The Los Angeles Dodgers have just signed starting pitcher Roki Sasaki, who is highly regarded as the No. 1 international prospect for the last two years.
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29 MLB teams were disappointed when the 23-year-old star announced the news on his Instagram account, that will be joining the defending World Series champions.
Roki Sasaki announced on his Instagram he'll be joining the Los Angeles Dodgers 🌟 pic.twitter.com/3siuaqmMKL
— MLB (@MLB) January 17, 2025
To note, this means the Dodgers have three of the top Japanese-born players, as Sasaki now joins Shohei Ohtani (10-year/$700 million) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-year/$325 million).
Japan 🇯🇵 ➡️ LA 🌴
Roki Sasaki joins Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers! pic.twitter.com/XNh6KpGt88
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 17, 2025
Looking at the Dodgers' stacked pitching rotation that also includes aces, Tyler Glasnow (five-year/$137 million) and newly acquired Blake Snell (five-year/$182 million), MLB fans are claiming that Sasaki joining the team just "isn't fair."
Now that absolute stud Roki Sasaki has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB should go ahead and CANCEL the season because they allowed this to happen… they let Shohei Ohtani mess with his contract last offseason, they win the World Series, everybody wants to go there, no… pic.twitter.com/HGxLuzhVmq
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) January 17, 2025
Other fans pointed out that the MLB needs a salary cap because the Dodgers "can't keep getting away with this."
With this in mind, MLB insider Jim Bowden believes there may be a scandal in LA, as other MLB teams may ask for an investigation in regards to Sasaki signing with LA.
While the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays also were considered candidates to land Sasaki, there are rumors that the Dodgers had a pre-cut deal.
"I think you're going to find that there is going to be multiple teams that are going to ask the Commissioner's office to investigate this particular signing," Bowden said. "Because I can tell you, there were several front offices that believed there was a pre-cut deal between the Los Dodgers and Roki Sasaki before this process started and before the window came when you are allowed to negotiate with the player."
However, it appears that Sasaki has been a childhood fan of the Dodgers, and him playing with Japan teammates Ohtani and Yamamoto was a contributing factor, as he even took less money to play with them.
Everyone is angry at the Dodgers for "throwing money" at top free agents.
So with Roki Sasaki, they couldn't.
The Dodgers actually had the least amount of money between every team in MLB to give Sasaki.
And yet, Sasaki chose the Dodgers.
What a testament to the organization. pic.twitter.com/QwIvd1JEtV
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) January 17, 2025
Any tampering was denied by Sasaki and his team, even though it was considered a "done deal" prior to other teams even having a chance to engage in talks with the young Japanese star pitcher.
"Almost every front office told me this is where he was going to end up," Bowden continued. "Really believing this will be investigated by the Commissioner's office at some point."
It is yet to be seen if Sasaki will have the same success in the MLB as he had in the NPB (Japanese professional league), but one thing is for certain, there is much excitement in LA, considering the Dodgers may have one of the most talented pitching staffs of all-time.
In view of Sasaki's four seasons in Japan, he had a 29-15 record, earning a 2.10 ERA and .89 WHIP to go with 505 strikeouts and 88 walks.
All in all, fans of the 29 other MLB teams were hoping Sasaki signed anywhere else, as the Dodgers are certainly set up to win back-to-back championships.
Related: LA Dodgers Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto Sparks Secret Dating Rumors With Famous Japanese Model
