MLB rumors: Padres 'holding out hope' Roki Sasaki will spurn Dodgers
Pitcher Roki Sasaki is the next star to make the jump from Japan to Major League Baseball. With Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto starring for the champion Los Angeles Dodgers , smart money is on Sasaki heading to Hollywood. Their biggest rivals, the San Diego Padres , are in the conversation as well. GM AJ Preller is hoping to pry the pitcher away from LA and down to San Diego, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
"Several teams are holding out hope, particularly, the San Diego Padres. Sasaki's mentor happens to be Yu Darvish of the Padres, who frequently advises Japanese players on their choices when they come over to the United States."
Nightengale continued, "Surely, Darvish will be reminding Sasaki that the Padres were the Dodgers' greatest threat on their World Series run in October, and who wouldn't want to be forever remembered being on the first team in Padres franchise history to win a World Series?"
Darvish has bounced around the league but found a solid home in San Diego. He is under contract through 2028, so he will be able to usher his mentee through the first few years of his career. While he was hurt for part of the season, Darvish shined in his 81.2 innings.
Should Roki Sasaki choose the Padres or the Dodgers?
The Roki Sasaki free agency sweepstakes does not come down to just the Padres and Dodgers. The Yankees and Mets are also interested in his services, as to be expected. Despite the Dodgers having the international bonus pool money, the Dodgers may not land the pitcher. With so many great starters, there may not be the innings Sasaki is looking for in LA.
The Padres know their competition is the Dodgers and know that the gap is not very wide. They h eld a 2-1 lead in the NLDS but could not score in the final two games. LA moved on and eventually won the World Series. Their pitching was not the problem, as Michael King, Dylan Cease, and Darvish all pitched well. Cease had one bad start, but that is in the cards when playing the Dodgers.
Sasaki is not eligible for the massive contract that the Dodgers gave Yamamoto last offseason. Sasaki is not 25 years old yet. He will get a similar contract to what Ohtani got when he was posted in 2017. That leaves many teams as possibilities for Sasaki, not just the Dodgers and Padres.
