'We were there when no one was': How the Dodgers landed Japanese phenom Rōki Sasaki

For the second straight offseason, the days leading into one of Japan's most talented baseball exports announcing his MLB destination on Instagram were marked by uncertainty and a push from a surprising suitor. 

Last winter, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman described the chase for Shohei Ohtani — and the wild 24 hours before Ohtani's announcement, which included erroneous reports about the superstar heading to Toronto and a flight-tracking saga that involved a Shark Tank judge — as "an emotional roller-coaster" that took years off his life. 

There wasn't a two-time MVP on the line, nor were hundreds of millions of dollars at stake this time around. Nonetheless, similar feelings resurfaced this January as the Dodgers awaited the decision of Rōki Sasaki, the latest pitching phenom out of Japan. 

Because Sasaki was posted by his club before the age of 25, the flamethrowing 23-year-old was subject to amateur restrictions that limited him only to a minor-league deal and a team's international bonus pool money. Teams in contention for his services were lining up funds for a final push. Just hours before Sasaki announced his decision on Jan. 17, the Blue Jays added $2 million in international bonus pool space by taking on Myles Straw's contract from the Guardians. Concern was mounting in the Dodgers' front office. "Pins and needles," as one executive described it. 

"I got a text message saying he was going to Toronto," one Dodgers talent evaluator told FOX Sports. "What was going through my mind was all the work that we did that's going to go to nothing. Thank God it wasn't real or wasn't true."

A month from now, it’s possible that Sasaki’s first pitch in a regular-season big-league game will be back in