February 15, 2025
What does the Dodgers rotation look like with Roki Sasaki?

What does the Dodgers rotation look like with Roki Sasaki?

Just 15 months ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated from the NLDS by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Defeated by a division rival that had won 16 fewer games than the Dodgers in the regular season, it was another insane early exit in October for a franchise all too familiar with such a feeling. Despite consistently assembling rosters seemingly capable of a championship run, Los Angeles continually failed.

Even though the calendar suggests otherwise, the abrupt, embarrassing loss to Arizona feels like a distant memory. Since that NLDS loss, which president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called an “organizational failure,” the Dodgers have achieved extraordinary organizational success. Their latest triumph: the signing of 23-year-old Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, a generationally gifted pitcher whose unique free agency became one of the hottest storylines the MLB has seen in quite some time.

Many organizations coveted Sasaki, whose status as an international amateur allowed them to get him for a fraction of what he would have been worth if he had waited until he was 25 and joined the MLB as a fully-fledged free agent. This wasn’t a player the Dodgers could simply flex their financial muscles and outbid the competition for; It was all about recruiting and selling the vision of a place where a young pitcher could pursue his big league dreams. Ultimately, thanks largely to last year in which the franchise took its roster to new heights, won the World Series and cemented its reputation as a developmental powerhouse, the Dodgers offer a compelling playing field even by those standards. And so Sasaki actually chose Los Angeles as his home for the first chapter of his highly anticipated major league career.

Sasaki’s addition only strengthens the Dodgers’ already ridiculously stacked projected rotation and forms one of the most amazing quintets of starting pitching talent the game has ever seen. There’s Sasaki, a generationally gifted 23-year-old who can still get a lot better. Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who signed a $182 million contract earlier this offseason. Tyler Glasnow, a gigantic flamethrower who has the lowest batting average of any MLB starter over the past five seasons. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 26-year-old right-hander who a year ago received the largest free-agent contract ever awarded to a pitcher. And of course Shohei Ohtani, who is expected to resume his legendary two-way heroics this year after not pitching in 2024 while rehabbing from elbow surgery. It’s a stunning array of arms. And perhaps most notably, none of them were in the organization 14 months ago.

With Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers have put together a strong quintet for their starting lineup. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)With Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers have put together a strong quintet for their starting lineup. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

With Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers have put together a strong quintet for their starting lineup. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

But as striking as the list is on paper, it’s not a rotation without questions. This is a group whose collective supersonic talent is almost matched by the uncertainty surrounding their durability. Sasaki struggled with oblique and shoulder injuries during his final season in Japan. Snell battled a groin injury that required multiple IL stays. Yamamoto missed nearly two months last year with a triceps injury and Glasnow finished the year on the IL with elbow problems. Meanwhile, Ohtani didn’t throw a single competitive throw.

On the mound, these pitchers have mostly excelled and showcased their all-world skills for long stretches. Her sheer ability is simply undeniable. Availability is another matter, however, and it will be fascinating to see how the Dodgers manage each pitcher’s workload as this super rotation takes shape in the coming months. A six-man rotation has been discussed as a distinct possibility, and Ohtani is not expected to re-enter the rotation early in the season, delaying any initial visions of seeing those five specialty weapons used by the Dodgers in five consecutive games. Simply put, for these pitching stars to line up as cleanly as we want, a lot has to go right.

But as we shift our curiosity about this celebrated 23-year-old pitcher from “Which team will Sasaki sign with?” to “What can we expect from Sasaki as a rookie in 2025?” His decision to join the Dodgers clouds our forecast somewhat in the short term. Had Sasaki signed with San Diego or Toronto, the other two reported finalists, to get the pitcher, the path to a rotation spot would have been far clearer. Their depth chart isn’t particularly crowded, and it’s possible that Sasaki would have made opening day rotations regardless of his performance in spring training.

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However, things might not be that easy for the Dodgers. Because as gifted as Sasaki is, he’s far from a finished product – and nowhere near as polished as Yamamoto was when he made the jump from NPB a year ago. And unlike his highly compensated counterparts, whose rotation spots are determined assuming they’re healthy, the Dodgers could very realistically make Sasaki’s transition to the major leagues slow. Because he is considered an international amateur, Sasaki signed only a minor league contract – a contract that gave the Dodgers the option to sign him to the minor leagues and keep him under team control for six seasons. This roster flexibility and long-term control likely creates a level of patience that one wouldn’t normally associate with acquiring a high-end free agent. There is no need to accelerate Sasaki’s development if further refinements seem necessary.

Granted, it’s possible that Sasaki shows up at Camelback Ranch and dominates in such a way that the decision on his immediate role becomes obvious, but there could be some bumps in the road. Perhaps more relevant: It’s not that Sasaki won’t have competition. A plethora of other rotation-caliber options remain on the roster. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May are returning from injury and both had impressive track records as starters in the major leagues before their injuries. Another wave of less experienced players, including Bobby Miller, Ben Casparius and Landon Knack, will also be in camp waiting to prove their worth. And while he won’t be ready for spring training just yet, the Dodgers are still expected to re-sign franchise icon Clayton Kershaw, who could be ready to contribute sometime next summer.

The point is: the Dodgers will have options. If Sasaki immediately lives up to the sensational hype surrounding his arrival, that will be great news for LA and the broader MLB audience that wants to see him on the big league stage as early and often as possible. But if he doesn’t, the Dodgers will be fine. Sasaki’s fit with this superteam gives both the player and the team the breathing space they need to develop at whatever pace is required.

While Sasaki’s exact role and the extent of his immediate influence remain to be seen, it is clear that with his addition to Ohtani and Yamamoto, the Dodgers have assembled a triumvirate of Japanese star power the likes of which have never before been seen on a major league roster.

Perhaps fittingly, Hideo Nomo made his major league debut with the Dodgers 30 years ago, ushering in a new era of Japanese stars in the United States after decades of no crossover between NPB and MLB. Now three of the most talented players Japan has ever produced have joined forces to form a Dodgers team already teeming with homegrown superstars. The organization will soon come to Arizona, where a media frenzy awaits its first training sessions and Cactus League competition. A month later, the Dodgers’ title defense begins – and where better to start this journey than in Tokyo.

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