The winter meetings have come to a dramatic close in Dallas and there is plenty of chatter about what will happen to Corbin Burnes and Teoscar Hernández. But there is another player in the landscape that nobody can stop talking about. It’s Roki Sasaki, the Japanese superstar who was only just posted by his team, Chiba Lotte Marines. The 22-year-old is a currently hot catch and considered the best pitcher by many, the time is ticking. If he doesn’t sign by Jan 23, 2025, he will head back to the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Sasaki isn’t just another player; he is a fascinating talent. Couple his talent with his age and his financial accessibility, and it’s too good a mix for any team to miss. Right now the Los Angeles Dodgers are deemed favorites.  They are extremely famous in Japan and house some of their top stars, like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. While nothing is set in stone yet, Sasaki was just seen in LA. Is that not hint enough?

Is Roki Sasaki a future Dodger?

Adding more fuel to the speculation is the fact that Roki Sasaki was recently seen playing at Mira Costa High School in Los Angeles. Plus, recently Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was sold on Sasaki’s potential. Talking to The Athletic, Friedman said, “He’s incredibly talented. Really physical. Incredible, carrying fastball. His split’s a well-above-average major-league pitch. He’s worked hard on a slider, and it’s a really good pitch. He has talked about his desire to be the best pitcher in the world, and we believe that he is capable of being the best pitcher in the world.” The Dodgers clearly want to sway the star pitcher toward them.

If the Los Angeles Dodgers end up signing Sasaki, he will join his fellow NPB standout player Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto signed a 12-year, whopping $325 million deal with the Dodgers last season. It’s amusing because the Yankees were interested in Yamamoto last year but couldn’t, simply going by the numbers in the check. This time they are yet again interested in signing a top NBP prospect in Roki Sasaki. The Japanese phenom won’t be looking at money as a deciding factor hence as per reports, the Yankees general manager and senior vice president Brian Cashman has other ways to sway him, like selling the Yankee franchise history, the pride, and more. It remains to be seen if that’s enough for the NY MLB team to clinch him.

San Diego Padres need Sasaki

One thing in this off-season that everyone has witnessed is that players have become team advocates. Big Papi, for example, tried to sway Juan Soto to the Boston Red Sox, but his efforts fell flat. This time, Padres Yu Darvish is well following suit. Darvish is probably one of the most accomplished Japanese-born pitchers in MLB history. He first met Roki Sasaki during the training camp for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The duo helped lead Samurai Japan to a championship victory, contributing to three World Baseball titles now held by the Island nation. If there is one person who can be an advocate for Sasaki, it is most likely Yu Darvish.

Recently, speaking through interpreter Shingo Horie, Yu Darvish said, “I think it’s a good thing if he were to come to San Diego. 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.” It indeed will be a great thing if Sasaki ends up in the Padres because the National League just got a whole lot tougher. The Cubs added Kyle Tucker, and then-NL stars like Juan Soto, Blake Snell, and Willy Adames are all players who are also challenging for the Padres.

Moreover, the Padres left the winter meetings with just a Rule 5 draft pick, who are yet to pitch above Single-A. Surely the team would be banking on Sasaki to join. Do you think he will land with the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers?