Dodgers announce deal for Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki. Receives signing bonus of 6.5 million

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers announced on Wednesday their agreement with sought-after Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki by agreeing to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $6.5 million.

A 23-year-old right-hander with a fastball that tops 100 mph, Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Dodgers on Friday and was introduced at a news conference Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. He joins Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers after making a decision that had generated much expectation.

Sasaki had until Thursday to finalize a contract. He was considered an international amateur under Major League Baseball rules because he is under 25 years old and does not have six years of service in Japan, which restricted him to the pool of international signings.

The Dodgers started with an allocation of $5,146,200, but increased it to $8,102,800 with a pair of trades last week, acquiring $1.5 million from Cincinnati and $1,456,600 from Philadelphia.

Los Angeles is contemplating using a six-starting rotation, which could ease Sasaki’s transition to the majors. The Dodgers are trying to become the first team to repeat as champion since the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2000.

Sasaki was made available to major league teams for a 45-day period by the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League under the bidding agreement between Japan Professional Baseball and the majors. Because he is under 25 years old and does not have six years of Japanese league service time, Sasaki is considered an international amateur by MLB and is limited to a minor league contract subject to signing funds.

The Marines will receive $1,625,000, 25% of Sasaki’s signing bonus amount.

During a news conference at the winter meetings last month, Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, denied that a deal was already in place with the Dodgers. Wolfe said MLB had investigated.

Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 games last year, striking out 129 batters in 111 innings during a season limited by shoulder inflammation. He went 7-4 with a 1.78 ERA in 15 starts in 2023, when he suffered an oblique injury.

Over his career, he is 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA over four seasons with the Marines and pitched a perfect game against Orix in April 2022.

Among international amateur free agents, Los Angeles also agreed to deals with Venezuelan infielders Luis Tovar ($397,500) and Moisés Acacio ($197,500), Panamanian left-handed pitcher Adrián Torres ($362,500) and Colombian shortstop Luis Luna ($137,500). .