Dodgers Predicted To Beat Padres In Free Agency Battle For 23-Year-Old Ace

Japanese free agent Roki Sasaki is one of the most intriguing free agents on the market. Unlike the other top free agents, Sasaki isn’t eligible to sign a nine-figure deal.

Sasaki’s free agency decision will come down to which team he feels he fits with the best rather than which team is able to cough up the most money. Still, two of the top teams in the Sasaki sweepstakes are National League West rivals: the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

FanSided’s Michael Brakebill recently predicted Sasaki would choose the Dodgers over the Padres. “In about a month, Roki Sasaki will be the biggest name on the board and garner the most attention of anybody still on the board. Sasaki has elite stuff, and at just 23 years old, all 30 teams should be going all in with their presentations to try and woo him to their organization.

A West Coast team like the Dodgers makes sense, given their marketability and relationship with Japanese players recently,” Brakebill wrote. “Sasaki may not be the face of the franchise if he signs with L.A., but he will have a fantastic start to his career. The Dodgers are built to win for many years.” Predicting where Sasaki lands is quite difficult. Each team is on nearly even ground financially. A team like the Dodgers has Japanese connections with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but this takes a bit of the spotlight away from Sasaki.

San Diego has Yu Darvish, who has been a teammate of Sasaki’s as well. Only time will tell where the young flame-thrower will sign.

Either of these two options makes sense, but numerous other franchises are vying for the opportunity to bring him in too.

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Soon-to-be right-hander made his major league debut with the Royals in 2024, and spent the remainder of the season in the minor leagues with the Yankees.

The Dodgers signed pitcher Matt Sauer to a minor league contract which includes a non-roster invitation to spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona, per Kiley McDaniel at ESPN.

Sauer made his major league debut with the Royals in 2024 after getting picked in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft from the Yankees. The right-hander had a 7.71 ERA, allowing 14 runs in 16⅓ innings with 11 walks and nine strikeouts with Kansas City, before getting returned to the Yankees on May 26.

After allowing 15 runs in 8⅓ innings in his first month in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Sauer was sent to Double-A Somerset, and posted a 2.63 ERA in 17 relief appearances over the final three months, with 21 strikeouts and three walks in 24 innings.

Sauer, who turns 26 in January, was drafted by New York in the second round in 2017.

The right-hander is one of three players reported to have received a non-roster invite to spring training from the Dodgers, along with veteran pitcher Giovanny Gallegos and infielder/outfielder David Bote.