A case could be made that Sasaki was the most valuable pitcher on the winter free agent market because of the unique circumstances of his departure from from the Japan.

Rōki Sasaki, the 23-year-old phenom from Japan whose services for the next six seasons could be procured by every Major League Baseball franchise for the equivalent of a rounding error, ended his six-week recruiting period by agreeing to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday,