Dodgers might not be favored to sign Roki Sasaki this offseason?

When news broke that top Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki is about to be drafted to Major League Baseball teams, the consensus that emerged suggested the Los Angeles Dodgers were his most likely landing spot. However, a new report suggests this may not necessarily be the case.

Citing conversations with league executives and insiders, Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes It’s actually unlikely the Dodgers will sign Sasaki, and their status as favorites is overstated.

Bowden cites several reasons for this belief. Like Sasaki will enter the league as an amateur free agenthe won’t be eligible for salary arbitration until 2028 and will likely rely on endorsement deals to boost his earning power.

Joining the Dodgers, where Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto already play, could limit his approval ceiling. Sasaki may do a better job of positioning himself as a rival to the Dodgers’ Japanese star pair rather than as a teammate.

Additionally, Sasaki is said to have a very close relationship with Yu Darvish, which could be beneficial for the San Diego Padres. The Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays are also seen as possibilities because of their history of developing pitchers.

Sasaki is still only 23 years old, so if he becomes a success, he could hit free agency in his prime, just like Ohtani did. Over the course of his career, Sasaki has a record of 30-15 with an ERA of 2.02 and a WHIP of 0.883, and no one believes he has reached his ceiling yet.