The New York Yankees learned on January 13 that they would not be signing superstar Japanese phenom pitcher Roki Sasaki.

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) and the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after beating the New York Yankees in game four to win the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

In the wake of the Yankees learning this news, ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney alluded to one potential reason why Sasaki may not have chosen the Yankees in a January 14 X post.

“In Roki Sasaki’s past meetings with teams, he has come across as a very quiet, very serious person. This is being interpreted by some teams as a sign that he might prefer to be in a place where he isn’t the center of attention — in a smaller market, or among more established stars,” Olney wrote.

While this sentiment is fair enough, the fact that Sasaki’s three finalists were the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, and defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers — who have one of baseball’s biggest markets — suggested that a big market wasn’t necessarily a negative for Sasaki.

And this was proven true once it was announced on January 17 that Sasaki had indeed agreed to terms with the Dodgers.

In Sasaki’s Instagram post that made the announcement, he wrote (in translated English from Japanese), “I have signed a minor contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a very difficult decision, but I will do my best to make it the right decision when I look back after my baseball career. I want to slip my sleeve on the Dodgers uniform at the opening conference, thanking everyone who has supported me this far.”

As if the Dodgers needed another generation talent on top of their already star-studded roster.