Yu Darvish Breaks Silence on Roki Sasaki Pursuit, Desire to Play With Him on Padres

Sam Garcia | 3 Hours Ago

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a beloved team in Japan and the frontrunners for free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki. The country’s love for the franchise only amplified after winning the World Series with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the roster. 

Although the Dodgers seem like the clear favorite for Sasaki, the San Diego Padres also have a deep connection to Japan. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish is one of the few active Japanese-born players in the Major Leagues. 

Darvish made his MLB debut on April 9, 2012, with the Texas Rangers. Since then, Darvish signed a six-year, $108 million contract extension with the Padres that will last through the 2028 season.

On Friday, at a holiday event with the Padres, Darvish spoke out for the first time regarding Sasaki since he was posted this week.

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“I think it’s a good thing if he were to come to San Diego,” Darvish said through interpreter Shingo Horie. “Just for myself personally, if it does happen, yeah, it’s a great thing for me as well. But we’ll see how things shake out.”

Darvish’s presence on the Padres’ roster last offseason did not seem to affect the decisions of Ohtani and Yamamoto. Both were free agents last season who landed multiyear contracts with the Dodgers. Darvish understands he may not have much influence on Sasaki’s decision either. 

“I don’t think there’s much that I can do,” Darvish said. “He knows what he wants, he’ll make his decision, and I’m sure there’s going to be a couple of meetings coming up for him. And that will give him an opportunity to see what organizations are like. I’m sure he’s going to make his decision, and we’ll all be respectful of that.”

Although Darvish has limited control of Sasaki’s decision, the 12-season veteran is open to participating in a meeting between the franchise and free agent if it will help lure him to San Diego.

“If there is an opportunity or if I am asked to join a meeting, I’m here in San Diego throughout the offseason,” Darvish said. “So if there is a time or if they want me to come join a meeting, then, yeah, I’ll be happy to do that.”

Out of all the Padres, Darvish has by far the most influence. Darvish and Sasaki were teammates during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, alongside Ohtani and Yamamoto.

“We were able to spend a lot of time together during that time in the WBC,” Darvish said. “We would watch a lot of games together. We got to communicate and talk a lot together. I’ve had very good conversations with him.”

Darvish expressed his desire to be reunited with Sasaki. However, Sasaki is one of the most popular free agents this offseason and is drawing attention from just about every MLB team.

Still, the Padres will do everything they can to bring him to San Diego.

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