MLB free agency got a jolt when the Chiba Lotte Marines announced their intention to post Roki Sasaki before the start of the 2025 season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers emerged as the early favorite to sign Sasaki, who is considered one of the most talented pitchers to come out of Japan.
That speculation only grew after Sasaki’s former Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) teammate Dallas Keuchel noted he essentially had a handshake agreement to sign with the Dodgers.
Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe pushed back on that notion, and now MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league would investigate the Dodgers if there is reason to believe they violated tampering rules, via Evan Drellich of The Athletic:
“In my media training, they told me never to answer questions that involve suspicions, so I could pass all together,” Manfred said when asked about the money the Dodgers had preserved in their 2024 pool. “Just one clarification. It kind of looks like the way it’s going to shake out, the signing there — just because of the timing — will happen in the new pool period. So that’s kind of a significant fact.
“But you know, we’re going to see what happens there. If there’s any reason to believe that there was a violation of one of our rules, you can rest assured that we will thoroughly investigate and try to get to the bottom of it.”
The Dodgers have long been interested in Sasaki, but there is no evidence that suggests they secretly worked out a deal with the 23-year-old.
The Dodgers reportedly hoped to sign Sasaki with their remaining bonus pool money during the 2024 international signing period. However, he won’t be posted until the new period begins on Jan. 15, 2025, which is when every team’s bonus pool resets.
L.A. won’t have a monetary advantage over other teams since Sasaki will be subject to international signing rules as an amateur free agent rather than entering MLB free agency with no limitations on his contract.
While the Dodgers could still end up landing Sasaki, they don’t have as easy of a path to signing him as it would appear.
Dodgers still considered ‘heavy favorite’ for Roki Sasaki
The Dodgers’ pursuit of Sasaki could be affected by the belief that he is nursing an injury and may prefer signing with a small-market team. The right-hander is also said to have an affinity for San Diego Padres ace Yu Darvish.
Despite those potential obstacles, many still consider the Dodgers to be the overwhelming favorites to sign Sasaki.
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