The news we've been expecting for months now finally broke on Friday night. Roki Sasaki, the young Japanese pitching phenom, has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and not the Boston Red Sox. He joins a rotation that already features Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, and he is set to receive about $6.5 million from the Dodgers' international bonus pool.
Sasaki was one of the most coveted players available this offseason. Because he's still just 23, he was only eligible for a minor league contract, making a big deal like the one his countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto got last year impossible. This meant that Sasaki could theoretically end up anywhere, not just in one of the big markets.
Though the Dodgers were always the frontrunners, the Red Sox were hoping to be a dark horse candidate for Sasaki's services. As recently as last Sunday, the Red Sox were considered "very serious" about signing Sasaki. However, on Monday, it was announced that his list of teams had narrowed to just three: the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays.
At that point, the Red Sox' only real skin in the game was tied to the Jays, as they'd obviously suffer the consequences if Sasaki signed in Toronto. But, as has become the norm, the Jays' interest remained just that. They can add Sasaki to their list of players that they've pursued but failed to sign in recent years, along with Ohtani, Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes.
The Red Sox' missing out on Sasaki is hardly surprising. Although they've had some success in signing Japanese players in the past (e.g. Masataka Yoshida), the Dodgers have almost entirely cornered that market in the last several years, especially among the highest-caliber guys like Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and now Sasaki.
That being said, there's worse places he could have ended up from the Red Sox' point of view — namely the Jays or the Yankees, who were also among the earlier contenders for his services. Sasaki only furthers the Dodgers' status as a superteam, but since they're in the National League, that isn't the biggest concern for the Sox, though it'd be nice if they were able to become a bonafide destination for somebody.