Entering the early stages of the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers have several questions in regard to their roster, with some opportunity to add on the starting pitching front.
The Dodgers added two of Japan’s biggest stars in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last year, and have kept their eye on Roki Sasaki of the Chiba Lotte Marines. Plenty of speculation around the 23-year-old’s free agent status is predicated around if his current team will post him for MLB free agency.
According to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, the Marines are leaning toward posting Sasaki this offseason, which bodes incredibly well for how the Dodgers have positioned themselves to be a landing spot:
Coincidentally, the team with that roughly $2.5 million remaining in its pool, the most in baseball, is the Dodgers: They are heavily favored to land Sasaki just as they landed Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason.
Unlike the traditional free-agent market, international players under the age of 25 and with fewer than six seasons of professional experience can sign for limited amounts.
The latest development with Sasaki is that he declined the latest contract offer from the Marines, perhaps boosting the likelihood they post him.
In 18 starts this past season, he carried a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP with 10.5 strikeouts per nine.
What would Roki Sasaki do for Dodgers rotation?
Sasaki is very advanced for his age with his arsenal and pitcher profile. Being a big piece to Japan’s latest World Baseball Classic starting rotation, he displayed an overpowering display of pitches with solid command.
If Sasaki is posted and chooses to sign with the Dodgers, he’ll have a comfortable landing spot with Ohtani and Yamamoto, without the pressure of being a No. 1 starter. A dip in expectation may be a positive in his early years in Major League Baseball, which could only help his development.
Sasaki would slot directly into the middle of their starter group, with the upside of a frontend ace given his stuff.
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