Sasaki to Padres? The Potential Fit Between San Diego and the…

In May, Chelsea James of The Washington Post reported that teams expected Nippon Professional Baseball star Roki Sasaki to be posted this offseason. Those expectations came to fruition on Saturday.

The Chiba Lotte Marines announced on X that Sasaki will be posted this offseason. ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted that it is unknown when Sasaki will be made available before Dec. 15, the next international signing period. The signing pools would reset for 2025, so the Marines should push that signing window as late as possible.

The sentiment around baseball is that the Dodgers are the prohibitive favorite to land Sasaki. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that while all 30 teams will attempt to sign Sasaki, he’s expected to sign with Los Angeles. The Dodgers have plenty of intrigue with two-way star Shohei Ohtani, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and being fresh off of a World Series title.

L.A. is not the only team that should be considered a favorite. The Padres are the home of pitcher Yu Darvish, who signed a six-year, $108 million extension to keep him in San Diego through 2028. He is Sasaki’s mentor, which Passan noted when he listed possible destinations for the phenom. Darvish also helped Sasaki develop his slider, turning it into another weapon in his arsenal.

The 23-year-old’s arsenal and performance capture the imagination. His upper-90s fastball has been clocked at 102 MPH, working well with his devasting splitter and plus-slider.

A two-time NPB All-Star, Sasaki fired a perfect game in 2022, striking out 19 in the gem. He followed that performance up with eight more perfect innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter. Sasaki posted a 2.10 ERA and a 0.984 WHIP in his 394.2 innings for the Marines, striking out 505 batters with just 88 walks. 

There are some red flags. Sasaki has questions about his durability, having never pitched more than 129.1 innings in a year. He missed time in 2024 due to a torn oblique and arm fatigue, holding him to 18 starts. However, when Sasaki is healthy and able to take the mound, he has proven to be one of the best pitchers on the planet.

The Padres may have held back waiting for Sasaki to be posted. After landing the top international prospects in 2023 (catcher Ethan Salas) and 2024 (shortstop Leo De Vries), they have not been nearly as aggressive this offseason. It is possible that the Padres were waiting to make a run at Sasaki in case he was posted.

Sasaki will be coming stateside for the 2025 season. While the Dodgers are the prohibitive favorites, the Padres are also possible.