The Los Angeles Dodgers are not just sitting back and enjoying their World Series win! After snagging their second ring of the decade in 2024, slowing down is maybe the last thing on the team’s cards. This was, after all, their first full-length season win since 1988, after they won the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Now, the team only wants to improve their lineup, starting with their pitching.

One player on their wishlist is Roki Sasaki. The Japanese star wanted to come to America to play in the MLB for the longest time, and finally, his team back home in Japan let him go. So, the Dodgers have an eye on him, and with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the mix—it’s a dream team. But here’s the thing: predictions are that Sasaki might not end up with the LA Dodgers at all!

It is widely believed that Roki Sasaki will go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, mostly because his fellow countrymen are present there. Plus, the Dodgers are popular in his home country. But according to MLB’s David Adler, another team’s name that might come through is the Pittsburgh Pirates. “Roki Sasaki and Paul Skenes. Enough said.” And this is short but does say a thousand words.

Sasaki and Skenes are two of the most hyped-about young pitchers in baseball now. Roki Sasaki is 23, and Paul Skenes is even younger at 22 and is also the 2024 ROY Winner. They will surely light up MLB for years to come, so imagine the impact if they can do it all together. It’s like the Aaron Judge and Juan Soto partnership or Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman for the Dodgers.

Both Skenes and Sasaki have 100-plus mph fastballs. They both have a signature secondary pitch, Skenes’ splinker and Sasaki’s splitter are “among the nastiest pitches in the world,” Adler said. He thought that both Skenes and Sasaki have the potential to be fighting for the best pitcher in baseball title in the next decade. So, it does sound exciting! But the predictions from the analysts do not end here.

Jim Bowden thinks that won’t be the case. When asked who would be the most surprising free-agent signing, Bowden mentioned, “Sasaki—because everyone seems to think he will sign with the Dodgers. When he doesn’t, many are going to be surprised.” He feels that Sasaki will sit better with the San Diego Padres, where he would shine without dimming the lights of other players like Shohei Ohtani or Yamamoto. Moreover, going to the Padres means Sasaki will have more visibility and hence endorsement chances. One more factor is there.

Yu Darvish can sway Sasaki’s decision

The San Diego Padres seemingly got the most votes for where Sasaki will end up; sportswriter David Schoenfield, too, suggested that they would be a better fit for the Japanese pitcher. In his ESPN article, he explained, “The Padres would be a great fit—and perhaps none of the likeliest suitors need Sasaki quite as much as the Padres.” Plus, he even gave several reasons why the Padres might benefit by taking Roki Sasaki in.

Schoenfield mentioned that the Padres payroll is nearly maxed out and Joe Musgrove on the outs after a Tommy John surgery means the Padres have a need for a starting pitcher. Sasaki, for example, could fill in that gap perfectly, more so even because he will not be costing an arm and a leg with a minor league deal. Plus, one of the major reasons that Sasaki can be a Padre team player is because of Yu Darvish—they have a lovely friendship.

Darvish even helped the young ace perfect his craft over the years. So, given that Darvish is like a mentor to Sasaki, he could be choosing the Padres. Where do you think Roki Sasaki will end up, the LA Dodgers or elsewhere? Let us know in the comments.