He may not be well known in the U.S., but there is a belief that it won't be long before people in the country become familiar with Roki Sasaki. Even at 22 years old, he has shown great talent in the glimpses we've seen of him, making him a likely star once he leaves Japan and joins an American team. The team expected to sign him is likely the Dodgers.
Most probably the Dodgers. They have made significant moves in the Japanese market by signing superstar Shohei Ohtani from the Angels and securing Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a 10-year, $325 million deal this winter. It would make sense for the Dodgers to also acquire Sasaki, a 6-foot-4 pitcher consistently clocked at over 100 mph with his dominant fastball.
According to reports from Japan, the Dodgers are one of eight teams that have been present in Japan to watch Sasaki pitch this year. If he is made available for Major League Baseball teams in the offseason, expect L.A. to be at the forefront.
Roki Sasaki’s Fastball Has Been Clocked at 102.5 MPH
The Dodgers definitely should be there. Sasaki possesses exceptional talent. He has unique skills, able to dominate with only two pitches, the already renowned fastball and a difficult-to-hit split-finger pitch.
Sasaki was 7-4 with a 1.78 ERA in 2023, and a strikeout rate of 13.4 per 9 innings. He struck out seven in 5.0 innings and allowed one run in his 2024 debut.
Sports Info Solutions summarized the fastball: “Sasaki’s fastball is one of two exceptional pitches for him. The average speed would have placed him second among qualified starters in MLB last season, behind only Bobby Miller who averaged 99.1 mph on his four-seamer. Sasaki’s fastball has also reached 102.5 mph.”
In April 2022, Sasaki had an outstanding professional pitching performance, throwing a perfect game and striking out 19 batters.
Shortly after that, Baseball America acknowledged that he could potentially be the best prospect in baseball. “Sasaki only has 16 NPB starts, so his professional success record is relatively short,” the site noted. “But many Japanese aces over the years have shown that exceptional skills in Japan translate well when they transition to the U.S., and Sasaki’s skills are as good as those of almost any Japanese pitcher who has made the move to the U.S.
“There is a strong argument that Sasaki may soon be the best prospect in baseball, even if it may be a few years before he can claim that title.”
Dodgers’ Japanese Contingent Could Affect Ace Pursuit
That will be another interesting aspect to observe. Sasaki has been open about his desire to join the U.S. sooner rather than later, but under the current agreement between the Japanese league and MLB, he cannot do so until he is 25. However, he could find a way around these rules.
If Sasaki is made available, he would have to do so as an amateur and would have to enter MLB with a minor-league contract, with a limit on his bonus. This means he would enter the league at a low cost for three years, after which he would be eligible for a significant salary increase.
That was the route Ohtani chose to enter American baseball in 2017, when he was 23. He received a signing bonus of $2.3 million from the Angels, and made a total of $1.6 million in salary for his first three seasons combined. Sasaki would be a similar bargain.
Considering the $1 billion spent on Ohtani and Yamamoto, the Dodgers would welcome a cost-effective addition. But there’s another factor—Sasaki really wants to demonstrate he is the best pitcher in all of baseball.
He might not be interested in playing in the shadows of Ohtani and Yamamoto, and could be much more open to challenging them with another team.
However, he is worth observing. The Dodgers, obviously, think so.
