All rumors are true.
Roki Sasaki agrees to contract with Dodgers He made the announcement on Instagram on Friday night.a move that many had expected since the highly coveted Japanese ace committed to pitching in North America during the 2025 season.
The 23-year-old chose the reigning World Series champions over the Padres and Blue Jays after narrowing down his long list of suitors to the final three.
Sasaki's move to the Giants seemed like a foregone conclusion to some, as the Dodgers have consistently been linked with right-handers.
During this process, Sasaki heard bids from 20 teams, but the final list included the Dodgers and Padres, two Southern California teams, and the promising Blue Jays.
The Yankees and Mets both went into the game hoping to add a young ace to their rotation, but it was learned on Monday that they were not in that slot.
Wednesday was the first day international free agents could be signed.
In the end, Sasaki chose to join the Dodgers team, which also includes Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, who was the National League MVP last season, and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
His presence joins a stacked lineup headlined by Yamamoto, free agent acquisitions Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani, who is recovering from elbow surgery and set to return after not pitching in 2024. Strengthen rotation.
Sasaki's repertoire includes a 160 mph fastball and a deadly split-finger fastball. He previously served as a pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman called him a “tremendous talent.”
“He's as good as advertised,'' says international scouting director. told MLB.com in a November article.. “He has an ideal, lean, athletic frame. He has great arm action and pitching, and is able to make three-plus power throws with controlled command. He has a number one advantage.”
Not only do the Dodgers currently have a 23-year-old ace on staff, but they also don't have to defer payment to sign him.
Sasaki, like Ohtani in 2017, was classified as an international free agent and could only be signed using international bonus pool funds.
