Shohei Ohtani reportedly played a large role in starting pitcher Ru014dki Sasaki signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani was part of a contingent of Dodgers players present at the team's meeting with Sasaki on Tuesday and was "driving the bus" in the effort to land the right-hander, according to Fabian Ardaya, Dennis Lin, Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic.
Sasaki announced that he was agreeing to a contract with Los Angeles on Friday, receiving a $6.5 million signing bonus.
This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.