Dodgers Expected to Sign 18-Year-Old Japanese Phenom Pitcher: Report

The Dodgers are truly doing all they can to "paint Japan blue."

Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) after winning in the eighteenth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game three of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Dodgers have made Japanese talent a major part of their roster-building strategy in recent years, and they may already have their eyes on the country's next rising star.

It all started in the winter of 2023, when the Dodgers landed two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Just days later, Los Angeles added Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

After winning their eighth World Series title in 2024, the Dodgers went back to the Japanese market and signed right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki.

Those additions have played a significant role in Los Angeles' recent success, but the Dodgers are likely far from done adding talent from Japan.

According to Dylan Hernandez of the California Post, the league expects the Dodgers to pursue and ultimately sign 18-year-old right-handed pitcher Shoki Oda, a Japanese prospect.

"And while people familiar with his situation insist he hasn’t made a decision, the widespread expectation around the industry is that 18-year-old Shoki Oda of Japan will end up with the Dodgers," Hernandez wrote.

"If Oda sticks to the plan he unveiled earlier this month, the hard-throwing right-hander will do something no Japanese superstar before him has ever done by moving to the United States without first playing in Nippon Professional Baseball."

Earlier this month, Oda announced that he would skip Nippon Professional Baseball and move to the United States to propel his baseball career.

Oda will either sign with an MLB team as an international free agent or attend an American college.

The 18-year-old's decision to forgo the NPB Draft is the latest in a very short list of players who have done the same.

Fellow Japanese teenage sensation Rintaro Sasaki is the first notable player to come to the U.S. to pursue a Major League career instead of one in the NPB.

Rintaro was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the eighth round of this past summer's draft.

Who is Shoki Oda?

Oda has all the tools and the makings to be an elite pitcher in the major leagues. He has high velocity plus a deep arsenal that features a slider, curveball, changeup, splitter and cutter.

On top of that, Oda dominated at his level, racking up 395 strikeouts in 303.2 innings during his high school career.

Should the Dodgers add Oda this winter, he could eventually emerge as one of the organization's top prospects and, if he reaches his potential, become a cornerstone for years to come.

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