As you know, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers are currently competing in the 2024 MLB World Series.

Although this is the first time since 1981 that these two iconic franchises have faced off in the Fall Classic, the Yankees and Dodgers compete every offseason to sign baseball’s top free agents.

This was seen last winter in the case of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto; which the Dodgers ultimately acquired.

And October 27 article by Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested that the two teams would likely face off against another Japanese superstar soon after the World Series ends.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said in the article: “I think the way (the Yankees) view players and the way we view players, there’s some overlap. And since these are two teams that regularly compete for a championship every year, it makes sense that there would be some overlap. »

Sherman then wrote: “We can expect this to continue this offseason. The Dodgers will, at a minimum, check if Juan Soto can be convinced to return to the West.

“And there are already rival executives who believe Los Angeles is the hot favorite to land Japanese star Roki Sasaki if the right-hander is signed by the Chiba Lotte Marines,” he added.

Sasaki is a 22-year-old pitcher who was one of the biggest superstars of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, going 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 7.2 innings pitched for the Japanese team.

In four seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, Sasaki posted a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394.2 innings pitched.

The Yankees have already been named as one of the top potential candidates for Sasaki if assigned by the Marines (which is not a guarantee). As for Los Angeles, Sherman wrote: “The Dodgers established themselves as Japan’s team with the signings of Yamamoto and especially Shohei Ohtani – their postseason television ratings in Japan set records, for example.”

While the Yankees’ goal is to defeat the Dodgers in this World Series, beating Los Angeles in the potential Sasaki Sweepstakes this offseason will become a priority once the Fall Classic is over.