up with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 23-year-old right-handed gunner, whose fastball exceeds 100 miles per hour, announced his decision via his Instagram page Friday, sharing an image of a Dodgers cap.
He will notably join the MVP of last season in the National League, his compatriot Shohei Ohtani.
“It was a very difficult choice to make, but I will do everything in my power to make it the right one when I finish my baseball career,” Sasaki wrote.
This means that once again, the Toronto Blue Jays found themselves among a handful of finalist teams for a star player without being able to attract him.
Last week, several MLB insiders reported that Sasaki met with the staff of the Dodgers, Jays and San Diego Padres.
Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 games last year. He struck out 129 batters in 111 innings of work, during a season limited by shoulder inflammation.
-Because he is under 25 and does not have six years of NPB service, Sasaki is considered an international amateur by Major League Baseball and is limited to a minor league contract subject to pools. of signatures.
The Marines will receive a release fee calculated at 25 percent of the amount of Sasaki’s signing bonus.
The Dodgers’ starting rotation for the 2025 season could thus be composed of Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki.
The Dodgers have up to US$5,146,200 available in their international signing bonus pool, although they could make trades next week to increase that amount by up to 60%.
The Dodgers plan to use a six-starter rotation, which could ease Sasaki’s transition to Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles squad will try to become the first to win the World Series two years in a row since the New York Yankees, from 1998 to 2000.
The Dodgers’ first spring training will take place on February 11 in Glendale, Arizona. They will play their first two-game series against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19.
