Dodgers Land Japanese Phenom Roki Sasaki for Bargain-Basement Price

The already-mighty Dodgers are becoming even stronger—again.

The defending World Series champions are signing star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, bringing to a conclusion a high-profile pursuit that initially involved 20 of MLB’s 30 clubs. The addition—coming at a massive discount relative to his talent with his signing bonus no more than $8.23 million—further burnishes an already loaded roster that includes fellow countrymen Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

The 23-year-old Sasaki announced on Instagram Friday the deal with the Dodgers, selecting the club over several other serious suitors that included the Blue Jays and Padres.

“It was a very difficult decision, but I will do my best so that when I look back on it after my baseball career ends, I will think it was the right decision,” Sasaki said.

Because Sasaki elected to leave Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball now, and not after he turned 25, he was classified as an international amateur free agent. His final bonus will depend somewhat on the Dodgers’ final moves in the coming days with their international signing bonus pool. The final figure, however, will remain perhaps less than a quarter of what someone of his ability could garner had he been an unrestricted free agent. 

Sasaki’s former NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, will receive a release fee of 25% of the pitcher’s signing bonus. Upon joining the Dodgers, Sasaki will be under club control through 2030, and could play at first for as little as the league minimum until earning raises through the arbitration process.

The deal also arrived two days after the opening of MLB’s 2025 signing period of international amateur free agents. The chase for Sasaki, however, preceded that formal start, with many teams sending an extensive range of recruitment materials to his agent, Joel Wolfe, in recent weeks in the hopes of attracting the phenom. But Los Angeles had been seen as a strong favorite throughout the process. 

The Dodgers’ offseason also has included a record-setting $103 million luxury tax bill, as well as five-year, $182 million deal with pitcher Blake Snell.