On Friday, Japanese ace Roki Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgerspicking the defending World Series champions San Diego Padres And Toronto Blue Jaysamong other teams who have expressed interest in obtaining his services. Sasaki, designated amateur due to age and length of service, will receive $6.5 million signing bonusor an amount that pales in comparison to the terms he would have gotten had he been a more traditional free agent.
Sasaki’s decision to join the Dodgers has since given new life to unfounded conspiracy theories suggesting he always intended to sign with Los Angeles – you know, as if underhanded dealings were necessary to explain why a player might want to join the most successful organization in the sport in recent times, not to mention one that employs two of his teammates from the Japanese team, in Shohei Ohtani And Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The rash of Sasaki conspiracy theories seems to stem from two things in particular: 1) he’s been linked to the Dodgers for over a year in the rumor mill (not uncommon these days for players elite), and 2) the Blue Jays, not the Dodgers, had the ability to make the most lucrative offer, but only by a few million dollars (again, it is not unusual that the quality of team and other factors serve deciding factor if money is tight).
Whatever one thinks of all this, it should be noted that Major League Baseball already investigated the matter prior to Sasaki’s official release and found no reason to believe there was an improper agreement between Sasaki and the Dodgers. Read more about MLB’s investigation, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times:
According to a league official, MLB conducted an investigation before authorizing Sasaki’s assignment to “ensure that the memorandum of understanding had been respected.” Another person with knowledge of the situation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the league had interviewed “numerous parties” as part of its investigation but found no evidence to support the claims. rumors.
At least it’s worth noting that the other finalists for Sasaki’s services didn’t behave as if they thought this was a accomplished fact he would join the Dodgers. Indeed, the Padres kept their bonus powder dry until Friday morning. The Blue Jays, conversely, completed a trade for more cap space just hours before Sasaki’s announcement.in doing so, earning a lot of money in the form of Myles Paille contract.