A new rumor claims a National League rival feels very “confident” they can beat out the Los Angeles Dodgers for Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki.

The MLB hot stove has gotten red hot over the last week. The jewel of this year’s class, Juan Soto, has gotten much of the attention this offseason.

The New York Yankees All-Star is a special talent who has not even reached his prime and already has an MLB title on his resume.

However, there are many other notable players in this year’s market as well. Such as New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso. Houston Astros star Alex Bregman. Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes. And two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell.

However, the player who might have just as much interest as Soto is young Japanese star Roki Sasaki. Due to his designation as an international free agent, he is limited in what he can make so it opens up the pool of teams that can pursue him. But from the start, he has been linked to the Dodgers. And some reports claim he already has an unwritten agreement with the team.

But on Monday, one MLB insider explained why there is a team in LA’s division that has a lot of confidence they can lure away the 23-year-old pitcher.

• Roki Sasaki stats (2024): 10-5 Record, 2.35 ERA, 1.036 WHIP, 129 SO, 111.0 IP

San Diego Padres ‘quietly confident’ they can beat out Los Angeles Dodgers for Roki Sasaki

“The team that is quietly confident they have a realistic shot is the San Diego Padres with veteran starter Yu Darvish being a mentor and close friend of Sasaki’s,” USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported.

“Does Sasaki go to San Diego where he could become their ace and perhaps lead the Padres to their first World Series title in franchise history, or head to the riches of Los Angeles where he might be only the third most popular Japanese player on the team behind Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto?”

Roki Sasaki contract (Projection): Four years, $7.5 million

The lure of a mentor to help him navigate life in the US, as opposed to being in the shadow of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is an interesting pitch to make. We will find out if it is successful when Sasaki is posted by his Pacific League team in January.