The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes is over—the Japanese-born pitcher announced Friday that he has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Two days after the international signing period opened on Wednesday, Sasaki took to Instagram to share his decision, making the announcement with a picture of a Dodgers cap in the bleachers.
"I have signed a minor contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers," Sasaki's post read, via Instagram’s translation. "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."
The news comes after the San Diego Padres were eliminated from consideration earlier on Friday, leaving the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays as the final two teams. Sasaki had previously eliminated the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees earlier in the week.
Sasaki now bolsters a Dodgers' rotation that struggled with injuries to Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, and River Ryan among others toward the end of the 2024 season. The Dodgers managed to win the World Series anyway with a three-man rotation, but will now have the additional help of Sasaki, Cy Young-award winner Blake Snell, and Shohei Ohtani, who is expected to return to pitching in 2025.
The Dodgers were long the favorites to sign Sasaki, and now they have officially signed him. Sasaki is regarded as one of the most talented pitching prospects in the sport, with an impressive splitter and a fastball that can exceed 100 miles per hour. The Dodgers were already viewed as a super team by many, and they should only continue to dominate with their exceptionally stacked roster.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Roki Sasaki Announces Signing With Dodgers, Ending High-Profile Sweepstakes.