Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays remain in on former SF Giants pitching target

The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are nearing a conclusion as his camp has narrowed down his list of preferred destinations. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays have been told they are the finalists for the former SF Giants pitching target.

Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays remain in on former SF Giants pitching target

From a Giants standpoint, their omission is not terribly surprising. After all, they were informed that they were out of the running on Monday morning. The odds of them landing Sasaki were low to begin with but it did not cost anything to make an effort.

The New York Mets, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs were also informed that they were out of the running for Sasaki. The Dodgers and Padres being identified as finalists is not surprising as well, as they have both been considered the frontrunners for some time.

Aside from Sasaki, neither team has been connected to any of the top names in this year's class. This was believed to be done intentionally in the hopes of landing Sasaki as both teams have generally been active in international free agency in prior years.

The Dodgers and Padres are even holding off on finalizing deals with players they have been connected to until the Sasaki situation plays out. The Dodgers have already lost one of their top connections in this year's class to the Pittsburgh Pirates. This Sasaki situation is a fairly unique one.

Interestingly, the Blue Jays are considered a finalist for Sasaki as well. Similar to the Giants, they have been connected to just about every top free agent in recent seasons but with little success in those pursuits. The Giants' luck could be changing after landing Willy Adames on a seven-year deal.

The Blue Jays and Padres do have a slight financial advantage as they each have $6.2 million to spend in this year's cycle. On the other hand, the Dodgers' bonus pool sits at $5.1 million. There is a good chance that Sasaki will take up nearly all of a team's bonus pool once his deal is complete.

The star NPB pitcher's 45-day posting window began on December 10, 2024. His window closes on January 23 but he is expected to sign before that.