Roki Sasaki’s $6.5 million signing with Dodgers QUESTIONED despite MLB investigation proving no-pre handshake agreement

Despite MLB investigations proving Roki Sasaki-Dodgers signup legal questions remain in the baseball world.

Roki Sasaki’s $6.5 million signing with Dodgers QUESTIONED despite MLB investigation proving no-pre handshake agreement

Roki Sasaki [Image Credit: Larry Brown Sports]

Despite MLB investigations proving that Roki Sasaki and the Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t have any pre-handshake agreement, questions remain in the baseball world. MLB pundits and fans are not satisfied with the outcome and have questioned the legal process of it.

During a discussion about the Sasaki-Dodgers deal on Foul Territory, ESPN reporter Alden Gonzalez shared his opinion on the situation. He believes that while MLB has proved all the speculations regarding a pre-agreement false, there’s still doubt over how the process went.

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Even before Roki Sasaki’s posting, the Dodgers were considered as the destination for the Japanese ace. Does this imply that Sasaki had already made up his mind? Could be. 

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The Dodgers are currently one of the top teams in baseball and have further solidified their position after the 2024 World Series win. Moreover, Sasaki is friends with both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The duo could have spoken to Sasaki about the team preference which isn’t illegal as per rules. The fans are not as much upset about his signing with the WS champions but for the whole process, the other teams and fans went through.

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Many have called it a farce on his part but there has been no official proof of any illegal acts. Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe once commented that all teams are been given equal chances and there are no shortcuts to it. However, this $6.5 million deal has taken the spotlight with controversies and speculations surrounding the situation.

Was Roki Sasaki’s homework assignment just a farce for other MLB teams?

During the discussion on Foul Territory, insider Alden Gonzalez spoke with the hosts about whether they thought the homework assignment was a farce or a genuine test. While nothing can be proven other than speculations being raised, the insiders commented on what they think could have happened.

Roki Sasaki
Roki Sasaki (Image via Pinstripes Alley)

Sitting down face-to-face with top MLB teams and hearing about your performance style and corrections are a great help to any player. This may have been one of the reasons Roki Sasaki went through the whole process before choosing his destination.

Gonzalez also commented that he might have shared his homework assignment opinions from different teams with the LA Dodgers upon joining. Another point that was made was Sasaki simply wanted to give a chance to other teams and see how it all goes.

The assignment was for the teams to answer why his velocity was down last year and how he could improve. This is indeed a unique way to approach and evaluate a team before joining. 

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However, as of now, there are speculations on his signing with various reasons popping up. More clarity might be given during his press conference or through some insiders. As of now, the fans can only hope to get a chance to have their answers as they welcome the 23-year-old sensation into the major league.