Padres Rumors: Every GM in MLB Expects Roki Sasaki to Sign With Specific Team

Valentina Martinez | Nov 17, 2024

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

On ESPN's Baseball Tonight, Buster Olney discussed the reality of the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes.

Olney suggested that every general manager in the league believes the Japanese phenom will land with one specific team.

"In theory he could play for any one of the 30 teams because he's not going to get a big free agent deal the way (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto did last winter. He's going to wind up taking a very minimal deal the way Shohei Ohtani did," Olney said of Sasaki. "I had a conversation with executives about this. Thirty out of 30 teams believe he's going to the Dodgers. That's the reality, right? But we don't really know what's in his heart. You won't really know until he actually is having these conversations."

Rumors have swirled surrounding Sasaki. However, the two teams that have the strongest connections with the 23-year-old pitcher are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.

Both clubs have former teammates of Sasaki's from the World Baseball Classic. Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Yu Darvish all spent time with the developing pitcher on team Japan.

Olney's latest update on Sasaki should be disheartening for Padres fans as the team could use a pitcher like him in the rotation, especially with the loss of Joe Musgrove. Sasaki is exactly the type of player president of baseball operations A.J. Preller would want to add to the rotation as he is talented and relatively cheap.

Olney labeled Sasaki as "baseball's biggest bargain" since teams can only pay him from their international bonus pool which is pennies compared to what he could get if he were the eligible age to be recognized as an international free agent.

It's evident Sasaki is eager to join stateside baseball as he chose to take the same route as Ohtani, who signed with the Angels for $2.3 million in 2018. There have been several reports that Sasaki has a strong connection with Darvish, but Olney's latest update indicates the connection to the Dodgers is stronger.

San Diego would be an optimal place for Sasaki as he would avoid being in the shadows of Ohtani and Yamamoto. However, Sasaki wouldn't get more than a few years with Darvish, who likely won't play baseball much longer as he is already 38 years old.

The looming decision for Sasaki has most front office executives on their toes. If the Padres managed to add Sasaki to the roster, it's likely the team will go far in 2025.

More news: Padres 'More Likely' to Sign Roki Sasaki Than Dodgers, Says MLB Insider