Manny Machado Hosted Roki Sasaki At His House During Padres' Second Meeting
![Oct 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) looks on before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Oct 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) looks on before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_7381,h_4151,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_padres/01jjavgk3n9j1chyfyg1.jpg)
The San Diego Padres were one of three teams left standing when it came to the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes. Eight teams initially met with the right-hander.
San Diego was rumored to be a favorite from the moment Sasaki was posted in early December. The front office and players definitely did their best to persuade the 23-year-old into signing with the Padres.
Videos surfaced on social media of Sasaki throwing on flat ground while dressed in Padres apparel. The signs were heavily pointing to a jackpot signing with San Diego.
Star third baseman Manny Machado hosted a gathering at his home for the team's second in-person meeting, where a Japanese chef prepared familiar dishes. Jackson Merrill, the 21-year-old center fielder expected to shine in the coming years, was there, along with 18-year-old catcher Ethan Salas, seen as a key piece of the organization's future. San Diego also had a valuable asset in Yu Darvish, a mentor to Sasaki and a respected figure in modern Japanese pitching with unmatched expertise.
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San Diego pushed all their chips to the center of the table informing Sasaki's group that they were ready to trade to maximize their bonus pool, offering the full amount of just over $10 million, according to a source of The Athletic.
Sasaki took a few days in Japan to mull over the options he had laid in front of him. He decided he would narrow his list and visit each city of his top three teams.
“When he was in Japan, trying to make a decision of what his next steps would be, he was trying to decide what was the best way to make a good decision,” his agent Joel Wolfe said. “And Roki decided that the best way was to go visit fewer teams, but spend more time in those cities … [He wanted to] go spend several days in each spot and experience the city, experience the team, see what a normal work day might feel like, because he’s never been here.”
The Padres were close to landing the prized free agent of the offseason. Wolfe referred to the decision as a “coin flip."
“I had the opportunity to speak to a lot of teams, and they had a lot of appealing features,” Sasaki said. “But overall, when I looked at the general consensus, I thought that the Dodgers were at the top.”
“The Padres and Blue Jays made tremendous pitches, presentations,” Wolfe added. “They left it on the floor.”
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