By Dennis Lin, Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal
As Roki Sasaki nears a decision that could have major ripple effects across baseball, the coveted Japanese right-hander has continued touring potential destinations.
Padres officials hosted Sasaki in San Diego over the weekend after the pitcher visited the Blue Jays last week in Toronto, sources briefed on the meetings told The Athletic.
Sasaki, 23, can sign with a big-league team as soon as the 2025 international signing period opens on Wednesday. The former Chiba Lotte Marines star is not expected to end his free agency immediately, but he must make a choice by Jan. 23, the final date of a 45-day posting window.
Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers have long been considered leading contenders for Sasaki’s services. Both teams were among the clubs that received initial in-person meetings with Sasaki in Los Angeles, where his agency, Wasserman Sports, is headquartered and where the pitcher has been training. Wolfe indicated in a recent video call with reporters that Sasaki would visit a number of U.S. cities after spending the holidays at home in Japan.
-Like the Dodgers, the Padres have told other international prospects who were expected to be part of their upcoming signing class to consider waiting until 2026 to sign. Sasaki is likely to command most, if not all, of the international bonus pool of the team he chooses.
The Padres, who have yet to complete a trade or guarantee a dollar in free agency this offseason, arguably need Sasaki more than any other suitor. While the franchise has descended into a highly publicized ownership dispute, some club officials remain optimistic about their chances of landing Sasaki. The Padres’ hopes all along have been buoyed by the presence of veteran starter Yu Darvish, who played with Sasaki in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and has grown close with the young pitcher.
“If there is an opportunity or if I am asked to join a meeting, I’m here in San Diego throughout the offseason,” Darvish said in an interview last month. “So if there is a time or if they want me to come join a meeting, then, yeah, I’ll be happy to do that.”
(Top photo of Roki Sasaki at the 2023 World Baseball Classic: Yuki Taguchi/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
