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Roki Sasaki and his agent Joel Wolfe ensured the playing field was even when the NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines posted the right-hander in early December.
He was open to speaking with all 30 Major League Baseball teams, but only eight stood out above the rest. One of those teams was the Los Angeles Dodgers, who eventually signed the 23-year-old.
While the Dodgers are ecstatic to land Sasaki, there are other teams who believe “the fix is in,” according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.
“Folks with other teams absolutely believe the fix is in on this thing,” Olney told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain on a recent episode Dodgers Dougout Live. “They thought there was an agreement behind the scenes, that the Dodgers had this thing going all along.
“They were mad with how it played out. The teams going throught this process were asked to give information to Sasaki on what they would suggest to improve his fastball, they handed that information over and now it’s proprietary information that’s in the hands of the pitcher and the Dodgers. A lot of it made teams mad but the bottom line is the Dodgers get a great pitcher and I think the Dodgers right now are the perfect team to have him.”
More news: Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki, Who Almost Had Tommy John Surgery, Says Health Played Key Role in MLB Decision
Why are the Dodgers perfect for Sasaki?
The Dodgers plan to ease Sasaki into their system gradually, unlike other teams that viewed him as an immediate starter and might have pushed him too soon. With a veteran-heavy rotation, the Dodgers have the depth to avoid rushing him into a high-pressure role.
Smaller-market teams may also be frustrated by the Dodgers’ significant presence in Japan, an advantage few teams can match.
Sasaki signed a minor league contract and will have to earn his roster spot during spring training but Andrew Friedman has already said he will begin the season in the starting rotation as the team open’s the year against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo.
“He’s gonna go and start the season and we will continue to work with him in between starts,” Friedman said. “There’s more travel here. But we don’t have any official number of innings or anything that we’re going to pre-determine. It’s going to be much more about partnering with him, getting that feedback, seeing how he bounces back between starts, and obviously as we get into the season, we’ll know a lot more than we do today.”
More news: Dodgers Plan for Roki Sasaki in 2025 Revealed by Andrew Friedman
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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