The Los Angeles Dodgers have been on an unprecedented stretch that dates back to last offseason when they signed Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to respective record-setting contracts.
The Dodgers then went on to win the World Series, which has been followed by the signings of Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, among other additions. Sasaki chose to sign with the Dodgers from a group of finalists that also included the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.
It was an outcome many expected, and one that was preceded by an MLB investigation prior to Sasaki being posted to ensure there wasn’t a handshake agreement between Sasaki and the Dodgers.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Yamamoto was instrumental in Sasaki’s posting process by highlighting how the Dodgers can help his transition from the NPB:
“I was told in the last 24 hours that a really key conversation in the midst of the courtship of Sasaki came between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. … What I was told is the ability for Yamamoto to articulate the way in which the Dodgers helped him feel so comfortable in Year 1, was instrumental in Sasaki choosing the Dodgers.”
Unlike when Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers, Sasaki is joining the Majors earlier in his career and thus subject to league rules for amateur international players.
Sasaki reportedly received a $6.5 million signing bonus, which required the Dodgers to complete separate trades to acquire pool money. The Dodgers went into the 2025 international signing period with a bonus pool of $5,146,200, which was tied with the San Francisco Giants for the lowest total among all teams.
Considering Sasaki pushed to get posted at just 23 years old and before accruing six years of service time in the NPB, finances weren’t a motivating factor. While that didn’t necessarily benefit the Dodgers, having Yamamoto appeared to have been an ace in their pocket.
Dodgers considered changing Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s schedule
Like they’ll do with Sasaki, the Dodgers kept Yamamoto on his routine of pitching one per week. However, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman revealed there was a plan to get the right-hander on a more traditional MLB schedule later in the year.
But that possibility was ruled out once Yamamoto suffered his right triceps/rotator cuff injury.
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