“We all know that Sasaki will be taken by the Dodgers in the end.”
Japanese “monster” pitcher Roki Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marines), who throws a 165-kilometer fastball, will eventually go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to local reports in the U.S. media. “While the Dodgers feel they can’t sign any more star players, several general managers believe that Roki Sasaki, one of the world’s best pitchers, will sign with the Dodgers after this season,” reported USA Today reporter Bob Nightingale, analyzing the Dodgers’ recent additions.
“Every team in the majors wants him,” one major league general manager told the publication in an anonymous interview. But Sasaki is untouchable by anyone but the Dodgers. We all know that,” he said bluntly.
Sasaki, the fastest pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the youngest pitcher in Japanese history to throw a perfect game, is expected to make the jump to the majors after this season. While there hasn’t been an announcement from his club, Chiba Lotte, 안전놀이터 it was rumored that Sasaki wanted to play in the major leagues after last season, which put him at odds with the club. While Sasaki stayed in Japan this season, it seems likely that he’ll try after this season.
Major League Baseball teams have already taken notice of him.
USA Today doesn’t say if this means that Sasaki and the Dodgers have been in preliminary talks, or how far along they are, but it does seem to convey a sense that rumors are circulating among Major League Baseball insiders that Sasaki and the Dodgers are already in talks.
If so, the news is quite shocking. “Can you imagine the Dodgers’ five-man rotation of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Sasaki, Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller, and Dustin May?” the Nightingale reporter asked.
The Dodgers were the top winners of the Major League Baseball Stovepipe heading into this season. The Dodgers have spent a total of $1.315 billion (about $1.757 trillion) on a series of big-name signings. They signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract, the largest in professional sports history, and Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million deal. To bolster the starting rotation, the team signed free-agent acquisition Tyler Glasnow to a five-year, $136.5 million extension and locked up starting catcher Will Smith to a 10-year, $140 million contract. The total value of the “big” contracts signed before the start of the 2024 season is $1.757 trillion.
The Dodgers have Mookie Betts under contract for 12 years and $365 million through the 2021 season, and Freddie Freeman has signed a six-year, $162 million deal through the 2022 season.
With so many big-name stars on the market, adding Sasaki to the mix would be a huge coup.
Of course, Sasaki’s price tag is expected to be much lower than when Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers last winter under the postseason system. 메이저 토토사이트 Yamamoto was considered a proven pitcher who had spent years as one of NPB’s top pitchers and won titles, while Sasaki is a bit more of a “waiting in the wings” player who has yet to complete a regulation inning. However, given his potential, his price tag could skyrocket if the Dodgers and other clubs are in the running for him.
In 2025, Ohtani could return to pitching and resume his two-hitter. The Dodgers’ “Japan Trio” of Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki could be the best 1-3 starters in baseball.