Chicago Cubs Top Target Officially Signs With Los Angeles Dodgers

The biggest domino in the baseball world finally fell as the Japanese phenom finally signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs top target of this offseason has finally chosen his first MLB team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki shared the news himself on Instagram. He will join fellow Japanese phenoms Yoshinobu Mamamoto and Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers for at least the next six years.

It is a story of the rich get richer as Los Angeles cements their pitching staff as the best in baseball for the better part of the next decade.

The Cubs had found out that he was not going to sign with them a few days ago, but it still hurts to miss out on that type of talent.

Sasaki has a career 2.02 ERA over 414.2 innings in Japan and is widely believed to be a pitching prospect near the level of Stephen Strasburg and Paul Skenes.

Chicago has consistently tried to be a landing spot for the top international talent in baseball, but often loses to the West Coast. It isn't even the first time this offseason that they lost a player to the Dodgers.

Hyesong Kim, a well-rounded infielder, chose Los Angeles just a couple of weeks ago.

Luckily for the Cubs, the international players they have been able to sign have worked out well. Both Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki have been great players and were two of the best on the team last season.

Chicago does open the season against Los Angeles in Japan, so there is an off chance that the Dodgers boost him up to give him a chance to pitch in front of his home country once again.