It was another productive offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who continue to outspend the rest of the league without even the slightest hint of reservation. A year removed from handing out over $1 billion in guaranteed money, the Dodgers inked Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernandez, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates to market-price contracts.
Perhaps their most consequential addition, however, was the one that didn’t cost much at all. Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese phenom, was signed as a “prospect” and paid a modest sum from the Dodgers’ international bonus pool money. His minor-leauge contract came with a $6.5 million signing bonus, and Sasaki must accrue six years of MLB experience before becoming eligible for free agency.
It may end up being the heist of the century. Sasaki arrives on U.S. soil hailed as arguably the best pitching prospect on the globe. He is ranked No. 1 on MLB Pipeline, but figures to shed his prospect label rather quickly in favor of a substantial role with the big-league team. The Dodgers can afford patience due to their overwhelming depth, but the expectation has long been that Sasaki would render an immediate impact out of the gate.
That said, it’s always wise to temper your expectations with young, unproven pitchers — even those with Sasaki’s raw talent and sterling overseas track record. The MLB is a steep adjustment, and if Sasaki’s first MLB AB is any indication, he needs patience just like anybody else.
Roki Sasaki gives up Kyle Teel home run bomb in first MLB AB
Sasaki pitched three innings of a simulated game on Tuesday. The first batter he faced was Chicago White Sox prospect Kyle Teel, ranked No. 32 at MLB Pipeline. The result? A towering home run over the right-field fence.
Probably not how Dodgers fans envisioned Sasaki’s opening moments in MLB.
This is one pitch and one at-bat, of course, so we can hardly take it as gospel. In fact, Sasaki recovered nicely, retiring the next six batters he faced in a row. It was a decidedly mixed bag overall, but there was plenty for Dodgers fans to latch onto this early in spring.
Sasaki deserves your patience. It’s a tough transition from Japan’s NPB to MLB, where the mound is different and the caliber of competition is much stronger. We need only think back to last season, when Yoshinobu Yamamoto got knocked around in spring training and even struggled in his regular season debut. The 25-year-old famously gave up five hits and five earned runs in just one inning of work against the Padres.
How did Yamamoto respond to his day-one stinker? With 10 scoreless innings over his next two starts. Sometimes it’s a simple as giving a newcomer time to get his feet wet. Sasaki is as talented, if not more talented than Yamamoto. He’s also two years younger, with an even longer runway. Los Angeles’ player development track record is exceptional, and Sasaki will faced minimal pressure on a team with so much talent in the rotation.
It’s best to view Sasaki as a work in progress. Obviously fans expect immediate results after such a publicized free agency sweepstakes, but Sasaki was always a long-term investment for the Dodgers — even if there’s a good chance he’s stacking productive innings sooner than later.
