Roki Sasaki will make his MLB debut in Dodger Blue after his long-awaited decision. Sasaki was highly predicted to join the San Diego Padres, but things did not go well, and they dropped out of the race. Despite his idol Yu Darvish being on the team, Sasaki chose to sign with the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays and the Dodgers were the last two teams in the Sasaki sweepstakes, but the Dodgers won the race. Many MLB fans are frustrated with the Dodgers for luring top players to their team. Roki Sasaki has his own reasons for siding with the Dodgers, and not everyone is happy with his decision.
Senior MLB analyst Jim Bowden believes there was a “pre-cut” deal between the Dodgers and Sasaki. Bowden shared his thoughts on the same via Foul Territory.
“There’s going to be multiple teams that are going to ask the commissioner’s office to investigate this particular signing because I can tell you there were several front offices that believe here was pre-cut deal between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Roki Sasaki before this process started and before the window came,” Bowden said.
Bowden further elaborated that the reasoning for Sasaki not to sing with the Dodgers didn’t really work.
"There were several front offices that believed there was a pre-cut deal between the Dodgers and Roki Sasaki."@JimBowdenGM thinks multiple teams will ask MLB to investigate Roki Sasaki signing with the Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/VlBouBXgfZ
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 18, 2025
“There were all these reasons to defend on why there wasn’t a pre-cut deal, which works as long as you don’t end up signing with the Dodgers,” Bowden continued.
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Roki Sasaki Will Pitch Along With Shohei Ohtani And Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Japanese star will pitch along with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers have undoubtedly bolstered their starting rotation by adding Sasaki. With Ohtani pitching in 2025, the defending World Series champions have a strong chance to win again.
The team’s starting rotation will feature Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow. The Boys in Blue are also expected to bring back another pitcher from their previous lineup.
The Dodgers will give Roki Sasaki a signing bonus of $6.5 million. The 23-year-old is set to be a major league player soon. Sasaki is one of the most-awaited Japanese stars to enter MLB. However, several fans used social media to vent their frustration on the Dodgers.
Also Read: Padres In Hot Pursuit To Sign World Series Champion After Dropping Out On Roki Sasaki
