"Better than Roki Sasaki" "Never seen a Japanese go to another team than Dodgers" - Fans react to Nationals' 2-year deal with Shinnosuke Ogasawara

The Washington Nationals sent the baseball community into a frenzy on Friday, announcing they had reached an agreement with Shinnosuke Ogasawara. The 27-year-old Japanese pitcher was posted by his NPB club, the Chunichi Dragons, in December, and he landed himself an MLB deal on the final day of the international free-agent period.

The 2023 NPB All-Star agreed to a two-year deal with the Nationals and will ply his trade in North America. While Ogasawara may not be the biggest name Japanese free agent to hit the market, he has enjoyed a solid NPB career. Over 1098.0 innings over his career, Ogasawara owns a 3.67 ERA with 863 strikeouts.

Following the news, fans flocked to social media to share their thoughts. The fact that he ended up with the Nationals as opposed to the Los Angeles Dodgers did not go unnoticed.

"Never seen a Japanese player goes to a another team than Dodgers," one fan shared.

"No Dodgers," another fan posted.

"BETTER THAN SASAKI," one more fan added.

According to MLB insider Mark Zuckerman, this is the first time in the Nationals history that the team has signed a player directly from Asia. The move is not only a historic moment for the club but potentially one that can help the Nationals win games, something that fans are praising on social media.

"Hope he's better than Roki," one fan posted online.

"Could be a massive hit for the Nationals rotation or a big whiff for a team looking to finally compete after a long rebuild process. excited to see whats what," another fan posted.

"Big league bound for DC! Yaaas Shinnosuke Ogasawara coming home strong!" one more added.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara is the latest in a long line of Japanese pitchers making their way to MLB

It is an exciting time for Japanese players and fans as there has been a serious injection of talent making its way across to the MLB. Last offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers brought in young pitch sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto and added Roki Sasaki this offseason.

The Chicago Cubs added Shota Imanaga last offseason, who turned out to be one of the best bargains in free agency when he signed for a four-year, $53 million deal. While Shinnosuke Ogasawara does not make the jump to North America with the hype of those mentioned above, he is just the latest talented pitcher making his way to the Majors.