LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki says in an Instagram post he intends to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. A 23-year-old right-hander whose fastball tops 100 mph, Sasaki will join fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a move many baseball executives have long expected.

There's only one way the San Francisco Giants will begin to consistently attract the biggest free agents on the market.

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey shared how he believes the organization eventually can lure a premiere superstar player.

The rich got richer Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers signed 23-year-old Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki to a minor-league contract.

The Giants have put together a nice enough offseason so far. The signing of shortstop Willy Adames (seven-year, $182 million contract) and the addition of 42-year-old Justin Verlander (one-year, $15 million) are nice, solid pickups.

Japanese star Roki Sasaki is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers following a frenzied Major League Baseball battle for the coveted pitcher’s signature. The 23-year-old confirmed on Friday that he would join up with compatriots and Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a brief statement on Instagram.

The San Francisco Giants have made some splashy moves this winter under first-year executive Buster Posey by bringing in Willy Adames and Justin Verlander, but

The San Francisco Giants failed in their blockbuster pursuit of Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani in the 2023 offseason.

Like every competent team in baseball, the Giants were in on the hot-shot Japanese free-agent pitcher, who, like Shohei Ohtani before him, is limited to signing a minor-league deal with a Major League team. That massively discounted rate allowed every team to sign him.

For his career, Ohtani owns a .945 OPS and 3.01 ERA. While he did not pitch at all in his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani still won the National League MVP award by becoming the first player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season.