Reigning World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers’ Pitching Rotation to Get a Big Lift
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching rotation is about to get a significant boost. Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki announced on Friday that he will be joining the team, signing a minor league contract with the organization. The 23-year-old’s Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, will receive compensation from the MLB franchise.
Sasaki is the latest Japanese-born superstar to join the Dodgers in the past year, following superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani won his third career MVP trophy last season and plans to return to the pitching mound in 2025.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman previously considered signing Sasaki a “major priority.” Sasaki met with the team earlier this week, and the combination of his youth and elite talent made him a coveted prospect. The Dodgers were long considered the favorites in the race to land the pitcher, whose fastball routinely reaches 100 mph and can also throw an impressive splitter.
A long list of MLB clubs submitted information about their respective organizations to Sasaki and his agent in December during baseball’s winter meetings. By January, the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, and Dodgers were the final teams under consideration. The Dodgers’ projected pitching rotation already features Tyler Glasnow, Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Clayton Kershaw, as well as Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who signed with the team earlier this offseason.