The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes have been dynamic, everchanging, and even unprecedented, at occasions.
For Los Angeles Dodgers followers, it might really feel painstakingly gradual, regardless of being an early favourite to land the right-hander.
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The Dodgers have been early favorites for just a few causes. Having two Japanese legends not simply on the roster, however the identical pitching rotation in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto was seen as an enormous plus.
To not point out, the trio had received a world championship collectively for crew Japan on the 2023 World Baseball Traditional, taking down Staff USA within the finals.
Nonetheless, a free agent course of reminiscent of this one, being the favourite doesn’t imply a lot when there may be not often any new info on the place Sasaki, or his agent Joel Wolfe, could also be leaning.
The one different outlet of the place the phenom will land is by means of MLB executives.
Bob Nightengale of USA At this time reported that the executives declare a brand new, non-Dodgers, crew has stepped up because the favorites to land Sasaki.
That crew performs about 124 miles south of Dodger Stadium, the San Diego Padres.
The World Baseball Traditional connection can be linked to why Sasaki would probably select a crew that the defending World Collection champs beat within the NLDS.
Yu Darvish, a veteran pitcher for the Friars, was overtly upset when Ohtani and Yamamoto got here to the Dodgers in 2024, and that his personal crew — within the midst of clearing as a lot roster payroll as they might— was barely thought-about.
“Frankly talking, it will have been good in the event that they got here right here, in the event that they have been my teammates,” Darvish stated throughout 2024 Spring Coaching. “However I’m glad for them. They’re in an excellent group.”
The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reported final month that Darvish is “a godfather-like determine amongst lively Japanese gamers”, and likewise stated that the veteran pitcher, “is alleged to badly need the younger right-hander as his teammate.”
It’s price noting that Wolfe, Sasaki’s agent, can be Darvish’s MLB illustration.
One other level that Nightengale describes is cash, which the Dodgers have an excessive amount of.
Regardless of how a lot cash a crew has, as a result of Sasaki is under-25, his signing might be restricted to a quantity between $5.1 million and $7.5 million which is the worldwide signing bonus pool allotment.
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Picture Credit score: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports activities
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