DALLAS -- And so begins the Padres' offseason.
Or the single most important part of the Padres' offseason, at least.
On Monday, right-hander Roki Sasaki was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines, sources told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. The negotiating window for clubs will begin on Tuesday, starting a 45-day stretch where teams can meet with Sasaki and make their pitch.
The Padres have long been rumored as a potential favorite for the 23-year-old fireballer. And in case there was any doubt as to their intentions, manager Mike Shildt made them very clear in a morning interview on MLB Network radio.
"We’re going to put the full-court press to make it happen,” Shildt said. “And we’re very optimistic."
Among the selling points, Shildt noted the city, the ballpark environment and the organization's extensive ties to Japan -- particularly its famous ace-caliber starting pitchers. Yu Darvish is under contract for four more seasons, and Hideo Nomo is a special adviser in the club’s baseball operations department.
General manager A.J. Preller was somewhat more measured than Shildt in speaking on Sasaki, but no less optimistic.
"We just talk about wanting to put our best foot forward and presenting our situation,” Preller said. “If things are meant to be, they line up. From our standpoint, we feel like we have a lot to offer. ... Like anything, it should be a good process."
Preller’s pitch?
"Obviously it starts on the field with a team that's been in the playoffs,” he said. “We feel like, just in general, not from any one specific player, but when we talk to free agents … a lot of people want to be here and play. They want to be part of an amazing atmosphere, want to be part of a team that I think everybody in the game feels like can win a world championship.”
Upon his posting, Sasaki will instantly become MLB Pipeline's No. 1 international prospect. He's not expected to make a decision until after the 2025 signing period opens on Jan. 15. But he can begin the process of meeting with clubs on Tuesday.
Along with the Padres, the Dodgers have been rumored as a strong favorite. That only adds to the zero-sum urgency with which San Diego would need to pursue the right-hander. Additionally, Sasaki will cost only bonus-pool money, plus a rookie salary, making him affordable for a Padres team that seems unlikely to spend big this winter.
They also have multiple vacancies in their starting rotation. Right-hander Joe Musgrove is expected to miss the 2025 season following Tommy John surgery. Martín Pérez is a free agent. That leaves two places available at the back end of the rotation -- one reason Sasaki feels like such a perfect fit for San Diego.
Another reason? The front end of the Padres’ rotation is strong, but Michael King and Dylan Cease are slated to become free agents after the 2025 season. Darvish is 38. The Padres could use some long-term stability.
“Every year -- I don’t think it’s ever going to change -- you’re looking for starters,” Preller said. “We like some of the depth that we have, that we’ve built up in the rotation. But with Joe’s injury we’re going to keep looking for somebody that can pitch towards the front of a rotation and give us some quality innings.”
By all accounts, Sasaki is that kind of guy. He boasts a fastball that touches 100 mph, one of the world’s best splitters and a high-upside slider, as well. Preller’s experience with Sasaki dates back several years to his time scouting Sasaki as a teenager. But Sasaki truly broke through at the 2023 World Baseball Classic as one of the event’s most dominant pitchers.
“We have history dating back to high school and seeing him in the 18U tournament personally,” Preller said. “I think the world got to see it. … He's a phenom. From day one, he was considered an elite-type talent. Then he went out and produced and did it."
Seven years ago, when a young Shohei Ohtani was posted by the Nippon Ham Fighters, Preller famously learned several minutes worth of Japanese so he could give his pitch in Ohtani’s native language. So … is it time for Preller to break out his Japanese again? He laughed at the notion. (Didn’t work last time, after all, though it’s likelier that the lack of a DH in the NL at the time played a bigger part.)
“I’ll leave it to the professionals to do the translating,” Preller said. “I’ll leave it to the fluent Japanese speakers. We’ve got a lot in our organization.”