If the Dodgers hadn’t signed top Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, their summer wouldn’t have been a complete catastrophe.
However, the club made sure that it will be the sport’s envy for a second consecutive winter by agreeing to sign the 23-year-old star right-hander on Friday.
Sasaki’s choice to join the Dodgers on what would initially be a typical minor league contract with a small $6.5 million signing bonus immediately changes the club’s prospects for the near and distant future.
He will be an additional component in their strategy to win the World Series again the following season. He may remain a cost-effective cornerstone for years to come, though, thanks to his incredibly low contract, which Sasaki was bound to because he was traveling from Japan before the age of 25 and was therefore considered an international amateur.
The Dodgers
Dodgers to sign Japanese star Roki Sasaki in yet another free-agency victory for L.A.
In order to strengthen their already strong starting pitching staff, the Dodgers agree to sign Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, capping off another significant victory in free agency.
According to Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, it’s all part of the reason the Dodgers made signing the youthful flame-thrower a top priority this winter after scouting him so thoroughly in recent years.
Now that they have, they appear more prepared than ever to establish a full-fledged dynasty out of their recent decade or more of domination. Here are three conclusions on how Sasaki’s arrival affected things.