All the rumors provide true.
Roki Sasaki agreed to sign with the Dodgers, he announced on Instagram Friday night, in a move many predicted since the highly coveted Japanese ace committed to pitching in North America during the 2025 season.
The 23-year-old chose the reigning World Series champions over the Padres and Blue Jays after whittling a massive list of suitors down to a final three.
That Sasaki landed with the juggernaut Dodgers seemed, to some, like a forgone conclusion since the Dodgers have been consistently linked to the righty.
Sasaki heard bids from 20 teams during this process, but his final list included two Southern California teams in the Dodgers and Padres and the hopeful Blue Jays.
Both the Yankees and the Mets made pitches in the hope of adding a young ace to their rotations, but learned Monday they had not made the cut.
Wednesday marked the first day international free agents could sign.
Ultimately, Sasaki opted to join a Dodgers team that last season also added fellow Japanese stars in NL MVP Shohei Ohtani and righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
His presence bolsters a stacked rotation headlined by Yamamoto, prize free-agent acquisition Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani in his return after not pitching in 2024 after recovering from elbow surgery.
Sasaki’s repertoire includes a 100-mph fastball, along with a lethal split-finger fastball. He previously pitched for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman described him as a “tremendous talent.”
“He’s as good as advertised,” an international scouting director told MLB.com for a November article. “He has an ideal projectable, lean and athletic frame. He has excellent arm action and delivery, with three plus power pitches with control over command. He has No. 1 upside.”
Not only do the Dodgers now have a 23-year-old ace on their staff, but they won’t have to defer any payments to sign him.
Since Sasaki classified as an international free agent, like Ohtani in 2017, he could only be signed with international bonus pool money.