As the calendar counts down on 2024 and teams begin looking ahead to 2025, the sweepstakes for the biggest name on the free agent market continues to make waves.
With each passing day, more reports come out saying Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki will be signing with the San Diego Padres once he is posted in mid-January.
David Schoenfield of ESPN also linked the two parties together in a column from Nov. 27.
“Under international signing rules, Sasaki will have to sign a minor league contract and receive only a signing bonus that fits under each team’s international cap (commissioner Rob Manfred said last week that Sasaki probably won’t sign until after Jan. 15, which puts Sasaki into next year’s signing class, when everyone’s cap resets).
In theory, that means any team can afford Sasaki.
But where will he want to go? Does he want to play third fiddle on the Dodgers behind Ohtani and Yamamoto? Will he consider a team on the East Coast or Midwest or go to the West Coast to help maximize his marketing opportunities in Japan?
“The Padres would be a great fit – and perhaps none of the likeliest suitors need Sasaki quite as much as the Padres. Their payroll is already close to maxed out, and that’s without re-signing Jurickson Profar or Ha-Seong Kim – two players they could use. Plus, Joe Musgrove will sit out 2025 after elbow surgery, so there is a need for a starter to challenge the Dodgers’ supremacy in the NL West.”
Sasaki has been one of the top performers in NPB, boasting a stellar 2.10 ERA over 394.2 innings during his four-year career.
Known for his ability to generate strikeouts, he averages 11.4 per nine innings and allowed only three home runs over his last two seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines. In 2024, he set a personal best with a 2.35 ERA, striking out 129 batters across 111 innings.
Sasaki’s triple-digit fastball and devastating forkball make him a standout talent, drawing comparisons to some of Japan’s greatest pitchers.
If the Padres secure his signature, he could significantly bolster their rotation without requiring a major financial outlay, as MLB’s rules limit his signing to international bonus pool funds.
Many view Sasaki as a potential star, even comparing him to Shohei Ohtani, making this a high-reward opportunity for San Diego.
