The great charade intrigue is over. After going through the motions of traditional free agency, Japanese ace Ru014dki Sasaki, to the surprise of no one, ended up with the team everyone has expected him to sign with for years: the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sasaki, who was posted on December 15, was eligible to sign as part of the 2025 international free agency class on Wednesday, and needed to sign by the end of the month, announced on social media on Friday that he had, indeed, chosen the Dodgers. That’s been in the cards for years, though Sasaki went through the free agency process, fielding “homework” from 20 teams, holding meetings with executives and his agents, and at least giving the general appearance of being open to numerous teams.