Roki Sasaki Is Reportedly Down To Two Teams

The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes might finally be coming to an end. 

Earlier this week, reports broke that Sasaki had eliminated several teams from contention, including the New York Yankees, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers. That left three still in the running: the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. And a new post on Friday morning says we can cut that list down to two. 

Per Francys Romero, the Padres are now eliminated too. "Hearing from multiple sources that the Padres are out in [sic] Roki Sasaki," Romero posted on X. "They will begin their international signings of Jhoan De La Cruz and Carlos Alvarez in the next few hours."

The second part of that report, that the Padres would be signing several international free agents, was confirmed by Will Sammon from The Athletic. And while there's been no official word from Sasaki's camp or the Padres, the fact that San Diego is moving forward with other options does indicate that they're no longer in the running for the prized Japanese starter.

Mar 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Roki Sasaki Down To Dodgers, Blue Jays

The Blue Jays do seem to have some level of confidence that Sasaki could ultimately choose to come to Toronto, as evidenced by a trade they made Friday morning.

Shi Davidi reported that the Blue Jays had acquired Myles Straw, cash and international bonus pool money for a player to be named later, or cash. He then later followed up by reporting that they'd added $2 million in bonus pool money, a hefty amount that could allow them to increase their offer to Sasaki. Though it does not mean he'd officially made his decision.

It's clear that money won't be the primary motivation for Sasaki, considering he's already sacrificing a massive payday by coming to Major League Baseball before his 25th birthday. But it is notable that the Blue Jays increased their available bonus pool soon after the Padres were apparently eliminated.

Toronto's always seemed like a bit of an odd fit; the team doesn't have a ton of recent success to point to, both in the postseason and in player development with young pitchers. They're also significantly further from Sasaki's home in Japan. The Padres and Dodgers both offered a west coast location, playoff-caliber rosters, and successful development departments. With San Diego out, that'd seem to make the Dodgers the obvious destination. 

But it's possible Sasaki doesn't want to be overshadowed by other Japanese-born stars like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshninobu Yamamoto. Or that he likes the Blue Jays facilities and plan for the future. With his posting deadline now less than a week away, we won't have long to wait to find out.