Japanese ace Roki Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, choosing the defending World Series champions over the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, among other teams who showed interest in obtaining his services.

The Los Angeles Dodgers added onto what’s been a successful offseason and past year when Roki Sasaki announced his signing decision on Instagram. The Dodgers were the favorites among teams in pursuit of the 23-year-old but the outcome angered some who believe there was backdoor agreements in place.

Over the last year, there had been speculation around MLB that the Dodgers had a possible handshake agreement in place with pitcher Roki Sasaki.