The Los Angeles Dodgers’ signing of Roki Sasaki rippled throughout the baseball industry when the Japanese pitcher announced his decision on his Instagram account Jan. 17.

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Sasaki, 23, was the most coveted pitcher on the free agent market — talented and affordable enough to pitch for all 30 teams. He signed with the Dodgers not because they could offer him the most money; Sasaki’s decision shocked observers precisely because the Dodgers were not the highest bidders.

Now, Los Angeles can insert Sasaki and his 100-mph fastball in a rotation that already included Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.

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When Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black heard the news, his reaction mimicked that of many fans. According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post,

Manager Bud Black is in a group chat with baseball lifers, including Dodgers boss Dave Roberts. When the Dodgers signed pitcher Roki Sasaki recently, the text message was simple.

“Really?”

Last season, Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts for the Chiba Lotte Marines, with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. He wowed fans and industry observers at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when his fastball sat 100 mph and Japan stunned the United States to win the championship.

Sasaki said in his introductory press conference last week that the Dodgers’ stable ownership situation was the most impressive separator between Los Angeles and the other two finalists in his group of three: the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.

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The Dodgers also have a “home field advantage” in Japan over other teams, Sasaki’s agent said.

“I think that the Dodgers do have a ‘home field advantage’ in Japan,” Joel Wolfe said. “I was in Japan many times over the last couple years, but especially this year. Every single Dodgers game is broadcast live. So when you wake up every morning in Japan, every (Dodgers) game is on TV because of (Shohei) Ohtani and (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto. They rebroadcast the games in the evening.”

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The Dodgers’ merchandising presence in Sasaki’s home country is also stronger than every other team’s, Wolfe said.

“When you go to a Japanese NPB game — for instance we went to watch a game in Fukuoka,” he said. “The Hawks have their home stadium shop, that sells all the Fukuoka Hawks gear. Then there’s a pop-up shop for every visiting team that comes. Then there’s a Dodger shop. I saw that at the Tokyo Dome, I saw that at the Orix stadium. They’re everywhere. Fans and players see the Dodgers everyday; it’s on their mind because of Ohtani and Yamamoto.”

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