Money was a limited factor for Roki Sasaki, and he picked the Dodgers anyway

The courting of young Japanese flamethrower Roki Sasaki was one of the few instances that all 30 Major League Baseball teams were on equal footing for prized talent. A time when some of the lower-spending teams had a chance to pick up a promising player and add a little parity to a sport that …

Hahahahaha — just kidding.

He’s signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 23-year-old right-hander, who has a fastball that tops 100 mph, joins the defending World Series champions in a move that felt inevitable. The San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were the other finalists, but as expected, he’s joining Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in LA.

The Dodgers didn’t even need to dip into their deep pockets to entice Sasaki to make his baseball home at Chavez Ravine. Because he’s under 25 and does not have six years of service time in Japan, Sasaki is considered an international amateur by MLB’s rules and was limited to a minor league contract with a limited signing bonus.

Los Angeles had just north of $5 million in its 2025 bonus pool to offer Sasaki when he revealed his decision, though the team’s front office is making moves that will likely open up a little more money. The other 29 teams had roughly the same amount of cash — or more — to offer.

A fatter wallet wasn’t the issue: Sasaki simply wanted to be a Dodger.

“At my news conference for joining the club, I hope to wear my Dodgers uniform, feeling gratitude for all those who have supported me,” Sasaki wrote in Japanese on Instagram.

And really, who could blame him?

The Dodgers look like a team set up for success for the foreseeable future, with a lineup that includes Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández and two-way star Ohtani. Sasaki could join a starting rotation that includes Ohtani, Yamamoto, two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin.

The presence of Ohtani and Yamamoto was undoubtedly a big selling point. But there are other reasons why Southern California is arguably baseball’s premier destination, even topping the Big Apple.

The Dodgers drew nearly 50,000 fans per game last season, highest in the league. Away from home, they’re an in-demand traveling show, sometimes drawing cheers that make it easy to forget they’re the ones wearing road uniforms. Veteran manager Dave Roberts has provided a steady hand with the star-laden roster, deftly dealing with the day-to-day circus of leading baseball’s most popular team.

Not only are they good, they’re easy to like. Freeman’s affable personality makes him a fan favorite while Betts exudes a coolness on the baseball field that’s hard to match. Ohtani weathered rare controversy last spring after his interpreter was caught gambling millions and then produced a monster regular season, winning his third MVP award with the first 50-50 season in MLB history.

Other teams in the National League have opened their wallets to try and keep pace. The Arizona Diamondbacks recently added ace right-hander Corbin Burnes on a $210 million deal. The San Francisco Giants spent $182 million on shortstop Willy Adames and a little more to add three-time Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander.

And then there’s the New York Mets, who forked out $765 million to land outfielder Juan Soto.

Yet every time one of their rivals makes a big splash, the Dodgers seem to make a demoralizing counter. Sasaki might be unproven against big-league hitters, but it’s undoubtedly a psychological blow for other teams to watch the rich get richer, especially when their money wasn’t supposed to be an advantage.

Fans of rival teams might be in dismay about Sasaki’s choice, but it certainly looks like a win for MLB, which enjoyed a modest resurgence in popularity last season. The Dodgers are trying to become baseball’s first back-to-back champions since the New York Yankees won three titles in a row from 1998 to 2000.

The quest begins in less than a month, when Los Angeles has its first spring training workout in Arizona on Feb. 11. About six weeks later, the team will be playing in the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19.

It’ll be the center of the baseball universe, and the Dodgers will be the main attraction.

Get used to it.

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