This wasn’t the news Padres fans were hoping to hear.
From the moment it was revealed that Roki Sasaki was going to be posted, speculation has been rampant as to which West Coast team would be able to sign him. While other teams have been mentioned as potential options, the bulk of the connections are linked to the San Diego Padres and their fierce divisional rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Padres have some things going in favor. Sasaki would be able to stand out in the Japanese market whereas he would likely get overshadowed by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in LA. It has also been widely reported that Sasaki has a close relationship with Yu Darvish which could be appealing for a young pitcher coming over to the United States.
Unfortunately, there is no denying the marketing potential with Los Angeles and many experts have been pushing the idea that the Dodgers are the favorites to sign Sasaki. But it was still jarring to hear ESPN’s Buster Olney’s numerous inquiries to MLB executives return with the prevailing sentiment that baseball executives think Sasaki is going to LA. In fact, it was unanimous.
MLB executives are convinced Roki Sasaki is going to the Dodgers over the Padres
Olney has been covering the Sasaki sweepstakes closely. Previously, he openly discussed that Japanese players may or may not prefer to play for different teams instead of grouping up on one roster, and how that whole perception was turned on it’s head when Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers despite Ohtani’s presence.
On the podcast, https://t.co/rFKOr1nssk @Alden_Gonzalez talks about the Dodgers, Roki Sasaki, and a GM perception that was debunked last winter. pic.twitter.com/JivQiva2CH
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 5, 2024
What Olney revealed recently wasn’t just his own speculation or reacting to others’ reporting, but he personally reached out to 30 MLB executives on different teams. “Thirty out of 30 teams believe he’s going to the Dodgers,” Olney said.
What’s unclear is if this is speculation or deeper knowledge of the situation. Sasaki isn’t posted yet, so he can’t negotiate with teams and is unlikely to do so until the middle of January. However, it is pretty telling that those who are most in the know seem to think that Sasaki to LA is pretty much a done deal.
This is a brutal reality for Padres fans if it’s proven true. Sasaki would be an incredibly cheap addition to San Diego’s pitching staff that could easily take them to the next level if his stuff translates to MLB. It’s still way too early to declare the Sasaki sweepstakes over, but the odds are stacking against the Padres at the moment.
