The Los Angeles Dodgers and Japanese pitching talent Roki Sasaki have been linked since before they secured their 8th World Series title and still to this day they are seen as the front runners to land the fireballer. Bleacher Report has confirmed as much in their recent breakdown of the pitcher’s top 10 potential landing spots.
Dodgers Favored To Sign Roki Sasaki
They sum it up by writing: “Let’s just say it would be a surprise if anyone beats the Dodgers to Sasaki.”
They cite ESPN’s Buster Olney, who stated that “widespread industry belief” has already picked a team and that it is “most likely” Los Angeles.
But unlike, many of the Dodgers’ big additions, signing Sasaki won’t depend on the team’s deep pockets. Because of the limitations on international amateurs, Sasaki can’t simply be signed to a huge contract. But he is interested in LA for other reasons.
Bleacher Report claims that the Dodgers set themselves up in an even better spot to land Sasaki by winning the World Series this season, “Well, they certainly have timing on their side. They just won the World Series, effectively putting an exclamation mark on a 12-year run as the winningest team in MLB.”
And it is that track record that they see as the primary reason for Sasaki’s interest.
“The Dodgers also have sheer cultural cachet, particularly in Japan. To this end, their $1 billion worth of investments in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are already paying off.” Bleacher Report writes. “They have been maintaining a strong talent pipeline for a while now, and it’s not currently in imminent danger of getting weaker. Reuter has their farm system ranked as one of the 10 best in MLB.”
The San Diego Padres come in as the next most favored destination. Sasaki developed a close relationship with Padres ace, Yu Darvish, while the two participated in the World Baseball Classic, but according to the BR, they also share the same agent, Joel Wolfe