The Dodgers have a monopoly on prominent Japanese players. MLB is fine with that.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent decades building a brand in Japan. It has paid off in a big way, as the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and surely more to come were long favored to sign with Los Angeles – an expected future which came to fruition for those three stars. The Dodgers are willing to shell out the money necessary to sign the best Japanese talent from NPB and elsewhere, and even when money isn’t a factor (like with Sasaki), LA still holds an edge.
MLB is doing nothing to stop Japan’s next Shohei Ohtani from becoming a Dodger, too
This winter, Sasaki considered several teams, only to eventually sign where we all thought he would – the Dodgers. How could any young Japanese player turned down the chance to play with idols like Ohtani and Yamamoto? The Dodgers are Japan’s team. Games are carried there. Merchandise is sold there in excess. MLB as a whole is raking in money from Japan as a top international market. While small-market owners and fans may complain about a so-called unfair advantage the Dodgers have, the league itself and its commissioner won’t do much about it.
“I think people are pretty satisfied with where they are,” Manfred told The Athletic after a conversation with NPB commissioner Sadayuki Sakakibara. “The conversation yesterday was that we’ve found a balance where enough players are coming to the U.S. that it drives both of our businesses. And yet, as evidenced by playing these exhibition games, their domestic product’s damn good. I mean, damn good. And that’s kind of the perfect world for all of us.”