When the offseason kicked off back in November, the impending Japanese arrival to MLB who was getting all the attention was pitcher Roki Sasaki. His arrival as an “amateur” rather than a free agent in the posting process put teams on more of an equal footing for signing him, and even a generally pessimistic Orioles fan like me was not immune to believing that he might choose some team other than the Dodgers. He chose the Dodgers.
While the Sasaki drama was playing out, the Orioles signed an entirely different Japanese pitcher who was looking to make the jump to MLB for the 2025 season.