The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their latest talent coup on Wednesday, officially introducing Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki as a member of the team.
After statements from Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedmen, Sasaki introduced himself through an interpreter before facing questions from media for the first time as a Dodger.
The primary question concerned the influence of fellow Japanese Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on his decision.
What influence did Ohtani, Yamamoto play in Sasaki’s decision?
Ohtani just concluded a historic MVP campaign that culminated in his first World Series championship in his first season playing with the Dodgers. Yamamoto’s fresh off a strong rookie season (3.00 ERA, 105 Ks in 90 innning) that featured a bounce-back from a midseason injury to pitch a win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series.
Each player went through a similar process in transitioning from Japanese baseball to MLB. Did they influence Sasaki in his decision to join them on the Dodgers? According to Sasaki, they did not.
Sasaki told reporters that he exchanged texts with both and that they welcomed him when he made his decision. But he made the call to join the Dodgers over the Padres, Blue Jays and other suitors independent of playing with other Japanese players.
“It wasn’t a priority for me if there was or was not a Japanese player on a team as I was looking at all the teams,” Sasaki said through an interpreter. “Being able to play with Ohtani and Yamamoto, both exceptional players, really looking forward to playing with them.
“And not just them, but the rest of the team, which is incredibly talented as well. So I hope and I’m going to work toward making sure I can stand side-by-side with them.”
Sasaki did say that he did prioritize joining a team and a city that would embrace a Japanese player.
“It wasn’t a priority if there were Japanese players on the team,” Sasaki continued. “But I did want to check that a Japanese player would be embraced in the team and the city.”
Why did Sasaki choose the Dodgers?
After an extensive process that included meeting with multiple teams, Sasaki said that he ultimately concluded that the Dodgers are the best franchise as a whole in MLB. And he believes in the front office.
“Overall when I looked at the general consensus, I thought that the Dodgers were at the top,” Sasaki said. … “The number one thing that stood out was the stability of the front office.”
It’s hard to argue with his conclusion. The Dodgers are fresh off a World Series title and have dominated the offseason with high-profile acquisitions in addition to Sasaki including two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and All-Star reliever Kirby Yates. The Dodgers have also retained several of their own key players including Teoscar Hernández and Blake Treinen to solidify themselves as favorites to win the World Series again next season.
When will Sasaki make his Dodgers debut?
The question for Sasaki for 2025 is how big of a role will he play in the Dodgers’ quest for a repeat. At 23 years old with a two-pitch arsenal, Sasaki isn’t yet a polished MLB product like Yamomoto was last season when he joined the Dodgers at 25.
But his fastball and splitter project as two of the best pitches in baseball, and it shouldn’t be long into the 2025 season before he’s a member of the rotation, if there’s any delay at all. When he’s ready, he’ll join a rotation that’s being floated with the upside of one of best in MLB history alongside Ohtani, Snell, Yamomoto and All-Star Tyler Glasnow.
Sasaki could play a big role in realizing that upside. Friedman said Wednesday that Sasaki’s stuff immediately wowed Dodgers scouts when the first saw him six years ago when he was in high school.
“Even then, his explosive fastball, pinpoint command and poise beyond his years stood out.”
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