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    Japanese ace Roki Sasaki reveals which MLB team he’s signing with

    The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes has come to an end.

    Sasaki announced on Instagram that he will be joining the Dodgers, becoming the latest Japanese star to sign in Los Angeles. As Sasaki is just 23 years old, he will receive a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

    Sasaki’s decision to join the Dodgers is the culmination of a courtship that began in 2019. He had attracted the attention of the Dodgers, and other major league teams, when he threw over 100 mph in high school, breaking Shohei Ohtani’s record. Sasaki had flirted with the idea of bypassing Nippon Professional Baseball altogether before ultimately declaring for the NPB Draft.

    Sasaki quickly showed why he was so coveted, emerging as one of the best pitching prospects to ever come out of Japan. His triple-digit fastball, plus slider and a splitter that may be one of the best in the world, combined with his pinpoint control, made Sasaki a dominant force for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

    Sasaki had a historic career despite spending just four seasons with the Marines. A two-time All-Star, Sasaki set the NPB record by striking out 19 batters, including a world record 13 consecutive batters, in his perfect game on April 10, 2022. He followed that outing with eight more perfect innings, the streak ending when he was lifted for a pinch hitter in a 0-0 game. He won a gold medal as part of the 2023 Samurai Japan World Baseball Classic squad. He posted a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.894 WHiP in his 394.2 innings, striking out 505 batters with 88 walks. 

    Sasaki joins a loaded Dodgers team that has some question marks in the rotation. He will join fellow countrymen Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow to form the best rotation in the game. However, each pitcher has battled injuries throughout their career. Sasaki himself has durability concerns as he threw more than 100 innings twice in his time in Japan.

    Sasaki is the capstone of what has been another impressive offseason for the Dodgers. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez returned on a three-year, $66 million deal. Outfielder Michael Conforto signed a one-year, $17 million deal to take over in right. KBO second baseman Hyeseong Kim provides potentially Gold Glove defense and an intriguing option at the bottom of the lineup at second base. While the Dodgers are likely to add more pieces as they look to defend their World Series title, Sasaki is their biggest signing in the 2024-25 offseason.



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