Dodgers Pursuit of Rōki Sasaki: Shohei Ohtani’s Thought

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites to land Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher Roki Sasaki, who’s going to be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines this offseason. However, Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani does not plan to try and recruit the talented prospect to the Dodgers.

Instead of trying to urge him to join the Dodgers, Ohtani is planning to respect Sasaki’s decision, regardless of where he signs.

“I haven’t really been recruiting him in any way,” Ohtani said after winning his third MVP award on Thursday. “Obviously we’ll stay in contact. I consider him a friend. I’ll respect his decision wherever he wants to sign, and I think he’ll do well wherever he goes.”

Sasaki is the top pitching prospect set to be available this offseason. Since he is heading to MLB at age 23, he will sign a deal that every team in MLB can afford. He is said to be coveted by every MLB team, though most believe he will end up signing with the Dodgers.

Ohtani, along with Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, were both on the same team as Sasaki during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which Japan won.

Having Ohtani and Sasaki is one reason there is belief the Dodgers have the edge to bring in Sasaki. The Dodgers hold a significant brand in Japan, and will play in Japan at the start of the 2025 MLB season.

Ohtani might not plan to recruit Sasaki, but San Diego Padres ace Yu Darvish has. Darvish, who was also a part of that World Baseball Classic championship team, has a close relationship with Sasaki. Along with their relationship, Darvish serves as a mentor for pitchers, which could be a key factor to give the Padres some sort of edge in their pursuit of Sasaki.

Darvish reportedly even petitioned for the Marines to post Sasaki a year ago in 2023, but he remained in NPB, per Yuri Karasawa.

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe of Wasserman, spoke out against the claims that Sasaki is set to sign with the Dodgers, and MLB commissioner Robert Manfred said that he likely will not sign until Jan. 2025 during the next international signing period.