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Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki revealed his decision to sign with the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a translated post shared on his Instagram account Friday (January 17).
"I have signed a minor contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers," the translated post states alongside a photo of a Dodgers hat. "It was a very difficult decision, but I will do my best to make it the right decision when I look back after my baseball career.
"I want to slip my sleeve on the Dodgers uniform at the opening conference, thanking everyone who has supported me this far."
Sasaki will join a Dodgers rotation that already includes fellow countrymen Shohei Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP, who will return as a two-way player after being shut down as a pitcher in 2024, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was last year's prized free agent out of Japan and went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 90.0 innings pitched during his rookie season.
Los Angeles also signed free agent two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal just weeks after winning the World Series in five games over the New York Yankees.