Roki Sasaki was the most sought-after international signing this offseason. He is a true talent who possesses unreal pitching ability at such a young age, per MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. The 23-year-old Japanese star's scouting report shows a fastball that can hit north of 100 mph while also being able to mix in a splitter and slider as his put-away pitches. He was viewed as an immediate cornerstone piece to any pitching staff he joined.
That dream for all Major League Baseball teams eventually came to an end on Friday when Sasaki announced that he was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The bidding for Sasaki was based solely on international bonus pool money, with him being under 25 years old. That made him an amateur international free agent to sign anywhere he chose. Any team could have realistically signed Sasaki at the beginning of the new international signing period, but the Dodgers was where he truly wanted to go.
Dodgers' Roki Sasaki victory puts a huge roadblock in Phillies' path to World Series
The Dodgers were the most attractive option and the reason why everyone was left in the dust. Sasaki will earn a rookie salary and come with six years of club control in addition to his $6.5 million signing bonus, per MLB.com's Sonja Chen and David Adler. He gives the Dodgers unreal rotation depth for a cheap price while driving a bigger wedge between them and the other top MLB teams like the Philadelphia Phillies. The signing also adds to the already stacked odds for the Dodgers to repeat as champions.
The Phillies have proved they are an exceptional club heading into 2025. Their moves haven't been as flashy as in previous years but serve as complementary pieces to the current core. They can still win at a high level but have a steeper hill to climb to possibly topple the growing giant in the National League.
The Dodgers are surely putting a damper on the Phillies' feeling of a World Series shot. Earlier this offseason, they added bounce-back left-hander Blake Snell and are getting Shohei Ohtani back from Tommy John surgery. The rest of their upgraded rotation includes Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and now Sasaki. Just one season ago, the Dodgers charmed Ohtani and Yamamoto, who now serve as major influences for new and upcoming Japanese stars.
They also added another star on Sunday, closer Tanner Scott, on a four-year, $72 million deal to shore up any remaining weaknesses. Whether or not every player they add has deferred money, they remain dedicated to capitalizing on their financial fortune and stiff-arming other NL competition.
The Phillies are looking to build off their 95-win season and have a roster still young and dedicated enough to win. Their starting rotation, backed by ace Zack Wheeler, alone can get a team far in the playoffs. The Dodgers may continue to add at an absurd rate, so the Phillies have a small margin for error if they want a realistic shot at winning the World Series in 2025.