Roki Sasaki Gave Dodgers, Other Teams ‘Unspecified Homework Assignment’

The Los Angeles Dodgers were among one of the teams to receive an “unspecified homework assignment” from international amateur free agent Roki Sasaki. The decision of the Japanese phenom has been one of the most popular storylines of the winter, but is expected to reach its conclusion in the next few weeks.

Joel Wolfe, Sasaki’s agent, emphasized his client’s desire for a level playing field for the 20 teams that are pursuing him. While the Dodgers have some of the best Japanese pitchers in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Sasaki requested that no players were present during the in-person meetings with teams.

Additionally, Sasaki gave teams the same assignment in order to highlight the organization’s ability to analyze and communicate with him.

“Without giving the actual details of what that assignment was,” Wolfe said, “every team got that very same assignment, and it enabled them to show how they can analyze and communicate information with him, and really showed where he was coming from in analyzing and creating his selection criteria, in looking at different teams.”

As Sasaki makes his way from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB, the Dodgers have widely been favored to sign the star. However, Sasaki will evaluate an organization’s player development, market size, location, and team success before making a final decision.

The Dodgers and San Diego Padres have been speculated to be the top contenders in the Sasaki sweepstakes. The Dodgers were the sixth reported team to meet with Sasaki in the first round of meetings, while the Padres were seventh.

Los Angeles has a ton to offer Sasaki, the most obvious thing being a World Series contender. It’s unclear how successful the Dodgers were with the homework assignment, but the team is projected to have the best chances.

“It was like the Roki film festival,” Wolfe said.

The 23-year-old is regarded as one of the most talented young pitchers in the world. Sasaki’s career in MLB is projected to be a movie, but whether the film begins in Dodger blue remains to be seen.