Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
Aki Sasaki, a valuable Japanese pitcher whose potential has been coveted by scouts since high school, announced on Instagram on Friday that he has chosen the Los Angeles Dodgers as his major league team.
Sasaki said, “It’s a very difficult decision, but I want to do my best to make it the right decision when I look back on my baseball career.”
The Dodgers had long been considered a favorite for Sasaki, but recently emerged as one of three finalists for the 23-year-old right-hander, along with the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres. On Friday morning, the Padres began agreeing to a contract with an international contract candidate from the Dominican Republic, making it clear to the entire industry that the Padres are against Sasaki. The Blue Jays acquired center fielder Myles Straw and $2 million in international bonus pool slots from the Cleveland Guardians in hopes of acquiring Sasaki.
It didn’t matter. The Dodgers team, which won the World Series with a roster that included Sasaki’s compatriots Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, once again claimed one of the biggest prizes of the offseason.
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With the Dodgers, Sasaki joins a team that has built a reputation as one of the best at developing talent and hopes to have an incredibly deep rotation in 2025. Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow return from last season’s group. Otani, who resumes his duties as a dual wielder, also joins. Blake Snell signed a five-year, $182 million contract in November. Clayton Kershaw is also expected to return at some point. And with young players like Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Bobby Miller still in the organization, it’s easier for the Dodgers to use a six-man rotation that eases Sasaki’s adjustment process.
Because Sasaki is under 25 years old and has spent less than six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, he will essentially sign a minor league contract and follow the path of players selected in the amateur draft — in the minors. There is a possibility that he will be designated as an option, which is planned. During his first three major league seasons, he earned close to the major league minimum and could not become a traditional free agent until he reached six years of service.
Each team is limited only to the international bonus pool they give Sasaki, which ranged from approximately $5.1 million to $7.5 million at the start of the contract period.
Sasaki’s pitching features a mesmerizing splitter that is hailed as one of the best second pitches in the world, combined with a fastball that can reach 100 miles per hour, and a slider that is considered a plus pitch. In four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki pitched 414/3 innings with a 2.02 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 524 strikeouts, and 91 walks.
Sasaki started the match against the Orix Buffaloes on April 10, 2022, and pitched a perfect game while setting an NPB record with 13 consecutive strikeouts. Seven days later, he took the mound again and pitched eight perfect innings before being removed from the trip. The following spring, Sasaki took to the world stage, forming a star-studded rotation with Ohtani, Yu Darvish, Shota Imanaga, and Yamamoto on the World Baseball Classic-winning Japan team.
For years, Major League Baseball scouts and executives traveled to Japan to catch a glimpse of Sasaki, salivating at the prospect of him being posted one day. When it finally happened in early December, more than 20 teams made their initial pitches in videos, letters, and even books. Later that month, Sasaki flew to the Los Angeles headquarters of his agency Wasserman and met with at least eight teams: the Dodgers, Padres, Blue Jays, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, and San Francisco Giants. went. .
Earlier this week, Sasaki was informed that five of those teams were no longer in the running, and he will have follow-up meetings in Toronto, San Diego and Los Angeles before making a decision.
Sasaki had to choose a new team between last Wednesday, when this year’s international contract period began, and Thursday, when the posting window expired. His presence on the international amateur market left the three finalists in limbo over a verbally agreed deal years ago, causing confusion, especially within the Dominican Republic. The Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays would not only have to free up their international bonus pool for the possibility of acquiring Sasaki, but they would also have had to accept the possibility of a trade for additional space in hopes of making the offer more favorable. .
Sasaki played an active role in the summer Koshien tournament, a representative tournament for Japanese high schools, and was selected with the first overall pick in the 2019 NPB Draft. The Lotte Marines treated him carefully, limiting him to bullpen sessions and simulated games in 2020, limiting his workload as much as possible. after that. Sasaki’s numbers dropped a little last year, with his ERA rising to 2.35. His four-seam fastball averaged about 98 mph to 96 mph. At one point, he suffered from shoulder fatigue. There are concerns about how Sasaki will handle the major league workload, and many will agree that his command needs improvement.
But few doubt his limits.
Several prominent evaluators believe that Sasaki could be an annual Cy Young Award candidate within the next few years.
