Japanese right-hander Aki Sasaki has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced on Instagram on Friday. Sasaki, 23, was considered the best pitcher in the world before he was even part of an MLB organization. he, $6.5 million signing bonusreported the Los Angeles Times.
The Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres were reportedly the other two finalists in his honor.
During part of four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japan Professional Baseball League, he posted a 2.35 ERA and a 5.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His strikeout-to-walk rate of 26.8% is by far the best among active starting pitchers who have made the jump from NPB to MLB. Sasaki will have a perfect game with 19 strikeouts in April 2022.
Below is a translation of his Instagram post: “I signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Sasaki wrote. “It was a very difficult decision, but when I look back on my baseball career, I will do my best to make it the right decision.At the opening press conference, I would like to thank everyone who supported me while wearing a Dodgers uniform.” to. ”
Considering his age and lack of playing time, Sasaki was classified by MLB as an amateur free agent and was eligible for the international bonus pool. He could only sign a minor league contract and his signing bonus with the Dodgers was capped at $8,233,920. This is the original $5,146,200 bonus pool, plus an additional 60% that each team can earn through trade. To reach $6.5 million, LA needs to earn an additional $1,353,800 in bonus pool space by next Thursday (January 23).
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Immediately after Sasaki’s announcement, the Dodgers announced that they had used an undisclosed international bonus pool to sign separate contracts that sent minor league outfielder Dylan Campbell to the Philadelphia Phillies and Arnaldo Lantigua to the Cincinnati Reds. did. Bonus pool space can only be traded in increments of $250,000. Neither Campbell nor Lantigua are ranked in LA’s top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.
Below is a portion of the scouting report on Sasaki, who is ranked the No. 7 free agent in his class.
Sasaki has been attracting worldwide attention since he pitched a perfect game with 19 strikeouts in 2022 at the age of 20. He has elite speed and a devastating swing-and-miss splitter/forkball. Sasaki has been plagued by injuries and has only started in 33 games over the past two seasons. Due to his amateur free agent classification, his earning potential is completely suppressed. Still, a fully realized Sasaki has a chance to become an immediate starter in the majors.
Sasaki’s contract was delayed because he was designated an amateur free agent and waited to make a decision until the bonus pool was reset on January 15th. Despite announcing his deal with the Dodgers, Sasaki doesn’t actually have to put pen to paper until next Thursday, as the 45-day posting window expires on Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. ET.
The Marines will receive a posting fee based on Sasaki’s contract bonus. Since he is on a minor league contract, his fee will be 25% of his bonus, or $1.625 million of his $6.5 million. This is a pittance compared to the more than $50 million in posting fees the Orix Buffaloes received for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but because he was 25 years old and not eligible for the bonus pool, he was given a $325 million contract. I was able to sign it.
The Dodgers will likely use a six-man rotation next season. Sasaki has never pitched more than 129 1/3 innings in a season and has been injured over the years. Additionally, Shohei Ohtani is returning from elbow surgery and has been part of a six-man rotation throughout his MLB career. The club rotation looks like this:
RHP Shohei Ohtani LHP Blake Snell RHP Tyler Glasnow RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto RHP Loki Sasaki RHP Tony Gonsolin RHP Dustin May RHP Landon Knack RHP Bobby Miller LHP Justin Robleski
Notably absent: Clayton Kershaw. He said he plans to pitch in 2025. He is also an uncontracted free agent. Kershaw, who will turn 37 in April, missed most of last season with shoulder surgery and toe issues. He will also benefit from a six-man rotation. The Dodgers could consider trading May or Gonsolin, but neither will pitch in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery.
Sasaki was teammates with Ohtani and Yamamoto on the Japan team that won the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He is said to consider Yu Darvish a mentor, so the Padres must have had some appeal. But in the end, Sasaki couldn’t pass up the chance to play alongside Ohtani on a team that is the defending champion and projected to be the best team in baseball in 2025.
