Dodgers land coveted Japanese hurler, further boosting rotation for 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers came into the offseason with an already very strong starting rotation. They had Shohei Ohtani, who will return from Tommy John surgery, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They added Blake Snell in November.
But the defending World Series champions weren’t done just yet. Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki was posted, and the sweepstakes appeared to be a level playing field.
However, in the end, only one team could emerge victorious, and that team was the Dodgers. Sasaki announced on his Instagram that he would be choosing the defending World Series champions.
Sasaki had narrowed his wishlist down to three teams heading into this week. It was between the Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. The 23-year-old right-hander ruled the Padres out early on Friday.
Now, the young Japanese phenom has made his decision, and he will join the best rotation in all of Major League Baseball.
Beyond Snell, Sasaki, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Ohtani, the Dodgers have plenty of depth that includes Tony Gonsolin, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan, Dustin May, Kyle Hurt, and even Michael Grove.
In truth, there may be no stopping the Dodgers in 2025, as was the case in 2024. Their rotation is by far the best in baseball, and with their extra depth to supplement their five aces, not even two teams combined could form a better rotation.
Even in the event of injuries, the Dodgers should be covered on the pitching side.
Once again, the Dodgers are the clear-cut favorite to win the World Series, and it would be a major surprise if any other team is having a championship parade at the end of October this year.
The rest of the league is going to have their hands full as they make their likely ill-fated attempts to stop the defending champions.
It’s the Dodgers’ world and the other 29 MLB teams are just living in it.