Now that Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki has officially signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he’s ready to enjoy some American food. “I haven’t tried any American hamburgers, so I’m really looking forward to eating the best,” Sasaki said through an interpreter during an interview with SportsNetLA.
The 23-year-old Sasaki signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent, which means he is under team control for six seasons. He also received a $6.5 million signing bonus, giving him the opportunity to try as many hamburgers as he wants.
Sasaki dominated in Nippon Professional Baseball, recording a 2.10 ERA across four seasons with 505 strikeouts in 394 2/3 innings. He was highly coveted in Major League Baseball, but chose the reigning World Series champions as his next team.
The Dodgers have signed two free agent pitchers from Japan in the past two seasons, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto receiving a 12-year, $325 million deal last offseason. Sasaki plans on relying on both Yamamoto and fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani, who will return to the mound after not pitching last year to recover from Tommy John surgery.
The Dodgers’ rotation is stacked, with Sasaki, Ohtani, Yamamoto, and starters Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell all having the potential to be aces. The team will begin their journey to become repeat World Series champions in Japan against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19.