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Toronto Blue Jays Given Huge News Regarding Pursuit of Roki Sasaki

With the Padres eliminated from contention, the Jays are just battling it out with the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Brady Farkas|
Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) celebrates with teammates after the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park in 2023.
Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) celebrates with teammates after the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park in 2023. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

News broke early Friday morning that the San Diego Padres are out of the running for Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki.

The 23-year-old, who can only be signed via international bonus pool money, has narrowed his choices down to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

Most people have thought that the Dodgers were the favorite from the start, but several insiders had speculated that the Padres might be the ultimate landing spot, so to see them eliminated is good news for Toronto.

Francys Romero had the note on the Padres via social media:

Hearing from multiple sources that the Padres are out in RokiSasaki.

They will begin their international signings of Jhoan De La Cruz and Carlos Alvarez in the next few hours.

It's a surprise that the Blue Jays have even made it this far, considering they weren't thought to be real contenders for Sasaki this offseason. If Toronto were to land him, he'd join Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Bowden Francis in the rotation.

Presumably, Yariel Rodriguez would head to the bullpen to strengthen that unit. Of course, if Sasaki chooses the Dodgers, it would be another gut punch this offseason for Jays fans who have seen the team miss out on Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Teoscar Hernandez.

The team also missed out on Shohei Ohtani last offseason, who chose the Dodgers and helped them win the World Series.

Sasaki has until Jan. 23 to sign but reports have indicated that he could sign as early as Friday.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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