Could the San Diego Padres be contenders for NPB star Roki Sasaki?
In May, Chelsea James of *The Washington Post* reported that teams expected Roki Sasaki, a star pitcher from Nippon Professional Baseball, to be posted this offseason. That prediction became reality on Saturday.
The Chiba Lotte Marines officially announced on X that they will post Sasaki this offseason. ESPN’s Jeff Passan mentioned that it’s still unclear when Sasaki will be available, but it will happen before Dec. 15, which is the start of the next international signing period. The Marines are likely to wait as long as possible before posting him to maximize the signing window.
Most people in baseball believe the Los Angeles Dodgers are the clear favorite to sign Sasaki. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that while all 30 teams will try to sign him, Sasaki is expected to end up in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are already linked to big names like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and they just came off a World Series win.
However, the Padres should not be counted out as another strong contender. San Diego is home to Yu Darvish, who signed a six-year, $108 million extension to stay with the Padres through 2028. Darvish is Sasaki’s mentor and has helped him develop his slider, which has become a major part of Sasaki’s pitching arsenal.
