That should unleash a frenzied pursuit. But will it? Many teams, including the Mets and Yankees, have obsessively scouted Sasaki and sent over top executives to see him and show respect about their seriousness. Within the industry, though, the Dodgers are viewed as everything from a powerful favorite to all but having him secured already. The signing of Ohtani, particularly, and also Yamamoto made the new champions the team of Japan — “I saw some Yankees hats, but everywhere it was the ‘D’ for Dodgers on shirts and hats,” Keuchel observed.