Dave Roberts offers unsatisfactory timeline to Dodgers figuring out Roki Sasaki

If you told a Dodgers fan exactly a year ago that Roki Sasaki would unquestionably be the weakest link in LA's rotation, they probably would've laughed at you.

Sure, there were a lot of unknowns with Sasaki. Not all Japanese pitchers can have as seamless a transition to MLB as, say, Shota Imanaga. Even Yoshinobu Yamamoto spent a significant chunk of his rookie season on the IL, and Sasaki would be making his debut two years younger. He was leaving NPB after an injury-shortened season and had dealt with velocity issues before his departure.

None of those things were red flags for the Dodgers, who did just as much as every other team to court him. When Sasaki announced his own signing, it was unanimously seen as yet another win for LA. The raw talent was undeniable.

The Dodgers immediately pled patience with him, but now that we're in the second year of his tenure and he's offered little reason to believe in him as a starter, exactly how long are we supposed to be patient?

According to Dave Roberts, it's still going to be a while. "We're very mindful that [Sasaki] is essentially two years, three years behind Yamamoto," Roberts said, "as far as on the progression side, the development side."

Dave Roberts reiterates why Dodgers are exercising patience with Roki Sasaki's development

... so does that mean we could plausibly be waiting until 2028 to see Sasaki at the top of his game?

It takes players a while to prove they're star material ... but that's what the minor leagues are for. The Dodgers, for the second year in a row, declined to send Sasaki to Triple-A out of camp. Andrew Friedman cited the growing gap between there and the majors and said that guys the Dodgers really believe in, like Sasaki, will be better off getting reps in the majors.

So the Dodgers will continue to let him fail upwards.

The Dodgers have enough pure talent (and the postseason pool is so big) that it would take a disaster for them to not end up in a playoff spot. They can lose every five games with Sasaki on the mound while still being the favorites to win every other four. That's an unbelievable luxury that, really, only the Dodgers can afford.

And maybe it'll pay off. But that won't make it any more fun for Dodgers fans to watch.