"Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were in the meeting too" - Fans react to international free agent Roki Sasaki's confab with Dodgers

One of the favorites to sign Roki Sasaki had their meeting with the Japanese pitcher on Saturday as the Los Angeles Dodgers became the sixth team to get a one-on-one interaction with the young flamethrower.

At 23 years of age, Roki Sasaki has already established himself as one of the deadliest arms in the baseball world. He has pitched four seasons in the NPB earning a 2.10 ERA over 394.2 innings.

But because he is under 25, Sasaki will only be able to sign in the international bonus pool. That has given all teams a fair chance at getting his services as the bonus pool is a limited total of $7.55 million.

As reported, as many as 20 teams chose to present themselves to Sasaki. He shortlisted a few teams and met with them in Los Angeles. The New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants have met with him after getting posted on the 9th of December.

Now the Dodgers have thrown their hat in the gauntlet. They have been scouting Sasaki for years. LA's recent history of adding Japanese superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will also aid their situation.

Fans discussed the event of the Dodgers meeting Sasaki. They took X to showcase their reactions including references to Ohtani and Yamamoto while also taking a dig at the Dodgers' deferred money tactics.

"[Shohei] Ohtani and [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto were reportedly in the meeting too…," a fan wrote.

"“The Dodgers have met and already likely agreed to sign Sasaki, to an entirely [deffered] 1 billion dollar contract.”", a fan taunted.

"How much did they slide under the table to be paid out in 2045?" another fan said about Dodgers signing tactics.

"Posey shook," a fan said about the Giants President of Baseball Operations.

"This will be the least shocking news if he signs with LAD," a fan opined.

"Breaking news: water is wet," a user said sarcastically.

Roki Sasaki not signing in the West Coast would 'be a shock', per Jon Heyman

Japanese players have usually preferred playing on the West Coast because of the time difference with their home. As per MLB insider Jon Heyman, despite East Coast teams like the New York clubs trying their best to lure Sasaki, he is expected to stay in the West.

"The Mets could sell their recent pitching successes and the Yankees their long history of winning. But it’ll be a shock if he doesn’t land on the West Coast," Heyman had said.

While the Dodgers are favorites, the San Diego Padres have also emerged as strong contenders. Their NL West opponents, the San Francisco Giants, have also established contact, while 2023 champions Texas Rangers are the last West Coast team currently in the fray.