President Stan Kasten sostiene que se alcanzó a “done deal” a pesar de que Roki Sasaki apenas estaba a un paso de ser asignado a los Los Angeles Dodgers.

This year’s MLB free agent class very much resembles last year’s. At the top of it all is a jewel of a talent that could be a franchise face for a decade. Last year it was Shohei Ohtani, in 2024 it’s Juan Soto. Also, former two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell is back on the market for a second straight season and will be a highly sought-after player.

Related: Los Angeles Dodgers surprisingly linked to pursuit of highly sought-after slugger from NL

There is also a young Japanese pitcher who is garnering a huge amount of interest this year as well. In 2023, the race for Yoshinobu Yamamoto was second only to Ohtani. This year, 23-year-old pitcher Roki Sasaki looks to be a hidden gem of the pitching market. And just like Yamamoto, he will have many suitors.

But what makes his situation far different is that he is having his Pacific League team post him now and foregoing the chance to make far more money in a few years. It will limit him to being just an international pool. And the allotted money each team has for such a situation.

From the start, the Los Angeles Dodgers were viewed as the favorite to land Sasaki. Due to a belief he like many young Japanese players would prefer to play in LA with Ohtani. Well, a new rumor claims the chase for Sasaki was already over before it started.

Dallas Keuchel claims deal between Los Angeles Dodgers and Roki Sasaki already done

“I heard some rumblings about a done deal with the Dodgers — you know, having a plan for him,” Dallas Keuchel told the New York Post this week. “And if I was Vegas, I would definitely put them as the favorite, but I don’t know. We never really talked about that.”