Sasaki met with multiple teams in the last few weeks and is expected to decide before the end of the month. The San Diego Padres seemed to be a contender for the Japanese phenom’s services, but they’ve been eliminated from the sweepstakes, according to MLB insider Francys Romero.
San Diego is believed to be prioritizing its other international signings and likely won’t have the budget to sign Sasaki — the 23-year-old is an international free agent, so teams have a limited budget to sign him. It was thought that the Padres would be a suitable fit for Sasaki due to his connections with Yu Darvish. However, his connection to Yoshinobu Yamamoto could lead him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Toronto Blue Jays also reportedly are in the mix.
Sasaki’s talent should translate to MLB. He recorded a 2.10 ERA in 394 2/3 innings in four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He can easily touch triple-digits with his fastball, and his stuff is better than Yamamoto’s, according to scouts.
That could pose trouble for the Red Sox if Sasaki did sign in the American League East. Toronto would get a boost to its pitching staff and remain competitive within the division. The Red Sox made their respective upgrades to the rotation, but the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles were enough competition for them to worry about.
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A Sasaki deal also would add intrigue to the Blue Jays’ negotiations with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The sides reportedly aren’t close to an agreement, and it’s likely the All-Star could test free agency next offseason. That could change if Toronto can add talent to the roster and remains competitive.
This potentially would eliminate Guerrero as a long-term option for Boston as it reportedly does have an interest in the Gold Glove first baseman and the feeling is mutual.
As much as it might pain Red Sox fans, they might want to hope that Los Angeles lands another prized international star. The Blue Jays losing Sasaki would mark another loss for the AL East side after they reportedly were in the running for Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes. Another free agent swing-and-miss could tick Guerrero off and cause him to refuse a long-term deal with Toronto to join a new club.
Of course, the Red Sox have this year to worry about, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is always thinking big picture and likely is keeping an eye on what’s going on up north.
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