Padres Pull Ahead: ESPN Insider Predicts Rōki Sasaki Will Sign With San Diego

Since Roki Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, spoke to the media at the Winter Meetings, there’s been a lot of talk about which team could be the best fit for the highly sought-after right-hander, who was recently posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines.

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be the two favorites.

Baseball insiders have varying opinions of which team Sasaki signs with, but ESPN’s David Schoenfield predicts the Padres have the upper hand.

“I’ll stick to my original prediction here, although it’s just guessing at this point,” Schoenfield wrote on Tuesday. “From a career standpoint, it makes sense for him to go to a team in a good park for pitchers, so that could mean any of the West Coast teams (aside from the A’s), who might already have a small geographical advantage anyway.”

Meanwhile, MLB Pipeline has been conducting its annual Executive Survey, polling front offices from all 30 teams. Executives were asked to predict which team is the frontrunner to sign Sasaki. Many responses came before Wolfe’s media session but only two teams received the majority of the votes — the Dodgers (11) and the Padres (7).

The San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers were also mentioned along with the Chicago Cubs.

“The Dodgers can pitch their winning ways,” Schoenfield added. “The Padres can sell their smaller market and playing alongside Yu Darvish, Sasaki’s favorite player as a kid. The Rangers and Cubs have been mentioned as possibilities. And, of course, don’t rule out the Yankees or Mets if the big-market ‘issue’ isn’t really an issue.”

The Dodgers, known for their willingness to invest in top-tier talent, are also in a strong position to offer Sasaki a lucrative extension if his pitching translates well to MLB, as many expect. Additionally, the Dodgers have a proven track record of developing pitchers, and with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto already in the fold, Sasaki would likely be welcomed warmly by fellow Japanese stars.

However, the Padres have a lot to offer as well and might even be the better fit because they have the added advantage of being more of a “mid-market” team. Reports suggest Sasaki has a close relationship with Yu Darvish, who could play a key role in recruiting him to San Diego. Additionally, having Hideo Nomo on board as a special assistant is another positive factor that could help sway Sasaki’s decision.