Padres' NL West Rival Officially Out of Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes in Massive Development

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In this story:

A San Diego Padres' National League West rival has been informed they won't be signing Roki Sasaki.

San Francisco Giants general manager Zack Minasian said Monday that the team was told they would not be Sasaki's choice in free agency.

More news: Padres Emerge as 'New Choice' to Land Roki Sasaki Among Executives

While this doesn't come as a huge surprise, its a rather large development that Sasaki is starting to narrow down his options as his signing deadline nears.

The San Diego Padres have long been considered a frontrunner for Sasaki, along with the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Padres not only have a top-tier pitching development system and a winning team, but they also have ace Yu Darvish, who has been a mentor for Sasaki, his teammate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic on Team Japan.

The Dodgers, of course, have two Japanese superstars of their own in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, made it known that having Japanese teammates was not a priority for the 23-year-old pitcher.

“We’ve had numerous conversations about team location, market size, teams’ success … but he doesn’t seem overly concerned about whether a team has Japanese players or not,” Wolfe said. “In the past, as I’ve represented Japanese players, that was sometimes an issue, but it was never a topic of discussion.”

What is important to Sasaki is the pitching development, as he has his sights set on being one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball.

"I believe Roki is also very interested in the pitching development and how a team is going to help him get better both in the near future and over the course of his career," Wolfe said.

“Roki is by no means a finished product. He knows it and the teams know it. He is incredibly talented. We all know that,” Wolfe added. “But he is a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here to be rich or to get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever. I see that now and he has articulated it."

Sasaki is expected to sign sometime after Jan. 15, when the next international signing period opens and teams have more money. However, the latest he can sign is Jan. 23, or he'll have to go back to Japan for another season.

More news: Padres Predicted to Land $37M All-Star in Blockbuster Luis Arraez Trade


Published |Modified
Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He is the lead editor for Inside the Padres. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has covered all Southern California sports in his career.