"I signed with Dodgers" SD out → it was LAD in the end...Ohtani-Yamamoto-Sasaki completes dream selection
"I signed with Dodgers" SD out → it was LAD in the end...Ohtani-Yamamoto-Sasaki completes dream selection
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After all, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers. Japanese pitcher Rocky Sasaki (24) has decided his major league destination. Sasaki has signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers where Shohei Ohtani is located.
Sasaki announced his contract with the Dodgers through his SNS on the 18th (Korea Standard Time). "I signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a very difficult decision, but I will try my best to think that it was the right decision when I look back after my baseball career," he said.토토사이트
Sasaki, who applied for posting with the permission of the Chiba Lotte Club in Japan, went to the U.S. in December last year and held talks with major league teams. Twenty clubs showed interest in Sasaki, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego, Toronto, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Texas met Sasaki.
Recently, Sasaki notified the eliminated teams, and the Dodgers, San Diego, and Toronto remained as the three finalists. Sasaki moved back to the U.S. in January for a second meeting with the three finalists.
Sasaki made it a condition that no player from the team or retired legend would attend the first meeting. At the second meeting, the team allowed its players to be present.
Sasaki was shown pitching at Petco Park in San Diego, and San Diego's star pitcher Yu Darvish, who is close to Sasaki, attended the event. Sasaki also played with Darvish for the Japanese national team.
However, San Diego was eliminated. "According to multiple sources, the Padres have given up recruiting Rocky Sasaki. San Diego plans to sign international amateur contracts with Johan Della Cruz and Carlos Alvarez," said Francis Romero of the National Baseball Journalists' Association on Wednesday.
"San Diego will sign Carlos Alvarez, a left-hander from the Dominican Republic, as the first international amateur contract for 2025 at around $1 million in Bonus Pool," he said.
Sasaki has yet to turn 25, so she has to sign an international amateur contract. Major League clubs have a set international bonus pool to sign international amateur players under the age of 25. International amateur contracts began in 2025 from the 16th, and the international bonus pool has been reset.
Bonus Pool has some differences among teams. Dodgers has 5,146,200 U.S. dollars, which is the smallest amount among the 30 baseball teams, along with San Francisco Giants. San Diego and Toronto both have 6,261,600 dollars.
If San Diego gave up or failed to recruit Sasaki, the Dodgers and Toronto teams were the final competition. San Diego and the Dodgers, where Japanese players have been playing since Sasaki applied for posting, are expected to be the main destinations for Sasaki.
With San Diego eliminated, the Dodgers are expected to be more advantageous in recruiting Sasaki than Toronto. The Dodgers are a strong team that won the World Series last year, and Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are playing.
When Yamamoto entered the Major League through posting last winter, Ohtani proactively encouraged him to play with the Dodgers, helping to secure a contract. This time, Ohtani was naturally proactive in recruiting Sasaki.
Japanese media Sports Hochi expected, "Will the rotation of dreams come true with Shohei Otani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto?" but this came true.