BREAKING: Rōki Sasaki Stuns Mariners Fans With Huge Big News
For Seattle Mariners fans, Rōki Sasaki’s spring training debut provided a glimpse of what could have been, while offering a glimpse of what might still be ahead.
Let’s just say this: The Mariners are set to wrap up their 2025 season with a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the thought of Sasaki potentially playing a key role in that matchup is already a bit intimidating.
The 23-year-old wasn’t just as good as expected in the Dodgers’ exhibition game against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday; he was even better. Sasaki tossed three scoreless innings, striking out five of the 13 batters he faced. He consistently reached 99 mph and had Reds hitters completely baffled by a mix of nasty sliders and splitters.
While Sasaki’s immediate impact on the Mariners is essentially nonexistent—he’s with the defending World Series champs in the National League West, while the Mariners play in the American League West, where FanGraphs gives them a solid chance of making the playoffs (57.4 percent) and winning the division (31.8 percent)—there’s definitely an unmistakable “what could have been” feeling lingering in the air.
The Mariners didn’t get Sasaki, but they wanted him
Heading into the 2024-25 offseason, the Mariners certainly didn’t need another young, talented starting pitcher. But, like every other team in MLB, they still kept their sights on Sasaki.
The Mariners were so determined to pursue the hard-throwing prospect that they enlisted Ichiro Suzuki to help with the recruiting process. And early on, general manager Jerry Dipoto was feeling optimistic.
“We have a good story to tell,” Dipoto said at the Winter Meetings, according to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times.
Looking back, it’s somewhat reassuring that Sasaki didn’t leave Mariners fans disappointed at the last minute. Seattle didn’t even make the first cut of finalists, let alone the second. Unlike many free-agent situations, Sasaki’s decision to pass on Seattle wasn’t about money. As an amateur free agent, he received just a $6.5 million signing bonus from the Dodgers.
The Mariners and Dodgers are on a collision course
If all goes according to plan for the Dodgers and Mariners in 2025, both teams’ playoff fates could be decided before they face off at T-Mobile Park from September 26 to 28.
That said, Mariners fans have good reason to feel uneasy about that. After the team made the playoffs in 2022 — a huge moment after a 21-year absence — it wasn’t until the very end of the last two seasons (September 30 and September 26, respectively) that they were left out of October baseball. In both instances, the Mariners faltered near the finish line.
Seattle certainly doesn’t want to find themselves in a similar situation when they meet the Dodgers in 2025. It won’t just be Sasaki who could be a problem — also in town will be Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and a roster full of other stars.
That said, it’s important to differentiate caution from despair. Mariners fans should have some of the former but absolutely none of the latter. The outlook for 2025 is promising, not just because of the odds. Fans know for certain that Seattle’s pitching staff can compete with any team’s, and after a challenging 2024, there’s nowhere to go but up for Julio Rodríguez and the offense.
By the time Sasaki and the Dodgers arrive in September, the Mariners will hopefully be ready to put up a strong fight.