Padres Exploring Multiple Trades as They Try to Enhance Offer to Roki Sasaki

Despite being at the center of a legal spat, the San Diego Padres are waiting for Roki Sasaki to make his highly-anticipated decision that could come any day.

Eight teams initially met in person with Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, but five of them — the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees — have since been informed they are no longer in contention.

The Padres have emerged as one of three finalists in pursuit of Sasaki. The Los Angeles Dodgers Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays are the other two.

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Sasaki's arrival would be a significant financial win for any team, as his earnings are capped under MLB rules for players under 25 entering as international free agents.

Both the Padres and Blue Jays can offer Sasaki up to $6.26 million, while the Dodgers are limited to $5.15 million.

However, with the potential to increase their international signing pool by 60 percent, the Dodgers could raise their offer to $8.23 million, while the Padres and Blue Jays could boost theirs to $10.02 million.

How can the Padres increase their budget?

According to Major League Baseball insider Mark Feinsand, the both the Dodgers and Padres "have been calling teams with regard to trading for international bonus pool money with the hopes of bulking up the amount they can offer Roki Sasaki."

One executive said: “There are a number of teams asking for international money some that you would guess and some that you would not. [LA & SD] are certainly reaching out but they aren’t alone, other teams are recognizing opportunities.”
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 16, 2025

San Diego has been considered a favorite to land the young phenom since the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball posted him on Dec. 10. Even then, manager Mike Shildt was confident in his team's chances.

"I feel like we're in a good spot for a multitude of reasons," Shildt said. "One, we're in San Diego. We sell out our ballpark every night. We have a very competitive ballclub. And it's a chance for him to come in and create a legacy for himself – to help win the first World Series."

It also helps the Padres' chances that Sasaki's teammate from Team Japan, Yu Darvish, has been a big influence on him. San Diego also has one of the game's best pitching coaches in Ruben Niebla who just signed a new contract this offseason.

San Diego is counting on landing Sasaki. They need to add a starting pitcher with Joe Musgrove set to miss the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. But, the lack of additional funds prevents them from signing the bigger names on the free agent market.

Because the Padres are aiming to stay under the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, they're left with fewer options than some of their competitors. Sasaki would only earn a rookie salary and bonus pool money, making him their most logical option.

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