Japanese ace Roki Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, choosing the defending World Series champions over the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, among other teams who showed interest in obtaining his services.

Over the last year, there had been speculation around MLB that the Dodgers had a possible handshake agreement in place with pitcher Roki Sasaki.

The courting of young Japanese flamethrower Roki Sasaki was one of the few instances that all 30 Major League Baseball teams were on equal footing for prized talent. A time when some of the lower-spending teams had a chance to pick up a promising player and add a little parity to a sport that