Yankees analyst predicts "3-headed monster" of Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto scenario at Dodgers

Roki Sasaki is set to make his decision to join an MLB team in the next 10 days and most of the signs point towards the young Japanese flamethrower signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, other franchises like the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and the New York Yankees are all in the conversation too.

There are major advantages to Sasaki signing for LA, one of which is that the location is closer to his home in Japan. Moreover, the Dodgers have prioritized starting pitching and know the formula to win championships. However, the biggest advantage is arguably the culture the Dodgers are building.

As per "Pinstripes Territory" host Derek Levandowski, Roki Sasaki will head to the Dodgers where he will make a pitching 'three-headed monster' alongside his countrymen Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He also noted that it feels unfair that the Dodgers can pull Japanese free agents to them because of their location.

"My hunch is that he signs with LA, that he wants to be part of that Shohei and Yamamoto three-headed monster, and I wouldn't blame him for that.

"But, you know, I hope not because I feel like the international talent should be more spread out than that. I think one team, because of where they play, compiling all those stars in one spot could be an unfair thing, an unfair way to structure the league." [9:08]

Dodgers let go of international free agents to clear space for Roki Sasaki

The MLB's international bonus pool makes it virtually an even playing field for all teams to sign foreign free agents. Because of Roki Sasaki's age (24), he will not be eligible for free agency and can only be signed in the bonus pool.

The Dodgers had a little over $5 million to sign international free agents, the lowest in the league alongside the San Francisco Giants. However, they have reportedly let go of Darrell Morel and Orlando Patino to clear $1.5 million from their cap. The former didn't wait around for the Dodgers to come through and instead took a $1.8 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A few hundred thousand dollars difference might not matter to Sasaki, especially with what the future could hold. But the young pitcher could be tempted by a strong offer from the Dodgers that secures his professional growth and financial stability before he can turn to free agency.

It will be interesting to see where Roki Sasaki elects to go, and it seems we won't have to wait much longer to find out.