The Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to Japanese Pheom Rōki Sasaki after their additions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The belief was that having two of his countrymen and World Baseball Classic teammates get a deal done. However, that may not be the case.
At the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe noted that the star does not need a Japanese star already present on his new team nor is he limiting himself to just the West Coast like some other Japanese stars in the past.
“Wolfe said it ‘could be’ an attraction for Sasaki to go somewhere with veteran Japanese players already on the team, but wouldn’t ‘necessarily need it to succeed.’ Sasaki has also never mentioned having a preference for the West Coast,” the Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris reported on X.
Sasaki is not a normal free agent so the Dodgers cannot throw a dollar amount at him and outbid everyone. Sasaki is an amateur free agent because he is not 25 years old yet. That means teams will only be able to use funds from their international signing bonus pool allotment to get him. The 2024 period ends on December 15 and the Dodgers have $2.5 million remaining. However, Saski is signing in the 2025 window, which opens on January 15. The Dodgers will have $5.1 million at their disposal at that time.
The Dodgers’ seemingly two best bargaining chips may not have as much weight as they previously thought. Sasaki truly could go to any team. It will come down to what he values. According to his agent, pitching development and endorsement opportunities are important factors. That does not rule out the Dodgers but it heightens the competition. However, not every team can claim to be a World Series contender year in and year out.
More MLB: Dodgers suddenly expendable star predicted to dump LA and join Red Sox
