Since last Friday, when Roki Sasaki announced he was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, teams have reportedly criticized the “decision” as a foregone conclusion.
Even though Joel Wolfe, Sasaki’s agent, has been trying to dispel that notion since at least November, he was asked to address it again Wednesday at Sasaki’s introductory press conference in Los Angeles.
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“I don’t believe it was always the destination,” Wolfe said.
In the next breath, however, Wolfe explained why the Dodgers held an advantage with Sasaki that no other team could compete with.
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“I think that the Dodgers do have a ‘home field advantage’ in Japan,” he said. “I was in Japan many times over the last couple years, but especially this year. Every single Dodgers game is broadcast live. So when you wake up every morning in Japan, every (Dodgers) game is on TV because of (Shohei) Ohtani and (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto. They rebroadcast the games in the evening.”
The Dodgers’ merchandising presence in Sasaki’s home country is also stronger than every other team’s, Wolfe said.
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“When you go to a Japanese NPB game — for instance we went to watch a game in Fukuoka,” he said. “The Hawks have their home stadium shop, that sells all the Fukuoka Hawks gear. Then there’s a pop-up shop for every visiting team that comes. Then there’s a Dodger shop. I saw that at the Tokyo Dome, I saw that at the Orix stadium. They’re everywhere. Fans and players see the Dodgers everyday; it’s on their mind because of Ohtani and Yamamoto.”
Sasaki announced last Friday that he would sign with the Dodgers, ending the most widely contested free agent pursuit of the offseason. Because he was only able to sign a minor league contract for a bonus amount within each team’s international amateur pool limits, Sasaki was affordable to every major league team.
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After narrowing his list to eight teams, Sasaki held two meetings with just the Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and the Toronto Blue Jays. Wolfe said the decision was ultimately a “coin flip” among the three finalists.
Clearly, however, the Dodgers’ brand presence in Japan was a factor too strong to be dismissed.
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