Dodgers notes: Roki Sasaki, Jarren Duran, Dee Strange-Gordon

Roki Sasaki revived his rookie season by serving as the de-facto closer for the Dodgers in the postseason after struggling out of the gates as a starting pitcher.

Sasaki ditched his slider and cutter from his arsenal in the postseason, relying on his devilish splitter and blazing fastball as his go-to pitch options, becoming a nearly unhittable force out of the bullpen. Now with a full offseason to work his way back into the rotation, Sasaki can use his postseason run as fuel to keep improving at the major league level, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

Having a full offseason as a Dodger might also be helpful for Sasaki, who signed with the team this past January. Whereas he only had a few weeks to work with the organization this year before Spring Training began, he’ll have months to prepare this time around. The most important takeaway from his stint in relief is that the electric stuff is still in there. It’s just a matter of unlocking it.

If there is one certainty this offseason, the Dodgers have fully immersed themselves in the market for outfield help, most notably for free agents Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger.

Should there be a scenario where the Dodgers are unable to haul in one of the other, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com drew up a “mini Mookie Betts trade,” where Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran goes to the Dodgers, Twins pitcher Joe Ryan heads to Boston, and a prospect package headlined by Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris heads to Minnesota.

With Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu looking like an elite outfield, Boston possibly has the luxury of moving Duran, who is due to make $8 million in 2026 and is under control through 2028.

Former Dodgers infielder Dee Strange-Gordon (formerly known as Dee Gordon) has been making an impact in his home state of Florida by helping young players develop their game without any financial restrictions, writes Megan Garcia of Dodger Insider.

“There are no opportunities like this,” Strange-Gordon said. “That’s the biggest thing that we can help guys just further their opportunities. We got a couple of guys who are getting looked at by (independent baseball league) organizations and getting signed for winter ball teams.”