When Roki Sasaki was posted by his NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, he was already regarded as one of the most talented young pitchers in the world

The Dodgers have announced their deal with prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, agreeing to a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus.

Sasaki's nickname is a tribute to legendary Japanese starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was known as the "Monster of the Heisei," referring to different eras of the Japanese calendar. The 23-year-old lost both his father and grandfather during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

At his age and talent level, Sasaki folds in perfectly for a Dodgers club that was already planning on running a six-man rotation.

Prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki says in an Instagram post he intends to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 23-year-old Japanese phenom has a fastball that regularly reaches triple digits and wowed MLB scouts at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

Roki Sasaki was expected by many to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were right. The flame-throwing right-hander from Japan agreed to a deal with the Dodgers on Friday, according to a post on his Instagram account. His signing bonus is reportedly $6.5 million, per The Athletic.

Ohtani sent a text to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman even before Sasaki’s agent informed the club.

The Dodgers announced their list of non-roster invitees to spring training and it includes one big name – Roki Sasaki. Because of his status as an international free agent under age 25, the much-coveted Sasaki officially signed a minor-league contract and is not on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.

There’s a strong pipeline of baseball players leaving Japan and coming to America right now. Pitcher Roki Sasaki is one of them, as he just signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. There’s a new guy on the horizon though,