There was a time when baseball executives worried about Japanese pitchers transitioning to the Big Leagues. The ball wasn’t the same, and Japanese pitchers only threw once a week, with a six-man rotation, instead of the five-man rotation that MLB employed.
Some pitchers broke through, with Hideo Nomo being the most successful. He won 123 career games with a 4.24 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. He struck out 1918 batter. Daisuke Matsuyama won 56 games, while Yu Darvish is still active with 110 career wins. His numbers dwarf Nomo’s. Darvish’s career ERA is 3.58, and his career WHIP is 1.13. He has struck out 2007 batters and over a batter per inning, with a ratio of 10.58/9ip.
There were more misses than hits, but that isn’t the case anymore. Aside from Darvish, current Japanese import pitchers consist of Kenta Maeda, Yusei Kikuchi, Shintaro Fujinani, Kodei Senga, Yuki Matsui, Shota Imanaga, Yoshinubu Yamamoto…and, of course, Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers have Ohtani and Yamamoto in their rotation heading into 2025. They just added the latest highly sought-after Japanese pitcher, Roki Sasaki. The rich certainly have gotten richer. The Dodgers aren’t shy when it comes to spending money. Their current $295M payroll leads all teams.
But Sasaki’s contract isn’t breaking the bank. He is signed to a rookie contract, which gives the Dodgers six years of control over the 23-year-old. Besides a $6.5M signing bonus, the financial risk is minimal. The Dodgers now have three of the premier Japanese pitchers in the game. To accommodate them, trying to maximize health, they will be heading into 2025 with a six-man rotation, more similar to their Japanese League schedule.
If Sasaki’s stats in Japan are any indication, the Dodgers have a gem on their hands. His career record is 30-15 with a ridiculously low 2.02 ERA and an even more striking 0.883 WHIP. And his strikeout ratio is 11.38 per 9ip. When you consider Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are also in this rotation, Sasaki may be the no.4 or even no.5 starter…which is insane. There is no hyperbole, but this could be the best rotation in history.
In other Free Agent News:
Nothing is brewing, and Sasaki was the biggest fish that landed this week. While Justin Verlander was signed to a one-year deal with the Giants for $15M, fellow 40-something pitcher Max Scherzer is still out there.
The last two big fish are still out there, too. Both Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman are available to the highest bidder. The Cubs have pulled their chips off the table for Bregman. The list seems to be down to three for the services of Bregman, the Tigers, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays need to snag one of these big-time free agents. They seem to be in on everyone, constantly losing out. They were reportedly in on Sasaki and other frontline pitchers, such as Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Blake Snell. And with the real possibility of either trading away Vladimir Guerrero Jr or losing him to free agency after the 2025 season, they desperately need to make a splash. If they lose out on Bregman, Alonso will be their last hope.
And as for Alonso, his market is dwindling as the days keep peeling off the calendar. The Mets never came off their 3yr/$70M initial offer, and other teams have continued to fill their first basemen needs. Paul Goldschmidt and Christian Walker have each found new homes, as have Carlos Santana and Josh Naylor.
It remains to be seen if the Red Sox will want to make a nine-figure commitment for Alonso, with Triston Casas on a rookie deal and under team control through 2028. Although it can be argued that the Sox are too lefty-heavy and could snag a needed starting pitcher from the Mariners by using Casas as trade bait…they don’t seem like they want to go this route.
For all of his greatness as an agent, with his reputation preceding itself, Scott Boras doesn’t always do what’s best for his clients. He often misreads the market. Boras represents both Alonso and Bregman. It’s looking increasingly like both men will have to settle on short-term deals. Look for the Blue Jays snagging Bregman, finally getting a free agent, and Alonso going west, getting a deal from the San Fransisco Giants.
