{"id":9925,"date":"2024-11-18T15:44:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T15:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925"},"modified":"2024-11-18T15:44:18","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T15:44:18","slug":"breaking-mlb-insiders-certainty-over-roki-sasaki-signing-with-dodgers-all-but-ensures-he-wont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bob Nightengale Jinx has come for Roki Sasaki.<\/p>\n

\"World<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

As if this Hot Stove season needed any more juice, Roki Sasaki\u2019s entry into this year\u2019s free agent class has put yet another game-changing talent up for grabs.<\/p>\n

The Japanese righty already has some of the best pure stuff in the world, and at age 23, he\u2019s yet to scratch the ceiling of his potential. Combine that upside with a bargain-basement contract, and you have the sort of opportunity that simply doesn\u2019t come around very often.<\/p>\n

But where will he wind up? Unlike, say, Juan Soto, Sasaki is something of a blank slate. He\u2019s never played in the States before, and he doesn\u2019t have MLB\u2019s preeminent superagent calling the shots for him.<\/p>\n

We really don\u2019t know what Sasaki might want out of his next team, and that makes it awfully difficult to speculate.<\/p>\n

Does he want to be on the West Coast? Does he want to be in a big market, or does he prefer relative anonymity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does he want to be the biggest name on his team\u2019s marquee, or would he be OK playing second fiddle to, say, Shohei Ohtani? Does he want to win a World Series right away, or will he opt for a team with a strong track record of pitching development?<\/p>\n

At this point, we\u2019re getting desperate for any piece of actionable information.<\/p>\n

But just when it seemed like all hope was lost, one bold MLB insider dared to step forward, providing some light in the darkness of the Sasaki sweepstakes \u2026 just in the exact opposite way he intended.<\/p>\n

Bob Nightengale Jinx points to Roki Sasaki choosing anyone but the Dodgers<\/h2>\n

The insider in question is USA Today\u2019s Bob Nightengale.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u2019ve come across his name before on the rumor mill. But what you may not know is that Nightengale has become notorious over the years as MLB\u2019s foremost jinx: No matter what he says on any topic, odds are pretty good that the inverse will be true very soon.<\/p>\n

It could be a\u00a0no-hitter. Or a\u00a0team in a slump. Or even a\u00a0free agency prediction.<\/p>\n

Whatever Nightengale says, the opposite seems to wind up true more often than not \u2014 and nothing will set a fan base off like Nightengale foreseeing something positive happening for their team.<\/p>\n

Which brings us to Friday, when Nightengale appeared on The Incline podcast to offer his opinion on all things Hot Stove. That included Sasaki, who Nightengale thinks is more or less a shoo-in to wind up with the\u00a0Los Angeles Dodgers.<\/p>\n

To be clear, the Dodgers are if not the favorite than certainly a favorite for Sasaki\u2019s services. The team has been linked to him for years now, and with Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto already in tow, their track record in landing big-time Japanese players is well-established. It\u2019s possible that the Nightengale\u2019s nailed this one, and we\u2019re all panicking over nothing.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s also possible that history repeats itself, and Nightengale has jinxed yet another fan base.<\/p>\n

Recent reporting\u00a0has suggested that Sasaki to L.A. might not be the foregone conclusion we all expected; the\u00a0San Diego Padres\u00a0boast\u00a0one of Sasaki\u2019s best friends\u00a0in countrymate Yu Darvish, and\u00a0just about every team\u00a0will be in on the bidding for the 23-year-old. Even if Nightengale is vindicated here, it seems clear that putting the odds at 98 percent is getting way out over your skis. Which is maybe how you develop a reputation as every baseball team\u2019s grim reaper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bob Nightengale Jinx has come for Roki Sasaki. As if this Hot Stove season needed any more juice, Roki Sasaki\u2019s entry into this year\u2019s free agent… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Bob Nightengale Jinx has come for Roki Sasaki. As if this Hot Stove season needed any more juice, Roki Sasaki\u2019s entry into this year\u2019s free agent...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-18T15:44:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/unnamed-file-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsHan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsHan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925\",\"name\":\"BREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/unnamed-file-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-18T15:44:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-18T15:44:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/unnamed-file-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/unnamed-file-1.png\",\"width\":760,\"height\":760},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"BREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c\",\"name\":\"MsHan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsHan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=4\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"BREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"BREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t - NEWS USA","og_description":"The Bob Nightengale Jinx has come for Roki Sasaki. As if this Hot Stove season needed any more juice, Roki Sasaki\u2019s entry into this year\u2019s free agent...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2024-11-18T15:44:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":760,"height":760,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/unnamed-file-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"MsHan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsHan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925","name":"BREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/unnamed-file-1.png","datePublished":"2024-11-18T15:44:18+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-18T15:44:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/unnamed-file-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/unnamed-file-1.png","width":760,"height":760},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=9925#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"BREAKING: MLB insider\u2019s certainty over Roki Sasaki signing with Dodgers all but ensures he won\u2019t"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c","name":"MsHan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsHan"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=4"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9928,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925\/revisions\/9928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}