Just over two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training for the start of a new season, MLB.com has unveiled the top 100 prospects

The Los Angeles Dodgers' newest headline starting pitcher believes he chose the place that can maximize his talent the most. During an introductory

Japanese star Roki Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced on Instagram. The 23-year-old right-hander with a sizzling fastball and deadly splitter joins Samurai Japan teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the World Series champion Dodgers.

Editor's Note: The story below originally ran in November, after Roki Sasaki's NPB team pledged to post the Japanese star pitcher. Sasaki announced Friday he was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The mighty Dodgers, that Evil Empire on the West Coast, have struck again, signing Japanese phenom Rōki Sasaki.

Rōki Sasaki, the 23-year-old phenom from Japan whose services for the next six seasons could be procured by every Major League Baseball franchise for the equivalent of a rounding error, ended his six-week recruiting period by agreeing to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday,

While Ohtani might not be ready to pitch at the outset of the 2025 season, the Dodgers can expect Ohtani, Yamamoto and now Sasaki, three of the most gifted NPB pitchers in recent history, all on the mound for them at some point in 2025. Unlike the 10-year ...

Sasaki, nicknamed in Japan as "the Monster of the Reiwa Era," struck out 11 batters in 7 and ⅔ innings with a 3.52 ERA during the 2023 WBC. In Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he struck out 129 hitters in 111 regular-season innings for the Marines in the 2024 season.

The Rangers President of Baseball Operations said the organization put its ‘best foot forward’ in its pitch to the Japanese right-hander.

The splitter is on the rise in Major League Baseball, and the Dodgers are cornering the market. Splitters were thrown more often in 2024 than in any other season of the pitch tracking era, which goes back to 2008.

The San Diego Padres have had a disappointing offseason. After almost reaching the National League Championship Series they have watched their division rivals get better while they have not moved the needle.

Tickets for the Los Angeles Dodgers' season opener against the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome have sold out for season-ticket holders and are now available on resale sites. Prices for the two-game series in Japan range from $2,000 to over $19,000.