Dodgers adding Roki Sasaki to super rotation is growing more inevitable

There are a few big names on the free agent market this offseason — Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried — but they might all be eclipsed by Roki Sasaki, NPB's young pitching phenom. At just 23, Sasaki has already pitched a perfect game (he did that when he was just 20), and holds the world record for consecutive strikeouts in a single game at 13. He gained international attention when he pitched for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2023, and hype for him might've even been bigger than the hype for teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Sasaki has reportedly been trying to get to MLB for years now, but because of MLB's international posting rules, he can only come over as an amateur international free agent until he's 25. Being posted as an amateur would make him significantly cheaper for any interested MLB team, and it would lessen the return for his current NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Although he was allegedly butting heads with the Marines last season regarding when he would be posted, he eventually agreed on a contract to stay in Japan. However, he declined an offer from them again this week.

He did the same last season, so it wasn't necessarily a reason to get too excited on its own. Another piece of news followed quickly, though: ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported that there were "indications pointing" to Sasaki being posted, and that the Dodgers were "heavily favored" to sign him.

New reporting suggests Roki Sasaki will be posted to MLB this year, and the Dodgers are a lock to sign him

Sasaki can and probably should listen to multiple teams if he is posted, but because he'll only be able to make so much money, it'll really come down to where he wants to play. With the new wave of Japanese players across MLB, many could tempt him — the Dodgers, Cubs, Padres, Mets — but his insistence to get to the States coinciding with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto's World Series win in their first seasons in LA? It would be shocking if he doesn't choose the Dodgers, who also have a long-standing relationship with him dating back to his high school years.

That would stack the rotation with Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, and eventually Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers have said that they're likely to use a six-man rotation again in 2025, which would give them the space to re-sign Walker Buehler or Jack Flaherty, give one of the standout rookies more time to shine, or chase yet another high-end starter.

The Dodgers will be quick to pounce as soon as the Marines make their decision on Sasaki's future, but there's a lot of reason to be optimistic we'll see him in Dodger blue if it happens this year.