We are just days away from the 2025 MLB Opening Day and without any doubt, the best team in the entire league is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Once again. Yes. The team that has been years destroying the National League West by winning 12 of the last 13 titles.
There’s a lot of discussion about who else might sign with the Dodgers. They are set to have three of the best stars in baseball from Japan. Additionally, there are rumors about a Japanese kid who was filmed practicing his mechanics during his free time at school. Joking an laughing, everything is okay inside the Dodgers’ organization.
The acquisition of Shohei Ohtani in December 2023 was shocking to the world. It had significant implications for the league and in the commercial revenue of the LA team. Just ten days after Ohtani’s signing, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a spectacular pitcher and a star in Japanese baseball, signed a 12-year contract with the team.
The acquisition had an impact almost immediately, after being determinant over the whole season with a 7-2 record in 18 games thrown, and a very impressive 3.00 ERA in his rookie year. The Dodgers ended winning the World Series for the eight time in their history.
Recently, in January, Roki Sasaki, a 25-year-old pitching ace from the Chiba Lotte Marines, signed with the Dodgers in a five year deal, creating the best pitching staff in the entire MLB and establishing a complete Japanese dynasty for the next years. At least, Ohtani (30) and Yamamoto (26) will be 10 and 12 more years in the organization.
This is not he only Japanese player coming this 2025 to the majors; Shinnosuke Ogasawara a 27 year old lefty that signed with the Washington Nationals on a two year 3.5 million deal. Aditionally to the acquisition for the Orioles, Sugano Tomoyuki, who signed a one year deal 13 million.
The Dodgers’ engagement with the Japanese market serves as a prime example of the MLB’s accelerating global growth and expansion.
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