Roki Sasaki might be hesitant to choose the Dodgers. First, Sasaki’s situation, compared to someone like Shohei Ohtani, is very different. Ohtani, despite the intense media spotlight of LA, seems to thrive in it. Even Yoshinobu Yamamoto has no problem with the den of the media. But for Sasaki, he’s much more reserved, especially given how the media frenzy back home in Japan has affected him.

So, it seems like the Padres or Rangers might be Sasaki’s potential options, given how he wants to stay relaxed. No constant media pressure, especially when games are his only focus. Not just that. Dodgers’ pitchers tend to be injury-prone for different reasons. Being a young player, can LA be a developing and healthy team for Roki? The discussion stays on!

The Dodgers’ disadvantage: Roki Sasaki to choose another team?

On ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, Jeff Passan said, “Roki Sasaki is 23, like he’s a baby. He has a lot of years left. He has had some arm troubles, and if he wants to go to free agency healthy and as one of the best pitchers in the world, those are both priorities for him.” Sasaki basically needs to find a place where they keep their pitchers healthy and productive. It’s simple. Money is not important for Roki as he is an international amateur free agent. The main thing will be the substance, and teams with more substantive presentations will be the frontrunners.

Although the Dodgers are where most Japanese players tend to land, their inability to keep their pitchers healthy might cause a roadblock. This is where the Dodgers, even though a popular choice, might actually have some concerns. Dodgers are good at developing, but they aren’t good in the health department. Every year, the squad loses almost 60% of their pitching staff to injuries.

Top Comment by kolpcon123

the Dodgers get higher risk pitchers that other teams pass on

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The Dodgers pitchers were on the IL for most of the season

To see River Ryan in pain after just 4.2 innings of solid, scoreless baseball was hard. When you’re in the middle of a playoff push, losing pitchers to injury is nothing but a hurdle. Manager Dave Roberts did the right thing by pulling Ryan when he saw that discomfort. And the MRI the next morning confirmed his right forearm tightness.

For the Dodgers, this injury only added to what has already been an injury-plagued season. At one point, there were 11 pitchers on the IL. Can you believe it? Players like Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, and Bobby Miller are just a few of these names. It’s honestly becoming a bit of a trend at this point, and not a good one for the Dodgers. Over the last five years, they have seen seven pitchers go under the knife for Tommy John surgery – a staggering number, indeed.

This total places the squad among the top three of the league, according to baseball researcher Jon Roegele’s database, which says a lot about how many arms they’ve had to manage through long-term injuries. This isn’t just a case of bad luck—there’s something systemic at play here. The Dodgers have consistently been one of the most forward-thinking organizations in terms of player development and medical science. But despite that, their pitching staff has been incredibly injury-prone, which raises questions about the workload, the training regimens, and perhaps even the mechanics or health protocols they’ve been using.

So, what do you think Sasaki should do here? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.