The Los Angeles Dodgers have become synonymous with superstars. Is it ever a surprise that they might add another to the mix?
Shohei Ohtani--check. Mookie Betts--check. Freddie Freeman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow--check, check, and check. Sometimes it feels like the only thing difficult about being a Dodgers fan nowadays is choosing which jersey to buy at the team store.
With such a bevy of talent at their disposal (we didn't even mention Clayton Kershaw or Teoscar Hernández), the Dodgers have as good a chance as anyone to lift the World Series trophy in 2024. But could they load up on even more superstar talent in 2025?
One Major League Baseball insider believes that could be the case, and that the Dodgers may draw from a familiar talent pool.
MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand listed the Dodgers among his top 2025 free-agent destinations for Japanese superstar right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki. Only 23 years old, Sasaki is eligible to be posted this winter by his current team, the Chiba Lotte Marines.
"Sasaki, who has a 1.95 ERA over his first four seasons in Japan, would become one of the top available starters if he were posted," Feinsand said.
Sasaki was listed as a bonus pick in Feinsand's article, because it's uncertain whether he will come to MLB at all. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Sunday that "several club executives" believe he may stay in Japan another season.
Sasaki could end up the best pitcher to sign a major league contract this winter. As good as established stars like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried are, they don't throw 102 miles per hour. That, plus Sasaki's age and price tag, make him one the most valuable commodities imaginable.
Because Sasaki is under 25 and has not played six full seasons in Japan's equivalent of the majors, he is subject to the international amateur signing bonus pool, which puts a cap on how much each team can spend on players outside the American amateur talent pool.
With the playing field essentially leveled in terms of money, it becomes a question of where Sasaki actually wants to play. Although one can never assume anything, it's easy to imagine joining his Japanese World Baseball Classic teammates, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, might be of interest to the young superstar.
There are lots of variables in play that could prevent the Sasaki-Dodgers union from taking shape. But if it does, it's safe to say the rest of baseball will continue to fear the Dodger blue for years to come.
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