Dodgers' Roki Sasaki sweepstakes feel sillier than ever after latest update

Perhaps the most talked-about offseason storyline was how the Los Angeles Dodgers were on a different playing field from every other MLB team. Not only does the club have deeper pockets than anyone else, but they have built a brand that allows them to attract talent like Roki Sasaki in an instance where financial might had no bearing.

The baseball world waited breathlessly for the young phenom's decision, and when he predictably landed in LA, the sour grapes brigade came out of the woodwork with accusations of shady backdoor dealings.

Since then, the outcries have gone silent. Sasaki hasn't lit the world on fire as promised, nor has he been available despite initial optimism that his shoulder impingement wouldn't keep him out for too long.

With Sasaki now struggling through his rehab assignment, and questions about whether or not he'll even return to the Dodgers' big league roster this season, it's fair to wonder if all the hoopla was even worth it.

As concerns mount over Roki Sasaki's fastball velocity, the Dodgers have to question if this investment has been worth all the hype

Some billed Sasaki as possibly the greatest pitching prospect ever upon his decision to leave Japan and try his luck on the baseball world's biggest stage. A big reason for that optimism was Sasaki's electric fastball, which graded out as a 70 on the 80-20 scale and could regularly top triple-digit velocity.

However, upon his stateside arrival, Sasaki was humbled by big league hitters. Despite utilizing that special heater 50% of the time, the 23-year-old struggled to get whiffs and to locate, posting a well below average strikeout rate of 15.6% and a sky-high walk rate of 14.3%.

He'd also get hit around a ton, with many of his offerings going a long way, giving up 1.57 HR/9 before suffering his injury. On the year, he has a big league ERA of 4.72, and his FIP says he's been even worse, coming in at 6.20.

While you might be able to chalk up the early struggles to nerves and then the injury, his rehab performances have brought another concerning trend to light.

Sasaki had seen his velocity drop over his last few starts in May, sitting in the low-to-mid 90s, making his four-seamer that much more ineffective. It's fair to question if the dip was a result of the injury that would land him on the IL for over three months, but the velocity hasn't returned in his rehab starts either.

His latest outing saw another drop, with the fastball going from an average velocity of around 96 miles per hour to a 94.4 miles per hour in his five frames of action against the Houston Astros' Triple-A affiliate.

That's a far cry from the 98-102 miles per hour he is supposedly capable of, and a lack of consistent location with that diminished velocity has meant he's been hit hard and often. With Triple-A Oklahoma City, Sasaki has now posted a 7.02 ERA over four starts.

If this is all the Dodgers are going to get, it's fair to question if any of the media attention that came along with landing Sasaki was even worth it. Time will tell.