Padres trending upward as favorites to land Japanese star.
A neck-and-neck battle has shaped up in the chase for Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki, but the San Diego Padres may not have an edge in it over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Report: Padres could be a secondary option for Roki Sasaki
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, he believes that Sasaki might opt to sign with the Padres if he does not land with the Dodgers in free agency:
“People thought he was going to sign with the Dodgers, that was a done deal,” Nightengale told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain. “Obviously, the agent Joel Wolfe denies that. The Dodgers deny that. So, everybody wants him. He’s a great young talent. Scouts will say he’s better than [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto or [Shohei] Ohtani — he’s raw, but not proven yet. If he doesn’t sign with the Dodgers, I think he goes to the Padres. Padres are very hopeful, cautiously optimistic. I can’t see him going anywhere else.”
Roki Sasaki, Yankees, phillies, Dodgers
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Sasaki has ties to countrymen on Padres & Dodgers
Based on Nightengale’s report, Sasaki may see San Diego as a fallback option. The Padres house his compatriot and mentor Yu Darvish. As close as the two are, Sasaki has two fellow countrymen in Yamamoto and Ohtani who could hold even more sway on the defending World Series champions.
Sasaki is seeking a team with a superb developmental system, a winning culture, and a favorable locale. The Padres can offer the 23-year-old that and then some with their ultra-talented roster to top things off. Ultimately though, the Dodgers are atop the baseball world right now and would be tough to pass on. Nevertheless, a player of Sasaki’s caliber could tip the scales in San Diego’s favor in next year’s playoffs.
