Sasaki named them one of his three finalists, joined by the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. If nothing else, such recognition plants a larger Padres flag in Japan, where Sasaki commands national attention. Coming Japanese stars won’t say “who?” when Padres team-builder A.J. Preller and scouts come calling.

So now what? Roki Sasaki was the Padres' Plan A this winter. They hoped desperately to woo the ace Japanese right-hander as an anchor of their starting rotation for years to come. They made that much known from the moment he was posted last month.

The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are winding down, with finalists emerging and teams being informed that they're out of the running.

The Padres have dropped out on the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes and MLB fans are speculating that the Dodgers will win the race.

With just two days before the window to sign him opens, the field for star Japanese right-hander Rōki Sasaki has narrowed.

The prized righty pitcher was one of the most sought-after international free agents in recent memory and picked the Dodgers over a considerable list of other suitors.

How a yearslong selection process ended with a sushi chef, a Bel Air mansion, and a text from the most famous baseball player on the planet.

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Eric Samulski takes a look at the teams that didn't land Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, explaining why the Blue Jays, Padres and Mets are among the teams most hurt by the 23-year-old picking the Dodgers in free agency.

At his age and talent level, Sasaki folds in perfectly for a Dodgers club that was already planning on running a six-man rotation.