Los Angeles Dodgers land star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki

Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, the hottest international free agent in baseball, is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced on social media Friday.

The 23-year-old right-hander said he signed a minor-league deal. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"I have signed a minor contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers," he said on Instagram in a translated post from Japanese to English. "It was a very difficult decision, but I will do my best to make it the right decision when I look back after my baseball career. I want to slip my sleeve on the Dodgers uniform at the opening conference, thanking everyone who has supported me this far."

Sasaki is just the latest Japanese star to join MLB. Reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season after six years with the Los Angeles Angels. The franchise also brought in pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2023 on a 12-year, $325 million deal. Both were instrumental in Los Angeles winning the 2024 World Series. 

Sasaki's long-awaited signing follows a suspenseful offseason, during which teams including the, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants courted the young pitcher. For his initial meetings with teams, Sasaki requested that no players be present, prompting much speculation around his landing spot.

By Monday, Sasaki had narrowed down his finalists to Blue Jays, Dodgers and Padres. Many saw the Dodgers as the long-held favorites thanks to his experience playing with Ohtani and Yamamoto on the Japanese national team and the team’s star-studded lineup. The Padres were also seen as a major contender because Sasaki would be reunited with his one-time mentor, accomplished Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish.

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Despite Sasaki’s draw, his contract isn’t the blockbuster that others like Ohtani have signed because of MLB rules. International players under the age of 25 are considered amateurs and can only sign a minor-league contract with an additional bonus.

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Sasaki, who played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League, has a career ERA of 2.10 with 505 career strikeouts and a 29-15 record. In 2022, he threw a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes, NPB’s first perfect game in almost 30 years. His stellar performance earned him the nickname “the Monster of the Reiwa Era,” referring to Japan’s current political era. Still, Sasaki has said he has more to learn in MLB.

“Roki is by no means a finished product,” Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe told Sports Illustrated of his move to the U.S. “He knows it, and the teams know it. He’s incredibly talented. We all know that. But he is a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here just to be rich or to get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever.”