Dodgers’ path to signing NPB's next best pitcher is clear after Roki Sasaki deal

The Dodgers didn't need to get Roki Sasaki to make it clear that they're favorites for Japanese talent looking to come over to MLB, but now that they have him, they look basically unbeatable in that department. Yu Darvish can give his World Baseball Classic teammates all of the Padres gear he desires, but Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto simply to have to exist in LA, and players will want to flock there.

Sasaki, Yamamoto, Shōta Imanaga, Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, and even Nationals lefty Shinnosuke Ogasawara have marked a renewed wave of NPB's best making the transition to MLB. Heads are already starting to turn to slugger Munetaka Murakami, who hit 56 home runs in 2022 and helped Japan clinch the WBC title in 2023 with a walk-off double against Mexico in the semifinal. He's expected to be posted in 2026.

There are other names, though, and one in particular already seems to have his sights set on LA. Chunichi Dragons ace Hiroto Takahashi (also a member of Japan's 2023 WBC team) was spotted working out in Dodgers gear on Sunday.

Roki Sasaki's signing with Dodgers opens floodgates for a new wave of Japanese talent

Takahashi pitched 172 2/3 innings last season for a stunning 1.30 ERA, making him even better than Sasaki in 2024 (Sasaki had a 2.35 ERA and was injured for a significant amount of time). He has a 2.10 ERA and 409 strikeouts over 406 1/3 innings in three seasons in NPB, and he picked up his first NPB All-Star nod in 2024.

Takahashi's only 22, which makes him ineligible from coming over to MLB as a fully-fledged free agent until the 2027 offseason. Sasaki's early arrival doesn't feel like a precedent-setter, given the last player to do it was Ohtani six years prior, but if Takahashi's 2025 and 2026 season look anything like his 2024, he could opt to take a pay cut and come over sooner.

The Dodgers might also have Tyler Glasnow off the payroll and roster after 2027. He has a club option worth $30 million for 2028, but if he can't stay healthy, then the Dodgers might want to reallocate that money to another promising pitcher who's clearly already a fan.

Mark Walter should probably just build a bridge from LA to Tokyo at this point. It feels like Sasaki, Ohtani, and Yamamoto mark just the start of a new era for the Dodgers.