TORONTO, CANADA – OCTOBER 23: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers talks with media during the 2025 World Series workout day and media availability at the Rogers Centre on Thursday, October 23, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t been shy about paying top dollar to acquire additional star talent for their championship roster.
After adding Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, the team won the 2024 World Series championship. Then they won it all again after adding high-priced All-Stars like Blake Snell and Tanner Scott. And now they have added Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker to the mix as they look for a third straight championship.
But the Dodgers have also worked in some less expensive deals for highly touted players. Most notably, the team added Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki to a contract that was limited by international signing restrictions.
Los Angeles Dodgers ‘Encountered Trouble Reaching’ Japanese Pitcher Roki Sasaki
Sasaki experienced an up-and-down debut season with the Dodgers last year, but he returned in October as a critical shutdown arm in the bullpen. However, credit for that late-season reemergence is reportedly a point of contention between the player and team.
“The Dodgers have encountered trouble reaching Sasaki, who is known for his strong individual streak,” Dylan Hernandez reported for the New York Post. “When he emerged as a bullpen savior, the organization scrambled to share stories of how it helped him recover his fastball velocity. Sasaki offered an entirely different retelling of events that minimized the role played by the team. He said he discovered the problems with his delivery when he watched old videos of himself.”
Sasaki’s “individual streak” and “entirely different” viewpoint on events seem to now be playing into manager Dave Roberts’ approach to the pitcher, who would like to return to his promised role as a starter for the championship team.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Sends 7-Word Instruction To Roki Sasaki
Hernandez noted that Roberts is aware that he needs to strike a balance with the young pitcher, but the skipper was clear with a warning about his repertoire.
“He needs to develop a third pitch,” Roberts told Hernandez. “It’s going to need to be something that goes left.”
Roberts added that he intends to give Sasaki an opportunity to return to the rotation next season, but that seems to be contingent on his ability to perform better in the role, which might require another offering from the mound. Roberts added some confidence that Sasaki will learn one way or another that some change is needed for him to have success as a starter in the majors.
“I like the phrase, ‘The game tells you,’” Roberts added, per Hernandez.
Sasaki has opted to skip the World Baseball Classic as he prepares for his sophomore stint in the big leagues, according to World Baseball Network. After a disappointing 2025, it could give him the time he needs to add another pitch to his arsenal.