When pitcher Roki Sasaki announced he would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, baseball fans were predictably peeved. Three months after winning the World Series, the Dodgers appear poised to dominate for the foreseeable future.
However, there's a difference between a mere vulgar display of power and a signing that actually breaks MLB rules—and according to a baseball official, the Sasaki signing was not the latter.
"According to a league official, MLB conducted an investigation prior to authorizing Sasaki’s posting to 'ensure the protocol agreement had been followed,'" Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times wrote Saturday.
That would mean making sure that Sasaki had not agreed to a handshake deal with Los Angeles or any other team.
"Another person with knowledge of the situation, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said the league interviewed 'numerous parties' in its probe, but found no evidence to substantiate" rumors of an informal deal, Harris wrote.
The Dodgers may be innocent of any wrongdoing, but that will do little to assuage 29 fanbases envious of one of world sport's few true modern juggernauts.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Investigated Dodgers Over Rumored Predetermined Roki Sasaki Agreement.
