Rocky Sasaki with the Chiba Lotte Mariners; Licensed by CC 2.0
When the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to his $700 million contract in the 2023 offseason, they had their sights set on winning the World Series in 2024. The Dodgers got their wish, crushing the New York Yankees in 5 dominant games. Their only mistake in the Fall Classic came with a depleted bullpen trying to muster a full series of innings on the road with Ben Kasparius as the starting pitcher. It was this lack of starting pitching that had so many people, myself included, writing off the 2024 Dodgers before the postseason even started. Their pitching staff, however, went on to post a scoreless record in the postseason with dominant performances from mostly everyone involved. The scary thing is that in 2025, their draw could get even better.
23-year-old Japanese superstar Rocky Sasaki has dominated his competition since he started playing. By the time he was 19, he had a 1.84 ERA in 16 starts. The baseball world last saw him perform on the big stage at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. It was recently confirmed that Sasaki will be deployed by NPB and make his MLB debut in the 2025 regular season. The consensus among baseball fans is that the Dodgers will land this talented RHP. I feel like it was generally assumed that Rocky would go to Los Angeles (not the Angels) in the offseason last year as well. It’s hard to deny the appeal considering they have Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a new World Series for Rocky to look to.
However, every team will get their crack at Rocky. He is under the same signing terms as Ohtani, having been drafted before the age of 25. This means his money will come from teams’ international signing bonuses, rather than a contract like a standard free agent. This fact makes it even more interesting to see who will sign Sasaki. Unfortunately, the Dodgers have the largest amount of money in their international signing bonus pool, so this is another sign that the Los Angeles contract is showing. What would his lineup look like, and how would he fit in with the new team’s other starting rotation? This article will look at 3 potential suitors for one of Japan’s top pitching prospects and what Sasaki’s contribution would mean for each of them.
But first, it’s worth getting to know Rocky’s arsenal on the mound. His fastball touches 102 MPH and has the ability to swing and miss at a respectable clip. However, it’s worth noting that an injury to his throwing arm slowed him down somewhat, as he went from averaging 98.8 MPH in 2023 to 96.8 MPH in 2024. MLB.com have said that as long as there are no major injury issues in his near future, this fastball regression shouldn’t be a concern. Sasaki, like many other pitchers to come out of Japan, throws a splitter. However, he is unlike anyone else in the world. The average MLB hitter on splitters was 34.5% in 2024, Sasaki’s was 57.1%. This pitch is what made Rocky famous as he regularly throws it at 90+ MPH and forces the opposition to hit the plate. He also throws a slider-type breaking ball, but has primarily been a two-pitch in the eyes of baseball fans.
The successful signing of Rocky Sasaki by the Dodgers will send the baseball world into a sort of depression, mostly because they know this franchise has a chance to win the World Series 5+ times in the next 10 seasons. In theory, their starting rotation could be Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Rocky Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow and either Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw or Bobby Miller. Last season, the Dodgers learned firsthand that you can never play too much. their healthy the pitching depth chart is scary for the rest of the league. You know there’s a problem when it’s hard to figure out the 4th best pitcher in a 5-man rotation. Any one of those top 4 guys has the upside to be the ace of the staff. Plus, they could go out and sign Max Fried for the hell of it. Watch out for this Dodgers team to turn into madness this offseason. They tasted a true World Series win for the first time since 1988, and they have no plans of slowing down.
The Giants have morphed into the obvious little brother of the Dodgers over the past few years. It’s sad to say, but I can guarantee that the majority of Dodger fans view the Padres as their bigger competition than the Giants these days. The Giants have already been active in the offseason, but not in the signing market. They finally parted ways with Farhan Zaidi after years of fan outcry. They installed one Buster Posey at the helm of the organization, who comes across as desperate for a new direction. Still, as a Giants fan, I’m excited to try a fresh start without completely resetting the franchise by bringing in an outsider to right the ship. The signing of Rocky Sasaki would represent Posey’s first huge step as captain of this ship. The Giant’s pitching staff has the potential to compete with the best rotations in the entire league. Their rotation would be: Logan Webb, Rocky Sasaki, Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong/Jordan Hicks (as long as his arm doesn’t give out again in the second half). Like the Dodgers, the Giants have a ton of depth to rotate through. If their pitching can dominate games like it did in 2023, their pitching staff will have a chance to lead them to their first playoff appearance since 2021.
Sorry, American League. According to this writer, I see Sasaki making it to the NL. The Phillies make an interesting case with Rocky this offseason. Their consistency over the last few seasons is certainly a plus. Coming so close in 2022 and then losing the NLCS in 2023 has Philly baseball fans wanting more. Signing Sasaki, while an unusual move, would be a fantastic decision for this team. It feels like the Phillies have been missing something from their starting rotation lately. Everyone knows about Zack Wheeler’s dominance and Aaron Nola’s consistency. Outside of those guys, it’s hard to name another noteworthy contributing arm. Guys like Christopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez provide exceptional depth among lefties, but guys like Taijuan Walker were there last season to take everyone down a notch. Signing Sasaki would create a rotation close to this: Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Rocky Sasaki, Ranger Suarez and Christopher Sanchez. This group of guys, combined with Philly’s always potent bullpen, creates depth on the mound that has been lacking for them. The Phillies’ bats are always going to show up, especially in October. Adding someone like Sasaki would give Bryce Harper a great shot at his first ring.
Roki Sasaki’s streak will be the highlight of the offseason. For now, all eyes are on Juan Soto. His decision has the potential to set a record for a contract awarded to a team forward. There is a world where the Dodgers get both Soto and Sasaki. Doing so for the foreseeable future will send the baseball world into an absolute frenzy. Still, look for Sasaki to make an impact on any team that brings him deep in 2025 and beyond.
