than Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was 25 when he signed with the Dodgers for a record $325 million last offseason. While Yamamoto was the more decorated and durable pitcher in NPB, Sasaki is younger ...

The most intriguing free agent of the offseason will wear Dodger Blue to begin his big league career. Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki has agreed to sign with the Dodgers, he announced in a post on Instagram on Friday afternoon.

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.

Starting pitcher Rōki Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers in an Instagram post on Friday. According to ESPN's Alden

Sasaki sure looks like a guy who always had his heart set on the bright lights of Los Angeles.

Rōki Sasaki might be the best free agent still available for MLB. Here is everything to know about the Japanese superstar.

Japanese ace Roki Sasaki made his free-agent decision on Friday ... and he'll be joining a star-studded roster that features Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, his teammates on Japan's title-winning 2023 World Baseball Classic team.

Along with Blake Snell – signed to a five-year, $182 million contract in December. And Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was posted one year ago after seven dominant seasons in Japan, signed a $325 million contract – and was the starting pitcher for four of the Dodgers’ 11 postseason wins.

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.

On this night in December, Sasaki sat down for sushi with former Samurai Japan teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It was after he had his initial meeting with the Dodgers and just at the beginning of the 23-year-old’s transition to Major League Baseball.

The Dodgers officially welcomed Roki Sasaki in a news conference at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, and he will now prepare for a highly anticipated rookie MLB season.