MLB TRADE RUMORS: ROKI SASAKI’S COMFIRMS SAN DIEGO PADRES AS HIS FINAL DESTINATION
The San Diego Padres are rumored to be one of the three finalists for Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki, who is expected to sign with a Major League Baseball team between January 15 and January 23. Reports suggest the Padres have a one-in-three chance of landing the 23-year-old phenom.
According to multiple sources on Monday, Sasaki has narrowed his options to the following teams:
- San Diego Padres
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Toronto Blue Jays
Sasaki has met with all three teams and visited San Diego over the weekend. His signing is considered a significant event in baseball due to his status as one of the most highly regarded pitching prospects in history. During the World Baseball Classic, Sasaki shone as one of Team Japan’s top pitchers, standing out on a rotation that included stars like Yu Darvish, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. At 20 years old, he made headlines in Japan’s top professional league by throwing a perfect game with 19 strikeouts, drawing comparisons to the dominance of Stephen Strasburg during his college days at San Diego State.
Sasaki is not eligible for full free agency due to his age and will be subject to MLB’s international bonus pool rules, preventing teams from engaging in a high-stakes bidding war. Although nearly every MLB team expressed interest, Sasaki limited his meetings to a select few before finalizing his decision to consider just three teams.
Toronto’s inclusion as a finalist is somewhat unexpected but could bode well for the Padres. Analysts had long regarded the Dodgers and Padres as frontrunners, but Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, hinted during the Winter Meetings that Sasaki might prefer a smaller media market to begin his MLB career. The addition of Toronto and San Diego to the mix suggests this factor is influencing his choice.
If the Padres secure Sasaki, it would transform their quiet offseason into one of the most successful under GM AJ Preller, providing them with an affordable ace for the next six years. The international signing period begins January 15, and Sasaki must finalize a deal by January 23. If no agreement is reached, his posting window will close, requiring him to return to Japan for another season and revisit this process next year.