Padres Ownership Turmoil May Have Pushed Roki Sasaki to Sign With Dodgers

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jan 22, 2025

Jan 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki, center, attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers formally introduced Roki Sasaki as the newest member of their team Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

The moment was cringeworthy for the San Diego Padres and their fans, and to add insult to injury, the Padres' front office turmoil may have pushed Sasaki to sign with the National League West rival Dodgers.

It turns out a primary concern for Sasaki didn't have to do with having Japanese teammates or not. What mattered a lot to him was stability, particularly within the front office. Currently, the Padres are in the middle of a power struggle with a lawsuit front and center.

“I think the No. 1 thing that stood out was the stability of the front office,” Sasaki said when answering questions regarding why he signed with the Dodgers.

Roki Sasaki said the No. 1 thing that stood out to him about the Dodgers was the "stability of the front office."

Shohei Ohtani has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave if Andrew Friedman isn't there.

Clearly, Sasaki noticed the impressive front office, too. pic.twitter.com/XA1SQ03d80

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) January 22, 2025

The other details Sasaki revealed could have fit the Padres. He wanted to play somewhere that would accept his culture and be welcoming of the Japanese community. Check that box with Yu Darvish listed next to it.

Sasaki shared through interpreter,Will Ireton that his decision was also based on finding a place where he could develop as a player the most.

This was a key part of the "homework assignment" Sasaki gave to teams vying for his services. He asked them to demonstrate how they could help him improve his fastball, which experienced a drop in velocity last season, and explain their plans to address it.

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San Diego pitching coach Ruben Niebla has been incredibly valuable in developing starters in the Padres' system. Just look at how he worked with Michael King in 2024. After coming over from the New York Yankees as a part of the Juan Soto trade, King turned into a Cy Young candidate.

However, it all came down to the entire team. It was development, teammates, and front office.

“I had the opportunity to speak to a lot of teams and they have a lot of appealing features but overall when I looked at the general consensus, I thought that the Dodgers were at the top,” Sasaki said.

Sasaki would have been an incredible addition to the Padres rotation joining Dylan Cease, Darvish, and King. However, the Seidler family's internal conflict seemed to distract them, ultimately impacting the team’s ability to strengthen their roster for the 2025 season.

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