The Los Angeles Dodgers locked in over $1 billion to both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto this past offseason, showing a willingness to open the pocketbooks for controllable assets.
Looking ahead, the Dodgers could have their eyes on another Japanese star in Roki Sasaki, the 22-year-old phenom of the Chiba Lotte Marines. The right-hander has posted a 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, with 61 strikeouts in 53.2 innings so far in 2024.
When Sasaki is officially posted, the Dodgers are reportedly the favorite to sign the phenom, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
The early favorite for Chiba Lotte wunderkind right-hander Roki Sasaki, the next great Japanese import: Dodgers. Who else?
MLB posting system rules require foreign-born players to have completed six professional seasons or be at least 25 years old in order to be eligible for free agency without any restrictions.
However, a clause in his contract allows for him to leave NPB for MLB whenever he requests, similar to the deal Ohtani had.
The Dodgers would be capped on the amount of money they’d be able to offer Sasaski, but the fee they’d have to pay the Marines could be north of $45 million. For a player of his caliber, they’ll gladly pay the fee to acquire such a talent.
The Dodgers still have a large amount of international signing money, which should be to their benefit in their pursuit.
Roki Sasaki believed to be posted per MLB Scouts
With Sasaki expected to make the jump to the big leagues next year, several teams are regularly scouting him and preserving international bonus space in the event he is posted.
The Dodgers are among teams keeping their international bonus money in preparation. Scouts and executives have been regularly scouting him and traveling to Japan to watch him in person.
Sasaki was selected by the Marines with the first overall pick in the 2019 NPB Draft, and will be a highly coveted player in the fall.
