NL Owner Concerned Dodgers Can Sign Any Japanese Free Agent They Want

The Los Angeles Dodgers have built a global brand over decades, beginning with Walter O'Malley's vision for international influence.
This vision gained momentum in 1965 when Tommy Lasorda, then a scout, traveled overseas to conduct clinics. Peter O'Malley carried on his father's global ambitions, setting the stage for the franchise's international prominence.
In 1995, the Dodgers made history by signing right-handed pitcher Hideo Nomo, a five-time All-Star in Japan's Pacific League. Nomo became the first player from a Japanese professional league to play in Major League Baseball since Masanori Murakami, a left-hander for the San Francisco Giants in 1964–65.
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Fast forward to the present, the Dodgers have solidified their status as a prime destination for Japanese stars.
They signed Roki Sasaki, marking their third major acquisition of a Japanese player in the past 13 months. This follows their $1.025 billion investment last offseason in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Chicago Cubs were among the final eight teams in pursuit of Sasaki, hoping to lure the 23-year-old as they prepare to open the 2025 season against the Dodgers in Japan. However, Sasaki ultimately chose Los Angeles.
“They have such a high profile in Japan," Cubs owner Tom Ricketts acknowledged to USA Today. “When a player is going to make a decision based on equal economics, it’s going to be tough to compete for a Japanese player against the Dodgers for a long time."
The Dodgers' 2025 roster is poised to make history, as noted by Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
"No team has ever had multiple Japanese-born players with 4+ WAR (BRef WAR) in the same single season. Will some combo of Ohtani, Sasaki, and Yamamoto become the first such teammates?"
no team has ever had multiple Japanese-born players with 4+ WAR (BRef WAR) in the same single season
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 17, 2025
will some combo of Ohtani, Sasaki and Yamamoto become the first such teammates?
While the Dodgers chase this historic milestone, their success is a testament to their storied history and an offseason considered one of the best in baseball.
Hideo Nomo’s impact extends far beyond his own career. By paving the way for stars like Sasaki, Ohtani, and Yamamoto, he also opened doors for legends like Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda, Kazuhisa Ishii, Takashi Saito, and Hiroki Kuroda to leave their mark on Major League Baseball.
Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player ever elected to the MLB Hall of Fame this week. Ohtani will surely follow, and there's a chance at least one of his Dodgers teammates does, too.